Scarred For Life

Chapter 39

The last few months had been rough. Most of the time, she had been cooped up in her room while avoiding any form of human interaction. It felt good, lying around in the darkness and grovelling about in her own misery. It didn't do much to lift her spirits, but it was a good way to make the time fly.

A few things also managed put a tiny smile on her face during the time. One of them was the fact that her mother kept up a steady stream of treats to lighten her mood. Stuffed to the brain with chocolate bars, she had to admit that it was a nice way to try and make her happy again. Besides, she wasn't being forced to do anything around the house, and for that she felt immensely good.

The one thing she looked forward to however was the messages she received everyday from Adnan. The man always sent a text right before Fajr, usually just as a reminder so she would wake up and pray. Afrah didn't need his reminders to wake up for Fajr, but she found it sweet regardless. Of the 123 messages he had sent so far, she had replied only one. They hadn't spoken since Maryam's funeral, but the texts were a constant reminder that he was still thinking about her.

A bold feeling suddenly coursed through her veins, and she reached for her phone without pausing to think about it.

Adnan was busy rummaging through a stack of files on his bed when his phone began to ring. Cursing, he slammed the file before him shut and reached for the phone.

A queasy feeling erupted in his chest when he saw the name.

"Assalamu alaikum," he said casually.

"Wa alaikum as salam," Afrah replied. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all," he replied, eyeing the stack of unfinished work wearily. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she replied. "Actually, I'm better than good. I'm great."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," he said. "It took you a while, but I'm glad you're doing better."

"Listen, Adnan," she sighed, "I wanted to thank you. For understanding. I just... I didn't know what to do after the incident. But talking with you really helped. And I'm grateful for your concern."

"You're absolutely welcome," he said. "That's what I'm here for. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm right here. Anytime."

"Actually," she bit her lip, "I need someone to talk to today. Do you have plans?"

"Oh," he shot off the bed. "Yeah, I... I... I don't have any plans per se, but um... I... I think I can make it. When are you free?"

"Probably any time past three or four," she said, an unfamiliar smile on her face. "But I'm not ready to go anywhere actually."

"Okay, well, I can just come over and we can talk for a while. Is that okay by you?"

"That sounds great," she said. "I'll see you then."

"Oh, you definitely will."

They both paused, before Afrah's laughter burst through her lips.

"I'm sorry," Adnan groaned as he laughed as well. "I don't know why I said that. That was creepy as hell. I just... I don't know why I said it."

"It's fine," she said. "I'll definitely be seeing you then. Insha Allah."

Adnan smiled as she hung up, only to curse himself loudly when he put the phone aside. What in God's name was wrong with him? It was just a simple phone call, and yet here he was, practically vibrating with anticipation.

A quick glance at the files quickly dampened his mood however.

"Okay," he sighed, pulling the previously discarded one towards him once again. "Let's see how many of you I can be done with in the next few hours."