- What if the world told you 'men never change'. Would you still believe in redemption?
- What if your whole life is shrouded in secrecy. Would you shed your mask for one person anyway?
- What if an avatar intrigued you. Could you fall in love with...
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Ameerah
He sat there, his fists clenched, shrouded in complete silence. The sharp, loud voice from a moment ago had been shushed into oblivion. He was in pain, I could tell, but it wasn't from the sutures digging into his flesh as I repaired his broken skin and muscle. He hadn't even flinched when I'd cleaned his wound with an alcoholic antiseptic and injected an anesthetic.
This was from something deep inside, wrangling with his soul. Whether it was regret at losing control or anger at the passing moment that could never be retrieved, I suppose I would never know what was truly going on inside him.
Though, the dampness of his eyelashes hinted at the emotions concealed behind his closed lids. The silence enveloping him echoed his unexpressed thoughts. It made me wonder if someone had ever really looked at the man in front of me - deeply enough to see through his boundaries and long enough to translate his aloofness.
Perhaps not.
I wasn't a patient woman, never had been in my life. Yet, I could sit forever in that trauma room, surrounded by the hum of medical equipment and the scent of sterility, waiting for him to unravel his secrets.
Perhaps he healed something that was damaged within me, too.
The phone in my pocket buzzed, once, twice, and then thrice. The caller's persistence made me quickly finish the suturing, place a bandage over it and walk out of the room, with every intention of returning to give the silent man instructions on how to take care of his wound.
Junaid Bhai had been looking for me. I found him in the waiting room, standing next to Kiran Api and Zarine Aunty.
"Have you seen him yet?" Zarine Aunty asked as soon as she saw me. "Is he okay?"
The concern in her voice tugged at my heartstrings. After all, she was his mother, and regardless of their history, I was certain she carried a constant lump in her throat whenever Zain was away from her.
"He's being a little stubborn as usual, but he'll be fine."
"Was he shot?" she asked.
"No, but a shard of glass got lodged in his side and went deep enough to injure his liver - "
She gasped, "His liver?"
"Only slightly," I reassured. "It should heal on its own."
Kiran Api placed her arm around Phuppo's shoulders, comforting her too. "Chalein Phuppo, let's go see Zain."
The women started to walk towards the patient rooms, I was about to follow when Junaid Bhai held me back. "Aimmy, when did your parents move to the new apartments?"
"Just recently. Why?"
"What was their reason for moving?"
"They said the other place was too big for them. Frankly, that is what I had been telling them for a while."
