Unanticipated Turn

TWENTY NINE

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Few months later

Meenah groaned as she speed home in her car after hanging out with Fariq and Aurora. She had been staying with her grandmother, after the incident with Muneer Fawaz because she couldn't look into her mother's eyes. She graduated high school with flying colors, and she would be leaving for university in a month. Muneer Fawaz kept to his word and left her alone, and Meenah had never been grateful.

Meenah was so tired that she failed to notice the unfamiliar car parked just around her grandmother's house. Though she was confident no one would harm her, she usually made it a point to note any odd or unfamiliar presence around her. Meenah parked her car in the garage and rested her head on the steering wheel.

Meenah raised her head after a while and instantly froze when her eyes went to her driving mirror.  Was she hallucinating on top of her woes? She could see an image of Muneer behind her car. Meenah was positive she was hallucinating because there was no way Muneer could have gotten inside the garage without being allowed in. It was all in her mind. Meenah blinked and looked again but the image was still there. Infact it looked real. Meenah had had it! There was only one way to know whether she was hallucinating or looking at the real Muneer. Meenah opened her glove compartment and took out the dagger Muneer gave her.

Muneer's heart started pounding as Meenah got out of the car. Then he saw what was pointing straight at his head and froze. A dagger. Muneer would be a liar if he said he didn't get scared when he saw the dagger pointed at him. Who wouldn't get scared if someone who had a reason to hate them pointed a weapon a them. But what terrified Muneer even more was the look on Meenah's face.

The look of utter desolation on Meenah's face was heart wrenching palpable. It was a look of a broken girl. And as she looked at Muneer, Meenah started to breathe harshly, her face scrunched up and her eyes welled up. Muneer forgot about the dagger.

"Oh God, Meenah!" Muneer breathed as he felt goosebumps break out on his skin at the look on the girl's face.

Muneer started walking slowly towards Meenah, noting how the dagger didn't waver even once but remained pointed at him. Muneer knew deep down that Meenah wouldn't hurt him. As he neared Meenah, Muneer saw the tears begin to slide down Meenah's cheeks and felt his heart break even more. When he got so close to Meenah, Muneer slowly reached up and took hold of the hand holding the dagger. Then Muneer gently pried it out of Meenah's hand and threw it somewhere in the garage. Meenah then burst into tears.

For a moment, Meenah didn't know where the sound was coming from. It was only when Muneer grabbed her tightly and sank to the floor that Meenah realised that the shockingly horrible sound was coming from her. Deep and desperate gut-wrenching sobs that were the buildup of months of pain and sadness tore from Meenah's throat. Great heaving sobs, that sounded like they were coming from a wounded animal, shook Meenah's frame. He'd never shed a tear since that night all those months ago. So the feeling was alien to her. It was painful and Meenah wished she could stop. God knew she tried to stop but she just couldn't. After a while of nonstop sobbing, she finally heard Muneer's voice saying how sorry he was, crooning softly to him, rocking her as though she was little girl.... It only made her cry harder. She felt like she was dying. She clung desperately to Muneer as though her was her anchor on a sinking ship.

After what felt like hours, Meenah eventually quieted down. She noticed how soaked Muneer's t-shirt was with her tears and couldn't believe how weak she'd been. Muneer was the last person she should have shown any weakness to, Meenah thought miserably. To think that the very first time she'd broken down after months of holding back.... and it was in front of none other than Muneer Fawaz, the very person who had caused her misery.... The very person she couldn't to show any weakness to. Just her luck, Meenah almost groaned. What was Muneer going to think of her now? Meenah pulled back from Muneer and looked up into his face. She pulled herself up and picked up the dagger from the floor.

"You can show yourself out." She croaked and walked off.

Muneer sat on the floor and watched as Meenah walked away. He was going to leave her alone, just for that day as he'd seen the embarrassment in her eyes when she looked at him after falling apart in his arms. No need to emasculate the girl further by hanging around. He planned on coming again the next day after that till Meenah talked to him. If she thought he was going to let her be, she had another thing coming. Muneer stood up and let himself out of the garage.

This just the beginning.

~

And true to her resolution, Muneer was at Meenah's gate the next day which was Sunday. He sat on the ledge on the side of the gate and worked on his phone. This time around, he didn't attempt to enter the house. He couldn't have been able to anyway because there was a security guard at post. He knew Meenah was aware of his presence because the security guard had come to ask him whether he wanted to see Ameenah.

Muneer shrugged,"Does she know that I'm here?" He'd asked.

"Yes." Was the man's brief answer.

"And did Ameenah send you ask me that?"

A sheepish look appeared on the man's face,"No."

"Did she ask you to remove me or send me away?"

"No."

"Then don't worry your head. I'll just sit here for a while."

He'd sat on the ledge and worked about for about three hours before leaving for home. The following day which was a Monday, Muneer closed from work early because according to one of his spies, Meenah usually got home around 4 PM.  By half past three, he was on the ledge. He'd taken off his suit and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. When Meenah got to the gate, she drove in without looking at Muneer. Muneer watched till the gate came down and went back to his phone. And that was how it went for two weeks. Meenah never once spoke to Muneer but he knew she watched him from the house. He could feel Meenah's eyes on him.

"You're sure that's going to work?" Ayman asked one day when he dropped some files in Muneer's office. The two got a lot more closer than before, after Muneer's break up with Meenah. The two act like brothers, dropping off the formalities.

"If I have to do this for a whole year, I will. I don't want to pressure her by demanding she talks to me. But I'm sure not going to allow her to forget me."

"Trust me, I don't think she ever will. Not after that garage stunt you pulled. She will be looking out for you even if you're nowhere around. Why do you think she made my grandmother post a security guard at the gate? You're a psycho stalker, know that?" Ayman chuckled."She obviously doesn't want to take any chances."

Muneer had told Ayman about going to Meenah's garage but had omitted the part about her breaking down. He don't want Ayman to go into overprotective brother mode.

"She doesn't have any chance but to talk to me at a point." Muneer said with conviction.

Ayman shook his head amused."She should have stabbed you when she had the chance."

Muneer laughed."I've got to get going, ditto. It's almost quarter past three."

"Come on Muneer, it looks like it's going to rain. Did you have to?" Ayman looked surprise.

"I want to, Ayman. Besides, the forecast talked about showers and not a full-on down pour."

Ayman shook his head with a look of incredulity on his face."All the best."

*

Word count-1386

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