104

slice of life | romance

Nadiah sniffled, wiped her nose, then walked toward the balcony and stared at the sky with a blank expression. Living on the second floor of this big house, the urge to jump and die crossed her mind more often than she wanted to admit. But here she was never attempted it, but suicidal thoughts were a constant. Like, all the time. The worst part was, she didn't even know what exactly she was suffering from.

"Nadiah," Iman called softly. Nadiah turned her head toward her best friend. "You know you can trust me with anything, right?" "I know. Same goes for you, you can tell me anything too." "Then why?" Iman's voice wavered slightly. "Why do you pull away from me when you're going through hard times?"Iman simply wrapped her arm around Nadiah's shoulder, pulling her into a quiet, comforting side hug.

Nadeem removed his hoodie and gently placed it over Nadiah's shoulders. He remained in his white shirt underneath. He scooped five spoonfuls of porridge into Nadiah's bowl, then served some for himself. "Here," he said, placing the bowl in front of her. Nadiah took it with both hands and began eating slowly, like a sloth. She chewed, but swallowing felt impossible. She didn't know why she was torturing herself like this. She simply had no appetite. No strength to even force it down.

Nadiah sipped her coffee. "And what do you expect from your wife... emotionally?" Yusuf smiled gently. "Honesty. Not perfection. Just that she feels safe enough to be real with me." She looked down, breathing slowly. "And your role as a husband?" "Protector, provider, and partner. All three." That answer stayed with her long after the meeting ended.

English book in Malay setting's. But since English isn't my first language, i used simple English so don't hesitate to read :) be kind, my first writing.
(ED. Suicidal thoughts)