To live and to love

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The late afternoon sunlight filtering through the blinds and the way the old building creaked reminded me that this office was my second home. The job was demanding, starting an advertising firm on my own was always going to be demanding, but it wasn't just that. In my little office, I could control things. Slowly, I'd let those four walls become my whole world, and I didn't know who I would be without them. This was my place, something I had built and created with my ideas and Salaar's help.

Salaar.

My face warmed up. My husband. My partner in crime. My confidant.

My body shuddered as I remembered how he'd found me that day. Shriveled up and crumpled in a corner.

I'd been excited to present, eager for that promotion—he was taking an interest in my work, and as an executive with more experience, he could give me pointers. I'd been lively and engaging, making sure to keep my points succinct and short. As soon as I was done, I'd turned towards him, my eyes on his blank face. After a moment of tense silence—the only sound of the ticking clock—he'd laughed, a small caustic sound. His fingers curled around my wrist and warning bells went off in my head.

I tried to pull my hand back, but he gripped it firmly. behind my back, slamming it into the wooden podium with a fast jerk twisted my wrist with more force.

I shook away the memory, rubbing my upper arm absently where the small, round bruises had taken two weeks to fade.

We were in a much better place now. Healing, moving forward. Funnily, moving out of Salaar's house had allowed me to grow closer to him. There wasn't a night we didn't talk. Not a thing I couldn't tell him.

"Rania," I jumped a mile into the air. "Sorry, I should have announced myself."

I stared at his profile, the space between us seeming to shrink as he held my stare. My heart rate picked up, and my skin flushed, a small smile settling over my lips. "Why are you here?"

"Didn't you say you were bored?"

I leaned against the wall. "Didn't you have a work thing?" He moved forward with the delicious promise of something more in his eyes. My cheeks flamed, and a swirl of excitement twisted low in my body.

"I've got a better idea."

Storefronts and restaurants lined the streets, filled to the brim. We slipped through the side, looking for a secluded spot on the beach, where white twinkle lights strung above us made the space feel magical. We sat in the shadows, both of us taking in the sight of the water and stealing small quick glances at each other's profile. It was so strange to sit next to him again, next to the body with which I had become so familiar, but with so much distance between us.

His voice broke the silence, the low rumble stirring something in me. "Is your mother still celebrating?"

"She's over the moon," I answered wrapping my arms around my knees and rocking forward, my feet sinking into the sand. It had been a month since I'd left his place and according to Ammi, my marriage was over. The woman had wanted me out of the house the moment I'd graduated and now she couldn't for my marriage to fall apart.

Silence fell between us again, but it wasn't uncomfortable, just unfinished. I toyed with the ring on my ring finger, deciding where to begin.

"Do you still want to stay there?" Nope, I could not handle my mother for another minute. Her ongoing smear campaign against Salaar and his family had very slowly but persistently chipped away at my patience and I was ready to jump ship. "I mean, Ammi, Abba, and Ayesha will be returning soon and they might ask about you..."