This book is still just a first draft. So, ignore any error you see there please🌚 I doubt I'll fix it any time soon so...🙂🚶
It is bound to happen to eventually.
Zayn should've seen it coming.
When Dr. Asma said that she would send him the address of the hospital and the doctor he should meet to get it, he should've known that she'll send him right back to the place he has been avoiding since.
Then again, she wouldn't have asked him to go there if she didn't think he's ready for it. As his psychiatrist, she wouldn't force him to do things without knowing that he's ready for it. That includes the very situation Zayn found himself in.
And that's what brought him to the same place he was a couple of days ago, but couldn't bring himself to go into.
When she texted him the address, the first thing he noticed was the place. A part of him expected that knowing her yet another part hoped it won't happen.
Clearly though, luck wasn't on that side.
It took him two days to muster up the courage to actually go into the hospital. He was hesitant then too, but he eventually pushed himself forward and went in. Yet, the minute he stepped foot in it, he flickered his eyes close and took in a long deep breath.
Albeit, the place has been renovated into a much more sophisticated building, it didn't do anything to stop those horrible memories from resurfacing. Everything came crashing back down on him. But, he didn't let himself dwell in it. He knew that if he doesn't get over it, he'll keep returning back to the same point over and over.
He had to do it for himself, and for her if he wants to keep his promise.
Blowing out a shaky breath, he gulped and peeled his eyes open. His gaze swept around the place, trying to see if he could spot any familiar face. Thankfully, there weren't any that he saw considering it's been so long already. He doubts if he'll see a lot of them there.
Asking the receptionist of his doctor's office, he let her know that he has an appointment. She checked it on the computer before he was directed to the doctor's office. The doctor isn't someone he's familiar with either. He doubts he has ever seen the man before. Hence, why it was easy for him to converse with the man and get his medications as Dr. Asma prescribed even if it was hard for him to actually open up to do so.
Even then, he didn't say much to answer the doctor's questions. He barely converses with people outside his social circle. He isn't one to interact with others. The doctor didn't comment on it, Dr. Asma had already told him of Zayn's condition.
He knows it's hard for a patient to converse with someone aside from their psychiatrists—especially people with conditions like his. It's already hard enough for them to interact with people, opening up is another issue entirely.
He gave Zayn his medications, then bid him farewell. Zayn was quick to leave the man's office; he didn't want to spend another minute with him. It was bad enough that he has to spend more than he would normally allocate to a complete stranger.
On his way out, he spotted the familiar face of the one person he never wanted to cross path with in his life, ever. The person's presence brings back the memories of the most difficult stage in his life. He would rather face Aasim, as much as he loathes him, than to stumble across the man.
Blinking, Zayn set his lips into a tight line and tried to walk past the man even though they made eye contact. He couldn't bring himself to pretend to want to be in the man's presence, much more, actually speak to him.
He couldn't. It would be too much. He has already handled so muchsimply by coming to the hospital.
"Zayn" The man's voice made him stop in his tracks, right before he walked past him.
A bigger part of Zayn wanted him to walk away. To pretend like the man never called his name and simply ignore him. Yet, another part of him, the rational part wanted him to stop and hear the man out.
Blowing out a low breath, he flickered his gaze over to the man, lips still set into a tight line and face stern.
The man smiled. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and that the man standing in front of him isn't Zayn. But he was right, it is Zayn. It's the same boy that he hasn't seen since the day Kulsum died.
Judging from the look on Zayn's face, he already knew that Zayn had grown into a different man—a huge contrast from the boy he knew back then who didn't care whether he was ignored or not. The same boy that loved his sister so much that it was painful to see how much he sobbed when she passed away. "Zayn" The doctor, who treated Kulsum before she passed away repeated, a small smile dancing on his lips.
~*~
"When I heard from Aasim that you moved away, I thought I'd never see you again" The doctor said, placing a mug of coffee in front of Zayn. He placed his mug in front of him before he settled on the chair opposite that of Zayn's. He smiled, hoping the coffee with make Zayn willing to interact with him even in the slightest.
From what she could remember back then about the boy, Zayn loves coffee. Countless times when Kulsum was hospitalized before her death, he had seen Zayn fetch himself cups of coffee so he could stay outside her room all night long. Back then, he didn't have the courage to face his sister so he takes coffee and spend the night outside her room to make sure she's safe.
The doctor had tried to talk Zayn into going home back then, but his answer always remained a solid 'no'. He never budged, not in the slightest.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? Are you sick?" He asked further, seeing Zayn has no plan on speaking to him. Judging from the way he's acting, it must be a miracle as to why he agreed to speak to him in his office.
Zayn who had kept his gaze fixated on the man since shook his head. "No" He muttered. Not once did his gaze move to the coffee, he has no plans on taking it. He didn't want to elaborate his reason as to why he's there.
The doctor understood Zayn's short clipped answer. Obviously, Zayn didn't want to speak on it. So, he nodded. "I had always wondered how you were doing" Amongst all of Kulsum's family members, he had always cared about Zayn the most. It probably has something to do with the fact that while Kulsum was still a doctor there, Zayn was the one that had always visited her the most so he's quite acquainted to him.
Even though he had never admitted it, it has always bothered him how he couldn't do anything to save her life when she passed away. He knew it was bound to happen eventually when he took on her case, but the death of a close one is something you can hardly get over.
Zayn is a living proof of that. Anyone could tell that he's not over it.
"I seem to be seeing a lot of old faces here recently" The doctor chuckled slightly, hoping it will ease the tension in the air, "He was here just recently too. I haven't seen him in almost thirteen years"
That piqued Zayn's interest. "Who are you talking about?"
The doctor blinked, "Kulsum's friend" He stated, as if it's the most obvious fact, "Actually...the first friend she made since she started her residency here. Thinking back, there were always together back then"
"Aasim?" Zayn rose a brow, he's the only one he could think of. For as far as he knows, he and Salma are the only friends Kulsum has, or had when she started her residency at the hospital.
The doctor shook his head, "No. She met Aasim because of him. I don't know but I always thought that she would marry him considering I had barely seen her with Aasim before the wedding was announced. I didn't think she knows Aasim to begin with. Come to think about it, we were all taken aback to be honest. Weren't you?" The realization that Zayn was too young back then to fully comprehend what he meant, he shook his head again, "Well, I suppose you won't know since you were too young back then"
Zayn's thumb ran across his knuckles as his brows furrowed. "Wait..." He didn't understand the man's words one bit, "Who's this man you're speaking of? Was my sister in a relationship with him or something?"
The doctor shook his head, "Not that I know of. All I know is that they're good friends, anyone could testify to that"
A friend of hers that he doesn't know of? Could the friend have something to do with everything that has happened so far? Shaking those thoughts away from clouding his mind, Zayn asked the one question that he so desperately wants the answer to. "Who is he?"
The doctor fixated his gaze on Zayn, he could tell from his tone that he's extremely curious. He thought the man knew the answer already—everyone does. "Aasim's brother" He answered, "Hanif"
~*~
Zayn couldn't wrap his thoughts around the fact that Hanif, Sabrina's husband was actually Kulsum's friend to begin with. He had never had an idea that the two knew each other. Albeit, he knows that Hanif is a doctor too but he didn't know that he did his residency in the same hospital with Kuslum or much more that they are—well, were, friends. Zayn had never seen them together. Not once.
Not even when she married Aasim, or when they went for that family dinner. They had never once shown that they knew each other.
Did the others know? How come no one has ever said something on it?
Zayn had so many questions running through his head that he felt a headache forming. Shaking his head to get rid of that thought, he walked out of the hospital and made his way over to his car, determined to driver over to Sabrina's house and get her husband to answer all his questions.
He knows that he's being rash if he does such, but he didn't care. He has so many questions and he wanted some of them to be answered at the very least. Not knowing the answers is slowly killing him inside.
He wants answers, not more questions.
And quite frankly, he has been getting more questions than answers since he had returned.
The minute his gaze fell on his car, he stopped in his tracks, his mouth hung ajar and eyes dilated slightly. He looked around, trying to see if he mistook another car for his but the plate number was all the proof that he needs to know that it is his car.
His once sleek car without a single dent on it now spotted a broken window. It wasn't completely trashed, but a couple of more hits on it and it would come crashing down. Thankfully, only one window was trashed but still.
Swiveling around, he looked around to see who the culprit is only for his gaze to fall on another unfamiliar face that stood a couple of feet away from him, with the same look plastered across the person's face. Except, unlike him, the person has fear also written right across the person's face. Clearly, the culprit.
The person moved her gaze to Zayn, a grimace on her face, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked, her voice low and face contorting into a grimace.
Perhaps I shouldn't have said that. She thought, then swallowed.