The sun rose up high in the sky as it's already noon,Hameed squirmed turning around on the bed as the brightness of the room became more conspicuous that his eyes could not resist ,his hand traveled to the right side and tapped twice where he found it empty. 'Asma is already awake' he asked himself as he sat down leaning his head to the bed board.
Smile braced his face'so this is the feeling of being married' he thought.
He quietly walked to the bathroom and took a shower after that he dressed himself in a light blue shirt and a cream beige pants.
He took a week off from the hospital ,so he won't go to work till next week. He already planned the activities he and Asma were going to do. 'talking about Asma where is she?' He asked himself as he made his way out of the bedroom, he silently checked the garden,may be she's there admiring the sun,but no!he found nothing, he walked to the library May be she's arranging her books,but no he saw the boxes untouched and no sight of Asma 'where could she be?' He asked himself as he stood at the library's door. Aha a light bulb appeared on the top his head as his eyes lightened up 'she must be in the kitchen then'. he made his way to the kitchen,as he moved closer a heavenly aromatic scent gave a critical hit to his nostrils.When he finally reached the kitchen he saw Asma in front of the stove clocked in another different set of baggies with a turban covering up her head. "SalamuAlaikum" he salamed as he found himself a seat at one of the stools in front of the kitchen island.
"Waalaikum salam"answered Asma dishing up the French toasts with some strawberries she found in the fridge and glazed it with some honey ,tallying it with a cup of orange juice she presented it to him.
"You know,you don't have to cook,Maama was planning to send over Maryam with some preserved foods, that we can warm it up anytime, and for the breakfast we should have ordered it"Hameed explained taking a bite of the French toast.
Taking a seat at the opposite together with her plate of food and juice she looked up to him and muttered
"Okay"
"Good" Hameed smiled taking another bite 'this surely tasted so good' but Asma wasn't done speaking.
"And for the breakfast it's was already noon and I don't want to die from hunger"
Hameed paused his movements with a sheepish grin . 'I should have woken up before her'
"Sorry I made you wait, I was dead tired"
"I see" she dully replied taking her fork to her mouth. To ease the awkward conversation Hameed quickly said
"This tasted delicious,you surely knows how to cook" swallowing the remnants of the food inside her mouth Asma unknowingly sarcastically replied with
"Not knowing my way with emotions doesn't mean I don't know other things Mr.Hameed"
Hameed sheepishly grin as he scratched the back of his neck.
"I didn't mean it that way Mrs.Hameed"
'Mrs.Hameed' . She thought giving him a side pointed look.
"Well you don't" she retorted and sipped her juice.
She is surely sarcastic but anyway she looked so cute. Hameed silently complained.
They finished their brunch in silence,Asma packed the dishes to the sink.she was preparing to start washing them when a hand stopped her
"Actually I don't know how to cook so let me do the dishes okay?" Hameed said with a smile looking at her.
"Okay" she replied slipping her hand away from his grasp and made her way to the living room,she sat there scrolling through channels.
"Let's have some coffee in the library" Hameed's voice came from behind,she turned her head and looked at him where he stood holding two cups of coffee. 'Uhmm' he gestured towards the library. Getting up from her seat they made their way to the library.
Asma sat beside Hameed on the library's sofa they peacefully sipped their coffee,each of them lost in their world.
"What genre of books do you read most" Hameed started a conversation. Keeping her coffee aside she picked one of her books from the box beside her.
"Fantasy,detective and mystery,adventure then gothic" she replied flipping through the pages of the book.
"Do you read just for fun?" He inquired
"No, I read to question"
"Read to question?" He slowly mumbled
"Who does that? I mean many people read to discover different things and for fun"He sipped his coffee again after he uttered.
"Well I am not 'everyone'" she dully replied
"How about you ?How much do you read?"Asked Asma picking another treatise.
"Till the candle extinguished itself, I read different kind of books, I don't have a specific genre. If I found a book interesting I will read it regardless of it genre" Hameed explained attentively looking at her.
"About the 'gothic'you've said earlier,do you find it scary or thrilling?"He asked again
"Like I said I read to question not to find something else"
"What I meant is..."
"Tell me Mr.Hameed, Is this some kind of interrogation or what"she cut him off looking at him with her unfathomable hazel orbs, He deeply looked at them
"No...no don't take it that way" he spluttered
"I'm just innocently getting to know my wife" Hameed added with a grin. She kept quiet for some seconds then her eyes went back to the books she's holding.
"You won't get to know all about me."she paused "I know who I was this morning but I changed a few times since then"
'Her mind process far differently from others, she wants to embrace her new self but at the same time rejecting it' Hameed intensely studied her usual poker face whether he will find something but as usual she disappointed him.
"You changing won't affect me knowing you,the slightest you change the enthusiastic I will become wanting to know you" 'why is it that whenever I said a cheesy sentence she will just brushed it off'He defeatedly thought with a contorted smile.They serenely sat down,Asma flipping through pages as Hameed observed her.
"Do you play games" he questioned out of no where.
"Gaming? It is just a waste of time"
"So also reading"he reasoned
"No,through reading you gain knowledge, you gain to be more literate." She argued her tune cool and casual.
"And through gaming you tend to become more smarter, it reduces stress and help with depression,you must crack up your brain extensively and critically think"
"Are you perhaps implying that I am depressed?" Asma effortlessly twisted his words
"No!..Asma,why do you always like twisting my words?" He asked which he got no answer in return. He let out a sigh and continued
"Like it was said by Francis Bacon 'critical thinking is a desire to seek,patience to doubt,Fondness to meditate,slowness to assert,readiness to consider,carefulness to dispose and set in order ;and hatred for every kind of imposture' so to play any kind of board game you have to impose all these" something peeked inside her mind that made want to try.
"Show me" she reached out and kept the books she was holding on the coffee table.
"I got different kind of board games which one do you wanna play" Hameed made his way to the small wardrobe at the end of the library.
"List them"she called out.
"Monopoly,cluedo,catan,Go,scrabble and chess"He stated roaming through the wardrobe.
"Chess" she replied
"Chess sounds interesting" he voiced out as he made his way back to the sofa and sat opposite her presenting the chess board between, he arranged the pieces and everything.
"Okay here are the rules of the game..."
Hameed explained everything about the game as Asma nodded in between.
"Okay now let's start I will take the white pieces and you take the black" they started playing in silence, immediately Asma's king was attacked.
"Check"Hameed voiced out looking opposite him to Asma whose face for some seconds hold the look of annoyance . Her eyes darted around the board,as she saw she had no permissible movement.
"Check mate" Hameed checked mate her,his face held a surreal smile as he enjoyed the change of expression in her face which she was not aware of .
"Let's play it again" she demanded not wanting to be in defeat. Looking at her he answered
"Alright" they positioned the pieces again and jumped into the game again. They played for about 1hour each time Hameed check mating her.
Asma's face held a blank look as she pursed her lips and mumbled out "you're cheating aren't you?"
"Ouch!!this really hurts Asma" Exclaimed Hameed squeezing the left side of his shirt.
"No I was not. You're just not getting the game right" He said in a serious tune.
"I couldn't figure it out. How?" She slowly asked herself and looked down defeatedly her eye lashes casting a soft shadow on her cheeks .
"You see Asma the world is vast. You don't just get to explore it through books but through different ways and gaming is one of the ways. Take my hand and I promise to make you explore other ways" Hameed explained as he offered his hand for her to take to seal the promise.
His hand stopped midair for quite some time before she slowly lifted her long slender hand to him but a blaring sound of a ringtone interrupted which made her to quickly retract her hand back. 'What was I doing,it was like I was hypnotized.
Hameed hurriedly pulled out his phone from his pant pocket and looked at London's name which came into view. 'Damn London you're such a party popper' Hameed internally cursed raking his hand into his raven-black curls, then he picked up the call
"Sir Good afternoon, there's an emergency patient and she was signed under your name" came London panicked voice.Hearing someone's life was at stake Hameed quickly asked
"What happened,quickly explain to me, and stop stammering for God's sake"
"Okay..sir, she was brought 30 minutes ago as she experienced a brain stroke and now she having 're-experiencing' She in the hypnosis room" Hameed's suddenly flared
"London don't hypnotize her I repeat don't hypnotize her"
"O....okay sirr"London quivered from the other side.
"Inject some seductive to relax her I will be there right away insha Allah" he instructed and cut off the call. He turned to Asma whose attention was already on him.
"I gotta go to the hospital now, there's an emergency patient. I am so sorry to leave you all by yourself" He explained getting up from his seat.
"No worries" replied Asma.
"Take care" he uttered making his way out of the library leaving Asma who picked up her phone and started to browse about the game of chess.
Walking in to the hospital Hameed quickly made his way to the emergency room where he met London by the door with a file already waiting for him, Hameed grabbed the file and went in where he met the squishy figure of a woman on the bed.
"Fill me in"Hameed said while opening the file.
"We injected a dosage of sedative but her body was rejecting ,she barely fall asleep" London explained also looking at woman whose eyes were wide open and squirming on the bed. Hameed called the assigned nurse
"Increase the sedative dosage,make her sleep at any cost" he instructed the nurse passing the file back to London
"But Doctor ....her body cannot take more than one dosage and..."Hameed cut her off with a serious tune
"Do as l said,she needs to calm down before we conduct MRI"
"Okay Doctor"the nurse answered and made her way back to the patient.
"Where's her guardian" Hameed asked as they got into his office
"She was so shocked that she couldn't hold the situation,so I ask a nurse to escort her out for some fresh air" explained London with a triumphed grin as for once he did a sensible thing.
"Whenever they're back send her to my office" Instructed Hameed and found his seat
"Yes sir"answered London
"And go prepare for MRI, I want it to hold as soon as she wakes up" London answered with a yes again and made his way out, Hameed released a tired sigh as he slumped deeper into his seat 'what a day?'he thought. After some minutes a knock came from outside.
"Come in" Hameed called out.
The click sound of the door was heard as London and a girl in army green hijab made their way in,the girl found a seat while London kept standing.
"Doctor,what happened to her?please save my mother I don't want her to die" the girl suddenly pleaded with her hands interlocked.
"Relax please, we will do everything we can do Insha Allah, you're the girl I signed up your mom's name under my care not long ago right?" She quickly nodded her head "yes Doctor"
"What's your name?"he asked again
"Layla" she replied with a sniff
"Okay Layla, your mom's situation is very very serious and I am afraid she must be taken to the psychiatric" Hameed started when the girl suddenly gasped
"No...no don't worry she won't spend all her life there, she will get better with time" he consoled her. Tears started to run down to her cheeks as she silently processed the information.
"Something triggered her past memories that caused re-experiencing,she's rejecting the memories as they're too painful for her to accept them.I did asked London to inform you not to allow her to come across anything related to your late brother right?" Layla's face held a confused look as she looked back at him,witnessing this Hameed looked at London whose face looked horrified
"Didn't I London?"Hameed pressed with squinted eyes
"I beg your forgiveness sir, I...I totally forgot to tell her about it"London stammered.
"Ughh London,Why?" Hameed groaned.
London deeply bowed his head "I am so sorry sir" he repeated
"Okay, Now we injected some sedative and we will conduct MRI as soon as she wakes up,after that I will analyze her situation and see what suits her best, don't worry insha Allah she will be fine"
"Thank you so much Doctor" Layla genuinely thanked him.
"And London gonnah give you my card name, call me whenever there's a problem or change okay?".
After praying Isha at the hospital's small mosque Hameed drove his way back to his abode. Putting the car in the park,He yawned and robbed his eyes as he got out and walked to the front door 'I am damn tired' he mumbled unlocking the door before making his way in. He was wondering whether he will find Asma in the kitchen,but clearly she had already ate her dinner judging by the used plate in the dishwasher.
He walked towards the library where he heard her soothing voice reciting the Quran smoothly,he quietly and nonchalantly leaned on the door frame observing her as she stood on the ladder arranging her books inside the empty shelf. As she was making her way down the ladder,her baggy pants got in the way which made her to trip.
"Careful!!"Hameed shouted from where he stood.
Before she kissed the ground Hameed had swiftly caught her in his arms and spun her around turning her to face him ,but his balance was not stabilized that made the floor of the library to gracefully welcomed them.
His taut muscles flexed and compressed as he firmly hit the ground with a thud!!. Ahhh!!he silently groaned from the impact, his spinal code would've broken if not for the constant visitation of the gym.
The air seemed to freeze creating icicles from their frantic breaths and sweaty foreheads, their face was so up close to each other's that they're practically sharing a breath now.
Hameed's eyes were wide as their gaze locked. Her expression did not change much but he could see something unpredictable lurking in the pit of those enigmatic hazel orbs.
The tick-tock sound of the clock,the lub-dub sound of two beating hearts filled their eardrums, Hameed's eyes hypnotically darted between her beautiful hazel eyes to her lips,The temptation was so strong!!.He gathered every ounce of self control he could muster up to keep himself from kissing those plump cherry lips.
The wild beats of her heart enticed her, never in her life ,in what she can recall her heart beat the way it did now. She felt like a string inside her heart was ferociously pulled wanting to tear her heart apart. Her eyes went back to his emerald green ones and bore themselves into his smoldering gaze.they remained in that position for minutes, Asma hands flattened on his hard chest and Hameed's hands circled around her narrowed waist.
"Don't be the death of me Asma" He said that to himself and he only realized that he had said that loud. The sound of his voice resounded in her ears jolting her out of her thoughts quickly extinguishing the sparks of the fire ignited by their contact.
She blinked multiple times and quickly nudged his arm away from her waist then hoisted to her feet which caused her to limped , his brows knitted as he scrunched towards her left foot
"what happened?" Hameed asked looking up her, she squatted down and touched her left foot which started to show purple-bluish color.
"I think I sprained my ankle"
"Let me get the first aid kit,we should treat this before it escalates to something" He made an attempt to get up when she stopped him
"No,no need for that it will get better by tomorrow" she stood up to her feet again and attempted to walk away but limped again
"Don't!" He commanded in a firm tune, she turned and looked at him,one of her elegant brows curved in query.
He quietly walked to where she stood and scooped her up in a bridal style. She was about to protest when he shushed her.
Her arms robotically wrapped themselves around his neck,hearing his heart beat which was trashing wildly.Kicking the door to the bedroom slightly he made his way to the bed and sat her by the right side .
He sprinted to the bathroom and later came out with a box ,he then made his way back to her side, pulling her feet to his laps he silently applied some ointment and massage it gently then pulled a bandage to wrap it up
"It's not that severe that it needs bandaging"Asma pointed out folding her arms to her chest and letting him do his work
"Trust me it does,badge helps to prevent it from getting worse "he spoke lowly,defending his stand.
After he wrapped it up he stood up to his feet "get under the duvet,I will go get ready"he said walking away to the walk in wardrobe and changed to his pajamas,after doing his night business he went back to the bedroom where he found Asma already under the duvet readying to sleep.
Preparing to get to his left side of the bed Asma's voice buzzled from underneath the cover
"I will sleep alone
Hameed's face held a confused and disbelief look 'are you kidding me Asma!Yesterday she asked me not to bother but now she's giving me cold shoulders. Did I perhaps pushed her that hard' he quietly picked up his phone looking as though he wanted to ask why,But at the same he did not. He choose the latter in the end that was much easier and walked out to the guest room.
Asma's head peeked from under the duvet her brows slightly knitted as her thought went back to earlier 'My heart beated wildly earlier and I know it was not because of the fear of brutally hitting the ground but....,but what?'she had zero inkling.Her orbs looked up to the ceiling of the lightless room,swimming and dipping into her thoughts.
"Did something changed" she voicelessly asked herself.