The day he had not even told her that he was leaving her.
She didn't look away, staring at him.
"Time." She whispered, smiling.
Zaydaan nodded, looking down at the little girl sleeping with content in his arms.
"That's good. A child does complete you, you don't know what you're missing unless you have it yourself." He whispered, running his hands through his daughter's hair with a certain tenderness.
"You saying this blows my mind."
She replied, shaking her head. How had his heart changed so much? How had he changed so much yet hadn't changed at all? How did Aaina bring out the best parts of him so easily? How did she get him to do all those things that Minal never expected him to do?
The way he spoke about love and children, Minal understood that Zaydaan was not just hurting because Aaina was in there, fighting for her life. He was also hurting because of the baby that hadn't been able to make it.
"Aaina, I heard she was pregnant. I'm sorry about the baby."
And it was back.
Aaina.
The baby.
The look she gave him before closing her eyes.
The way she pleaded him to help her, save her.
What the fuck was taking so long?
His heart constrained and squeezed in his chest, he let out a sigh.
"After Zayla, all I wanted was another one of her. I knew that things in my world were fucked up but I never expected that life would just get this.."
He hesitated. He didn't know what words he could use to describe his life in the moment.
Life would get this..complicated? Fucked up? Life endangering? Crazy? Pathetic? Devastating?
"Painful." Minal completed for him, seeing the pain that was so evident on his face.
"Yeah, painful." He agreed, looking at the tea turning cold.
It had been around half an hour since Minal arrived inside. The tea wasn't even fresh anymore.
'But it's not fresh.'
'You're not fresh either but you don't see me complaining.'
Her voice rang in his head and he closed his eyes, dreading that he wouldn't be able to hear her voice again. What would happen to him if something happened to her? What would happen to Zayla?
"Your father said that you haven't spoken to anyone since yesterday. Is that because you're scared or is it because you're angry? I understand why you won't speak to your mother but Ahad and your father, they know you're in pain. You shouldn't shut them out. "
Minal did not even know if she was making sense or not but all she truly wanted was to listen to Zaydaan for as long as she possibly could, she wanted to hear him talk, she wanted him to express his grief and she wanted to hear his voice.
She didn't want to believe that she could be selfish enough to use this opportunity to cure the dull ache that she always had in her heart, she was here to help Zaydaan, comfort him, console him,
Even though he had heard her, he did not respond. Truthfully, it was because he did not even know why he had shut everyone out. Maybe, it was because he had never expressed himself in front of anyone but Aaina. She was the one he poured his heart out to, well, she forced him to tell her how he felt.
