He reached out, a gentle hand tilting her chin upwards. "Jadwa," his voice laced with concern, "look at me."
Her eyes fluttered open, and she tilted her head back, meeting his gaze. He studied her face, taken aback by her even greater beauty up close. The moment Muhammad realized he was staring too intently, he released her chin and stepped back. But Jadwa didn't look down, her gaze remained fixed on his dark eyes.
"Ameerah is fine, didn't Ahmad tell you?" He closed the door with his left hand behind his back, but their positions remained unchanged. She stood in front of him, her eyes not moving from his face.
She gave a small, positive nod. "Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?" He asked softly as he reached up to fix the veil that had slipped from her head.
She nodded negatively
"Talk to me Jadwa" his tone changed this time demanding for her to speak up.
"It's my fault," she blurted, rambling as he listened intently. "I was so distracted that I left the turaren wuta under the curtain. I didn't know she had asthma! I would never have gone into her room with it there. And I'm sure Ya Ahmad is just saying she's okay to make me feel better."
In that moment, Muhammad almost resented his height. He hated how she had to keep craning her neck to look at him. "Let's sit," he suggested, and she followed him to the living room like a lost puppy. She settled onto the cushions, and he pulled a stool to sit directly in front of her. Her beautiful scent, a mix of bakhoor and something uniquely hers, filled the air.
"It was a mistake," he stated. "Right?" he added, seeking confirmation.
"It was" she said almost in a whisper,
"Maybe it happened for a reason, Jadwa. We don't know. As Muslims, we should always be grateful to Allah, no matter the situation. It could have been much worse, but she's in a great condition right now" He spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.
Her eyes darted down to her fingers, fiddling with the edge of her veil. When she felt his gaze burning into her, she looked back up. "Ya Imran" she began hesitantly, "did you talk to Ya Ahmad?"
"I did," he confirmed with a reassuring smile. "Ameerah is more than okay, I promise."
"Thank you" she murmured nearly inaudible, unable to hold his stare any longer. He noticed her gaze flit to her fingers twisting the veil again. He hid a smirk, then shook his head before rising.
"I'll head out now, do you need anything?"
The way she looked up at him as he spoke, Her eyes, wide and vulnerable, held him captive. He turned his entire body towards her.
"Or are you scared to be alone in the house?" he teased playfully, raising an eyebrow.
A surprised laugh, unexpected even to her, genuine and melodic, escaped Jadwa's lips. It was a sound he never thought he'd hear in this moment, and it warmed him from the inside out. "Why would I be?" she countered, a playful glint in her eyes. "And no, I don't need anything."
Her laughter was like music to his ears, and though he longed to stay longer, to talk or simply sit in comfortable silence, he knew he shouldn't. He wouldn't want another man alone with Lily in the house, so he wouldn't put her in that position either.
He nodded curtly and turned to leave. Jadwa watched him go, a small smile playing on her lips, before picking up her phone. Her shoulders slumped as she saw the message notification. "What do you want?" she typed, but just like yesterday, it was viewed and ignored.
A sigh escaped her lips, and a single tear traced a path down her cheek she brought her legs to her chest, she wasn't okay, nervousness enveloped her the more she waited for a response. when her phone vibrated, she picked it up quickly to check if it was the unknown number but It was Zara on a video call. Jadwa wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, so she let it ring twice before declining. Another call followed, this time from Abdul. She picked up, forcing a cheerful conversation for a few minutes before finding an excuse to end the call and head to bed.
