Shadow of Doubt

Chapter 6

This chapter is dedicated to my baby sis Salmah. I miss you. 🥺❤️

Chapter 6
Iram's POV

Friday was a lecture free day for me, so was Saturday and Sunday. I minded my business and stayed home as I focused on my project, trying to make my data analysis perfect just so my hot headed supervisor won't turn me back again.

My supervisor happened to be the head of department and a female, she was always so busy and stress made her like the most unpleasant person on earth. I dreaded meeting her but we never got what we wanted the way we wanted it.

I woke up with a disturbing headache on Monday and a part of me already knew that the day was not going to be pleasant. I didn't have any lectures because we've wrapped up almost everything and if not for my project, I wouldn't be going to school. Saif had left for school and I stayed in bed longer than I should thinking my headache would subside but it didn't. So I sucked it up, got ready and met Sa'ad outside.

"Are you okay?" He asked me when he saw me, probably because I didn't have the strength to apply anything to my face or dress elegantly. I just wore the first atamfa gown my hand picked out and put on a veil, I didn't care to check if it even matched with the outfit.

"Yeah." I answered him as he opened the back seat for me and I entered, my whole body ached at the action and as soon as I sat, I leaned my head back against the headrest. I wasn't looking at him but I could feel his eyes on me, I hated that he was seeing me like this. Weak and bare, not pretty and definitely vulnerable.

"Are you sick?" He asked and I dropped my head, shaking it. "Well, you don't look good."

"Did you win all your girlfriends' hearts by talking to them this way?" I said sarcastically and his brows rose in mischief. "How can you tell a lady she doesn't look good?"

"I'm sorry." He held his hand up in mock surrender but a little smile played on the corner of his lips, almost a smirk. I wondered why he always chose to hide that dimple behind that grumpy face? He rounded the car and entered the driver's seat but he turned around to look at me. "You can just stay home, you know. Whatever you're going to do cannot be this important."

"I won't." I told him. "I'm going to see my supervisor, I only get to meet her once in a week because she is a busy woman. Everyone is writing their conclusion, some are even done while I'm still on data analysis."

"It's one day, Hafsat."

"Please let's go." I told him as I looked away from him and rested my head back on the head rest.

"Sannu." He told me.

"Mmhm." I answered and he started driving. "So, how was your weekend? Did your cousin arrive home safely?"

"Yeah, it was fine. Alhamdulillah." He answered. "What did Saif do over the weekend?"

"Apart from tormenting me you mean?" I scoffed and he laughed silently. Even though my eyes were close, this conversation was better than nothing. It distracted me to the pounding pain in my head. "He mostly just played games and refused to go to Islamiyyah until I preached to him about hell fire."

This time around, his laugh was harder, richer even but still not loudly "That trick always works."

"Yeah." I said and kept quiet for a moment. I opened my eyes but his eyes were set on the road but a moment later, he peeped in the rear view mirror and our eyes met.

"Sannu." He told me, still not looking away. He was not stealing a look at me, he was checking to see how I was holding up. "I won the best car stunts in training you know, I can always turn around. You just need to say the word."