Yazan's POV:
Aasiya and Noor-e-Haya were in the kitchen baking, so I thought, why not have a little chat with Ayyan?
I went into the lounge to see if Ayyan was there, but he wasn't. I checked his room, but there was no sign of him either. So, I headed to the garden and found him sitting there, looking at the sky, lost in thought.
I approached and cleared my throat to get his attention.
"Hello there, champ. Why are you sitting here all alone?" I said, placing my hand gently on his shoulder.
"I was bored, so I sat here," he replied, his voice calm but distant.
"Can I sit with you?" I asked. He nodded.
"Champ, you know you can always tell me anything, right?" I said, looking at him carefully.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked quietly.
"Go ahead," I replied.
"Are you and mama married?" he asked, his innocent tone catching me off guard.
"Yes," I said, unsure of what else to add.
"Which means you'll always take care of mama, right? You'll never let her cry, right?" he said, his eyes wide with childlike sincerity.
"Yes," I replied, my voice softening. "I won't ever let you or your mama cry."
"Are you my baba?" he asked, his words like a punch to the gut. I froze, unsure how to answer. I had no idea how Noor would react to his question.
"Mama always said baba was busy, so he can't meet me. At school, everyone's baba comes, except mine," Ayyan added, his face full of sadness.
"Champ," I said, trying to find the right words, "now that I'm here, I'll come to your school and take care of you. We can be best friends, what do you say?" I extended my hand to him.
"Friends," he said, shaking my hand with a small but genuine smile.
"Now that we're friends, I want you to share all your problems and happiness with me, okay?" I said, looking into his eyes, and he nodded.
"If I tell you something, promise me you won't tell mama," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I promise," I assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Today, before breakfast, when I went to call mama in her room, she was crying in her bed. When I asked her why, she didn't answer," he said, his voice trembling with the memory. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Ssh, champ, don't cry. Maybe she had a bad dream, about monsters or something, and got scared," I said, trying to comfort him. "It's okay."
"This isn't the first time she's cried in her sleep," Ayyan said, looking up at me with sorrowful eyes.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"When I used to stay with mama, she would cry at night, and Layla Aunty would take care of her. Now... who will take care of her?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Listen, champ," I said, wiping his tears away, "don't worry. Nothing will happen to your mama. She's not alone—she has us. We'll take care of her. Now, stop crying and go wash your face before Asiya sees you."
I could clearly tell that Ayyan didn't have much liking for Aasiya. And Layla... who was she to him?
Noor-e-Haya's POV:
The great Mr. Devil Khan had gone to the airport to pick up his friend—Aasiya's father. Finally, Laila and I were done with the chocolate chip cookies. According to Aasiya, they were her baba's favorite, which was quite surprising since I also loved chocolate chip cookies.
Ding dong.
I opened the door to find a man who looked a year or two older than Yazan. He had brown eyes and brown hair, and was undeniably handsome, but there was something about him that I couldn't quite place. I kept staring into his eyes, and just as they met mine, I noticed a tear fall from his eye. Was it for me?
Before I could think further, I heard the unmistakable sound of Layla's angry voice.
"Where were you? Does a person take so long just to open the door?" she snapped, her frustration palpable.
I didn't know what to say, so I motioned for her to look at the man standing in front of me. She hesitated at first, then turned to glance at him. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she froze.
That's when Aasiya entered the room.
"Baba!" she exclaimed, running towards him with joy in her eyes.
Thud.
Layla collapsed to the floor, unconscious. I rushed to her side, panic rising in my chest. But to my shock, the man—Yazan's friend—was already there, kneeling beside her, checking if she was okay.
What was even more shocking was the way he seemed to know Layla's name. How? Why did he know her?
YOU ARE READING
UNPLANNED DESTINY
Spiritual"Please, leave me! Chhodo mujhe! What have I done? Leave me!" she begged, but he didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he tightened his grip. "Who are you? What do you want? Leave me, please! I need to go-he's waiting for me," she cried, her voice tre...
