Lovestruck in the Capital City (Preview Only)

08: Abdulmanan's Ex

"I'm going to start wearing my glasses again." Mahnoor said over the phone on the morning of January 5th. "I've been straining my eyes so the doctors told me to start using them. I would have used my contact lenses but with the amount of work I have left, it's going to be a huge problem."

Abdulmanan was in his office at Nile University and he leaned back in his seat. "How many more events do you have?"

"I have three on Saturday, one on Sunday and the last one on Monday. I'm taking a break after that."

"So that means we won't have any sessions this week?"

"I'm sorry."

It hurt more than he thought it would and he sighed. "It's fine...We've been really busy and we can't blame anyone for that."

"I still feel bad though."

"Just take it easy, Hidayah. We can't have you breaking down."

"I will." She said reassuringly. "I have to go. I'll call you later, okay?"

He knew she would not but that did not stop him from saying "Okay."

She hung up before he could say bye and he put his phone down on the table with a soft sigh. The documents he had to review that morning suddenly felt like too much work and he contemplated heading home. Unfortunately, that would be an irresponsible choice and the work would be there when he came in on Wednesday morning. Also, he had to help Zulayha and Abdulhameed make plans for the family dinner they wanted to hold as Aisha's birthday which was coming up on January 26th.

They – he and Mahnoor – hadn't physically seen each other since his birthday. The end of the year meant there were a lot of events for her to plan and there were a lot of events where he had to deliver lectures. They caught up over the phone, or at least they tried to. The replies came way later than they had gotten used to and the calls were extremely short. He always seemed to have more time than she did and after a week of hardly getting enough communication with her, Abdulmanan hated it. Unfortunately, he could not do much about it. He only had to be patient.

With a sigh, he picked up the first document which was a request to be a supervisor for one of the incoming final year students alongside a list of the student's proposed topics. He leaned back in his seat and glanced through the topics while doing everything possible to not think about Mahnoor.

~*~

The office was half empty as her employees had a week long break. Those who decided to come in had work to get done but couldn't find the zeal to do so in their homes because of the numerous distractions.

Mahnoor stepped out of the event management team office with a document in hand and faced the receptionist. "John."

The male removed his airpod. "Yes?"

"Abdulmanan Harun will be coming in by 12:30." She told him. "I'm expecting an Ashraf Ahmed Idris, right?"

He nodded in confirmation. "Yes, you are. She will be here soon."

"Alright." She shot him a small smile. "Carry on."

"Sure."

She headed up to her office, dropped the document on the table and sat in the swivel seat. The office scented of lavender, courtesy of the incense sticks she lit a few minutes after she had come in for the day. With another sigh, she leaned back and shut her eyes.

It was Wednesday January 13th and she was supposed to be at home resting after the crazy period of planning numerous events. However, there was a client she had been rescheduling and she couldn't do that anymore.