Interwoven

Wounded!

Assalamualaikum people!
Hope you are all well...

Fatima's POV

Things were getting pretty heated between Harris and me.
He seemed to have grown anger issues in the time I was gone—or perhaps it was only me. Maybe my presence in this house made his blood boil.

These days, I distracted myself with Aaban. His innocent laughter was the only thing that kept my mind from drowning in guilt and unanswered questions. But deep inside, I was constantly planning—thinking of all the ways I could talk to Harris, to clear the air between us.
This suffocating silence was killing me.

"Hope, I don't die soon," I whispered under my breath.

"You won't."
The voice came from behind, firm and unsettling. Harris.

I gasped softly, turning to him. "Guess I whispered that loud enough?"

He only gave me a small nod.

Just then, little Aaban ran towards him, clutching Harris's leg with his tiny hands. "Da!" he chirped, his voice echoing with innocent joy.

We were in the backyard. The sky had just begun to surrender its brightness—the golden sun slowly sinking to allow the moon to rise. Aaban climbed onto Harris's shoulders, giggling, while I stood still, caught between the peace of the night and the storm inside me.

"Why would you die? May I ask?" Harris's voice broke through the silence, calm but probing.

"Air," I muttered, shrugging.

He frowned. "It is calm and reviving."

But his face betrayed him. His words were plain, emotionless, detached.

"It is calm and reviving," I snapped back, my voice sharp, "yet suffocating."

The shift in my tone shook him. He searched my eyes, almost desperate, as if hoping to find a piece of the truth I carried.

Aaban, oblivious to the storm between us, was sucking his thumb while pointing lazily at the fading fireflies in the distance.

"Care to explain what makes your air suffocating, Fatima?" His voice was low but intense.

"You!" The word escaped my lips like venom, shocking even me.

For a moment, silence fell heavy. His eyes locked onto mine, digging deeper and deeper, as if he could tear through my soul to unearth what I truly meant.

"This wasn't us," he said finally, voice tight with pain. "Never. I had my reasons for what I did. I know I was wrong somewhere, but... things happened, Fatima. Things beyond us. Why can't we just accept it? Why can't you just let it be?"

My lips trembled. "Because she was my best friend too. Her wounds hurt me as much as they hurt you."

He flinched at my words, and I saw the shadow of grief flicker across his face. Then, as always, he turned away, ready to walk off and leave me with unanswered questions.

"No!" I rushed forward, my voice cracking. "I won't let you go, Harris. Not this time. You have to talk. We need to talk. For the sake of everything we lost... for the sake of old times."

Harris stopped in his tracks. His shoulders stiffened, and for a moment, I thought he would walk away again. But then, slowly, he turned back—his eyes dark, haunted, holding something he had buried for far too long.

"You really want to listen, Fatima?" His voice was low, almost breaking.

My heart skipped. "Yes."

He opened his mouth, his lips parting as if the words were finally ready to come out.

But just then—

"Aaahh!" Aaban's sudden cry pierced the night. He had slipped from the swing nearby, falling onto the grass.

I ran towards him instinctively, scooping him into my arms. Harris was by my side in seconds, checking him with trembling hands.

And just like that, the moment was gone. The truth slipped back into silence.

But the way Harris's eyes lingered on me before he turned away told me one thing—
When it came, his truth would break us.

Love ❤️❤