His silence is his Pride (ON HOLD)

Chapter Thirty One ~ "Alone"

"You're not gonna answer that?" He put forward, looking at her from under his lashes. Mahra shook her head, silently. "Is Hamad the reason for this gloominess?" He asked the question that had been on his mind since this morning, he could not believe her seriousness over Hamad and Mona's engagement.

Mahra smiled a mournful smile. "No... I am just missing someone." She declared, looking at the flowers on the table. Zayed guessed it was her brother but was proven wrong when Mahra went on. "It was a month like this a few years ago when I lost my father." She made known, not knowing why she was telling him all of this, but she needed to get it out of her system and apparently he turned out to be a good listener, he'd always been a silent listener.

"Three years ago?" Zayed confirmed, straightening in his seat.

Mahra nodded. "That unfortunate year when I lost everything in one day, the only person who really cared for me. He was a true shadow above, protecting me." She declared, her voice suddenly stronger than earlier or that's how she'd intended it to be.

"You're being ungrateful. You still have Hamad and your mother." Zayed replied and she fell silent once again. Realizing that he wasn't going to receive a reply, Zayed tried to look away from her, searching for his siblings, wishing they'd arrive soon so that this gloomy gathering would end.

She stared into space and thought some more. "You were right." At her voice, Zayed faced her and their eyes met. "My only mistake is that I am loved too much." Her eyes looked deeper today, deeper than he'd ever seen them. "But it isn't my fault, having received everyone's love out of sympathy." She said, opening one stitch of her heart to the only man who hadn't loved her out of sympathy, the only one who never loved her at all!

"What do you mean?" Zayed raised an eyebrow, confused.

Slowly averting her gaze from him, she was looking at the lake again. "In my early years, I was left without a mother. When I had finally learned to live, my father passed away as well. I began to lose hope. Every one said that things will be okay after marriage, but my fate never fails to play its ironic games with me." She explained, her voice bitter with hidden sorrow. "I have no one else, that's why everyone feels responsible towards me." Mahra put down the hand that was supporting her chin on the table with a light thud.

A heavy silence then spread around them, leaving words unsaid on their lips and in their eyes.

"Is that a bad thing?" Zayed began, breaking through the painful silence.

"It has gotten me here. Hasn't it?" She answered, matter-of-factly.

"I am here too. A strong and free man, capable, in every way, of making all my decisions by myself but I am here too." He contradicted, his tone serious. Mahra stared down at her hands, unable to reply. "It's our fate. This was written for the both of us." He corrected, observing this peaceful yet troubled Mahra falling silent for the third time today. The Mahra that he knew had to say something for everything. She seemed utterly depressed.

Zayed put his right elbow on the table and leaned forward. "And if it helps to comfort you, then let me tell you this, Hamad's love, out of all, is not out of sympathy. He's a good man, a true friend and above all a great brother. I can say this because I have seen him do great things for you." He spoke his words carefully, trying to give her a sense of contentment after the damage he had done by telling her about the engagement before Hamad. "And believe me, by not answering his calls, you're putting him through great agony." He completed, while looking at his own buzzing phone.

As he spoke on the phone, Mahra crossed her arms across her chest, feeling hollow and light headed. She didn't appreciate herself being so vulnerable in front of him. He was the man who had deepened her wounds and caused all of this. She shouldn't have said what she said! But he seemed to understand her pain, right now the only one who could!