Loving You Better

Chapter 60

 Yaaseen

A week had passed since he had seen Layla.

Water droplets clung onto the edges of his dark hair as he walked back into his flat after his swim. The grey clouds and loud wind felt good on his skin, cooling him down. He had probably done more laps than he should have but thoughts of Layla had kept him so occupied that he barely realised that he had surpassed 100 long before he felt the ache in his legs and arms.

 He hadn't mentioned it to anyone and though his thoughts didn't dwell on her, he couldn't help but stray back to her when he was alone. He was pulled back to that day, back to her face when he looked at her.

He couldn't get it out of his mind.

She had aged. She looked so much older than 27. Her mouth was pulled down and her eyes were weary and tired. She was hardened and weathered and she seemed to have lost that youthful exuberance she had when they were together.

But it was her sadness that struck him the hardest.

It hurt to see her sadness that could no longer be contained by her heart. It had seeped out into her body, showing itself in every part of her. He knew he had always loved her more than she loved him but he hadn't realised that he still loved her so deeply that her sadness made him sad too.

He didn't know that he could be capable of such a love that would span 8 years without her. 

"Hey." He looked up at the voice, surprised that he had walked to his door without even noticing.

"Howsit?" He asked Raees, taking a step over to his brother's door.

"Alright. Afrah asked if you wanted breakfast? She made too many crumpets and neither of us eat it after its cold."

"Yoh, fussy ne."

Raees flipped him off. "Coming in or not?"

"I'm waiting for you to open the door." Yaaseen replied, taking a step back, barely missing the door as it swung past him. "I'm not supposed to be eating right now though."

Raees ignored him, locking up the gate before he followed his brother into the kitchen.

"Howsit Afrah?"

"Hey." She smiled up at him, moving Ahmed's hair out of her face so she could see him. "You are having breakfast, right?"

"I guess I am." He took the seat across from her, shifting so Raees could sit beside him. "You need a haircut, boytjie."

"My mummy will cut it for me." He said, leaning back against Afrah's chest as she buttered his toast.

"Oh." His gaze shifted to Raees, his sharp intake of breath surprising him. "Cool man."

"Do you want maple or golden syrup?" Afrah asked, changing the subject.

"Do you have condensed milk?" Yaaseen regretted the question immediately. On any other day, he wouldn't give a flying fuck that he had developed the habit from Layla but not then. Not when he was already distracted by her.

"Condensed milk?" Afrah looked at him dubiously, not at all impressed by the idea.

"Yeah," he looked down at his plate, "Layla used to eat it like that and..." he shrugged.

Why did everything have to remind him of her once more? He had forgotten her. He had forgotten about the way she used to eat her breakfast and the way she buttered half her toast with pineapple jam and the other half with caramel. He hadn't thought about how many sugars she had taken in her tea or how she pretended to enjoy black coffee because she thought it made her look sophisticated