Written Among The Stars.

Chapter 24 - The firsts

That night at the hospital had changed something for Haneen and Aaban alike. He was now polite with her. He still didn't open up to her but it was better than nothing. Haneen accepted the change whole heartedly. Aaban was still mad at her for not confronting him. He wanted her to yell at him and fight with him. He wanted her to be mad at him for making her suffer like that for the past five months and that was exactly why he was intentionally trying to be a jerk to her, not that he needed to try.

"I told you to stay away from my problems. Didn't I? What part of it was so hard to understand? Stay away from me, Haneen. Stay away." He whispered yelled at her.

"I was just trying to help." She replied politely.

"I don't need anybody's help. I don't need anybody." He yelled running his hands through his hair in frustration. He was going crazy.

Get mad at me. Yell at me. Fight with me.

She didn't understand what inner turmoil he went through whenever she was near him like that. He picked up his pillow and went towards the door. She grabbed his arm from behind.

"Where are you going?" She asked, still calm as ever.

"To sleep. Away from you." He spoke.

"This is your room. You sleep here. I will go." She spoke and grabbed her scarf.

Just as she was about to go outside, he grabbed her by her wrist and jerked her back to him. She collided with his chest and stumbled back but he held her. "Where do you think you're going?" He scrutinized his eyes at her.

"To sleep. Away from you." She replied in the same tone as him.

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as if trying to keep himself under control. He was trying to trigger her into fighting with him but nothing seemed to be working.

"Is this what your mom taught you how to behave with your husband?" He spoke and immediately regretted his words. That was a low blow and he knew it. She drew back her wrist from him and pointed her finger at him.

"Say whatever you want to me. Hate me all you want. Push me away all you want but don't you dare drag my parents in any of our arguments."

"I didn't mean it." He spoke trying to apologise for his words. She also knew that he didn't mean it because despite all the things that they disagreed upon, he at least respected her parents as much as he respected his own mother.

But right now, the emotions were high and he was frustrated to no extents.

"Oh! You surely meant it." She spoke venomously. He grabbed her wrist and pushed her back until her back collided with the wall. He held her like a prisoner, caged in his arms.

"I told you to stay away from me and my personal problems. As long as you were away, things were fine but the day you started interfering in my business, everything was changed so I am telling you once again, to stay away from me. Stay away." He spoke in a dangerously low voice, his nose tip touching hers. This was the most proximate they had been in these five months. She shook uncontrollably with fear underneath his towering figure and shut her eyes tightly but nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. His eyes were all watery. Tears blinded his vision as he shook standing in front of her. He left her wrist and stepped back, cursing himself. He slumped down on the couch in defeat and shame. He was ashamed of himself and of what he had become. She looked at him terrified as she saw him holding his head and breaking down like a little child in front of her. She had never seen him cry and honestly, it broke her heart. She gulped the lump in her throat and took slow steps towards him. She kneeled down on the floor in front of him. He had his head down in his hands. She placed her hands above his and held them in hers. He looked startled all of a sudden. He pulled away from her and pushed her back.