The Man Who Left | ✔

18 | hunayn.

H U N A Y N

[arabic → nostalgia] 

She shouldn't have agreed to it, she shouldn't. She wasn't sure if he would actually come and meet her. After all, he knew nothing about her or who she was to him. How was it even possible to meet him again? 

She was a ball of nerves when she stood by the side of the bar, waiting for Nathan to show up. Yesterday, it seemed like Nathan wasn't there at all—it was just her stupid brain playing tricks on her. Maya let out a heavy sigh when she thought of him, thought of the whole idea of meeting him in the first place.

"Hey,"

The voice sounded familiar, it gave her chills down her spine. Swallowing hard, she turned around and saw Nathan standing right before her. He looked the same—the same blue eyes, the same scruffy brown hair, and he had the same smile. It felt awkward, not because she was seeing him in front of her for the first time in months but it was because their relationship wasn't like before.

And the thought made her see things—it made her see blood all over her hands. It made her see his body sprawled over the crushed seat of his car. It made her see everything that she didn't want to see. She quickly blinked those thoughts away and tried her best to flash a smile at him. "Hey,"

Nathan landed on his chair with a soft grunt. "So, how are you?"

"I'm good," Maya smiled, pulling a chair across of him. "Umm, what about you?"

"I'm—" A light cough escaped from his lips. "okay," Nathan looked at Maya, his eyes meeting hers and for a moment, she just sat there—her eyes locked gazes with Nathan and she liked the feeling of it. When Nathan coughed again, Maya shuddered. "I'm okay, just a bit sick though,"

"Sick?"

"Nah, just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago—I'm still grumpy. Tahira told me that I went into coma for months and yeah, I had a bad accident it seems,"

"Tahira, umm," Maya swallowed hard. "—she told me that too. She said you were badly injured and all,"

"Why do you sound so familiar?" Nathan asked to Maya's surprise. She didn't know what to say. "Have we ever met before?"

"Uh, no?" Maya tried to smile. "I don't think that we've ever met before. Why?"

"It's just that I think I've heard you talk before, I mean—" Nathan coughed again, this time a bit louder than before. "It seems like I've heard your voice before," He shook his head, denying the fact. "Like, uh never mind—just forget about it."

Maya smiled a little and he smiled back.