Far Away Love ✓

√chapter three

                      [ Five (5) Years Later]

Zainab's POV

My eyelids flutter harshly as a loud, disturbing voice comes into hearing causing my eardrums to almost rupture. I abruptly opened my eyes to find the alarm on the right side table of the bed vigorously shaking. I groaned as I mumbled a curse under my breath. Every time this alarm made my ears go numb for a good amount of time but I couldn't help but to still use it since I was a heavy sleeper and I wouldn't be able to get up on my own. While still laying, I pulled my arms forward and slammed my hands on the table. When my hand found a rectangular entity, I hastily picked it up and didn't waste a second to turn its chants off.

After shoving back the alarm to its earlier position, I sit up and pushed my back against the crown of the bed. I rubbed my eyes to get the sleep out of them as my other hand reached for my phone. The screen's brightness impinged into my eyes as soon as I turned it on. It's six in the morning right now. My job started at seven but for Daniyal (Zainab's brother), I needed to wake up early for these five years. In this extra one hour, I used to make his breakfast and lunch as he wasn't able to do anything due to his paralysis.

I swipe up the screen but like usual, my lips formed a helpless and disappointed pout seeing no reply to my messages, calls, and jokes. I even used to send him my everyday routine, but he never answered since he has left. It's been five years since Shaiq has gone and I hadn't listened to his voice for once. He didn't even talk to me. Neither he called me ever nor he received my calls. He was full in contact with Daniyal, his own family but whenever they give the phone to me, he always disconnected the call or said he was busy. 

A tear escaped my eyes when they diverted from the phone purposeless. He was mad at me. And I made him get angry at me. I thought by shoving him away, I will just lose him as my husband but I never knew, I will end up losing my best friend as well. I was missing him, his voice, his face, his everything but now he didn't want to listen to my voice and see my face.

I come out of my thoughts when my alarm again rang reminding me about me being getting late for my job. I quickly wiped my face while turning the alarm off again. I bind my hair in a loose bun as I scramble towards the washroom for a shower.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I gently combed my hair, standing in front of the mirror as I look at my whole figure. The baby pink long shirt was reaching just above my knees, while the tight white pajamas are complementing it. I looked at my face to find nothing changed from five years except now my eyes have a lot more bags under them considering how less sleep I was taking these days.

Having University in the morning and double the amount of part-time jobs didn't let me sleep at peace for more than four hours. Nevertheless, Daniyal was giving tuitions to children while staying in the home, it wasn't enough for our expenses. This was the most he could do in his paralyzed state but this thing was just increasing my gratitude for him. Since our parents' death, Daniyal has turned so nice and loving to me. And I just needed this love right now.

Though Shaiq's Mom has asked me many times for help, I always declined. When her son didn't consider me as his best friend anymore, then I had no right to take any help from his family. But not even this thing was making me hate him. Instead, I was falling for him more and more. He turned bitter to me because of myself.

I started at my hair before binding them in a ponytail, which was falling to my waist. How much he loved my long hair back then. But now he hated everything. I took a deep breath to stop myself from crying before giving a final look to me in the mirror. I rapidly turned around on my heels and picked up the white dupatta from my bed. I spread it on my head as I rushed out towards the stairs down.