Sun & Moon: Chapter Six (Part II)

Getting up suddenly from her bed, her breathing was shallow. She was petrified from what she saw, her hands were shivering, and her heart was beating like the sound of the drum. Tears made their way to the corner of her eyes; the pain which haunted her wasn't something she was able to heal. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from her nightmare and decided to embrace Saturday morning like she always did.

Sliding off the door, she got jolted with the coldness freezing surface of the tiles. They were frosty white and flawless. The white bathroom was spotless, pallid with hints of rosy ornaments adding a subtle tranquil feeling. The pink roses on the white shower curtains seemed to invite her, to take her in for that hug and embrace she needed. Reaching out to the left tap, Sanaa was ready to drown all her worries and anxiety away. The warm water soothed her as the hard drops hit her skin, it was therapeutic and consoling, making her sigh in relief. She grabbed her hot pink loofa to wash it all away. ‘A fresh morning, a lovely day and a fantastic evening’ she kept repeating it to herself as she felt purified from the dirt she once upon a time felt. With a towel wrapped around her petite body, she looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized who she was; the bags under her eyes were obvious, the dark circles were taking over her flawless complexion and her bloodshot eyes would tell anyone that she has had rough nights without sound sleep. Reaching out to the mirror, she tried to block the view; she couldn't tolerate how she looked like. It reminded her of how she used to be and asserted, even more, the reason why she chose to leave everyone behind to start anew. The water was still drizzling, creating puddles around her now clean and dewy body; Sanaa started thinking of a solution. Looking at the cherry wooden desk which doubled as her dressing table, she hurriedly grabbed her expensive Dior foundation and dabbed a heavy amount on her face; she wanted to look bedazzling, stunning and breathtaking. She wouldn't accept anything less than that.  She smiled as those signs, which would make anyone pity her, almost disappeared from her face. Sanaa was positive she was going to wear and show off her confidence like she would when she carried a Chloe bag or strutted in her classic Zara heels.   

It was a fresh Saturday morning, the dew drops sat beautifully on the leaves and grass just waiting for the perfect amount of heat to vaporize it. The town was quiet, everyone chose to retreat and relax on Saturday. It was time to recuperate and relax from the week's exhaustion. It was time to spend with family and friends or just stay lazy in bed all day. But that wasn't anything of what Sanaa did on a Saturday morning. She would grab her expensive Nikon camera which she bought from her first saving after school; her most prized possession. She wouldn't leave a Saturday without catching the early morning in all its glory. She craved to portray every single thing she would feel here through photographs. Sanaa wanted to safe keep each and every memory of this place before she left. It was only a couple of years and before a blink of an eye, time could pass us all by.

Grabbing her long lens, she focused all her attention to the iris flowers; her latest obsession. They were bright and purple, refreshing and as vibrant as she felt after the long hot shower and therapeutic makeup. She reached out to the stem and felt its draftiness; she touched the flowers and felt the softness. She saw in it adventure, risk taking and even more the blossoming of a new chapter in a life cycle. It represented everything she wanted to be at this moment of time. Smiling an effortless smile, she started clicking and snapping as many pictures of these beautiful flowers as she could.

'Yes take as many as you can because come next week, they'll all be gone' his shadow covered the perfect lighting and darkened the view. 'You are mean' she responded back annoyed. She didn't want to think how it would turn out to be when winter officially begins. He laughed loudly as he knelt down to smell the flowers. 'They smell beautiful' he said looking into her eyes. 'But not as beautiful as you right are now' Sanaa smiled and was content that all the makeup that made its way to her face managed to capture her beauty. She wanted to tell him about her nightmare, about what she saw and what she struggled with every night since she came here 'He’ll think I'm so into him if I tell him' she thought to herself and dismissed the thought in her head. 'So Sanaa are you free to head to the library later on?' he asked as she froze in her place. 'Errrrm, okay' she said to him smiling. 'I'll pass by later then?' he asked as she nodded her head vigorously till her earring fell on the grass. 'I’ve never seen someone excited to go to the library before' Bastiaan laughed as he picked up the earring from the ground and gave it to her. 'See you later beautiful' he winked at her and left Sanaa to continue enjoying her photography.

Knock knock…

The whiff of Arabian oud made its way to the door's opening at the bottom; it smelt different, exotic and intoxicating. He stood at the door sniffing, he couldn’t explain what it was he was inhaling in.

‘Just a sec' she said behind the door with an incense burner in her hand. Sanaa finally had the beauty sleep she deserved after the fresh morning. She felt super refreshed and now it was time for her to have a lovely day. As she moved her hand over the smoke from the bukhoor she brought from home, she closed her eyes enjoying the smell as it scented her hair; a ritual she always does when she washes her hair. Satisfied with the amount and time she spent on scenting her hair, she threw the burning charcoal to the sink and washed it over with cold water; putting it out. Spraying her Chanel No.5 all over her clothing and hands, she grabbed her laptop bag and headed to the door.

The exotic smell was even more powerful as she walked out of the door; she looked beautiful with her wavy hair resting loosely on her shoulders. Sanaa seemed to have Bastiaan under a spell with no word escaping his mouth and only a shocking stare resided in its place. 'Hello?' Sanaa waved at him but Bastiaan still stood in his place. Touching his arm, Bastiaan looked at Sanaa and said 'What's this amazing smell?' he sniffed as he walked into her room possessed with the mysterious aroma he never had came in contact with before. Sanaa laughed and walked past Bastiaan to her wardrobe. Opening her two door wardrobe, she started searching at the back of her stacked clothes on the shelves, to take out a Tang jar that had hard brown rocky substances inside; she slid the jar open and took off the covering lid. 'This is similar to incense sticks but much more stronger and smells better. It’s made of sugar and perfume' she handed it to him to smell. 'Wow. This is absolutely amazing' he said taken aback from the existence of such a glamorous unusual smell. ‘This is pretty heavy stuff, but I like it’ he looked at her with a smirk on his face making its way to Sanaa’s being. She smiled coyly looking down at her suede beige shoes to avoid contact to his eyes. 'Okay sorry shall we?' he handed the jar back and motioned for them to leave. With a quick split of a second, Sanaa placed the lid on the jar and back to its place in her wardrobe to join Bastiaan for the walk to the library.

It was windy and chilly; the clouds were covering the sky which made it darker. The streets were filled with people enjoying their weekend. The smell of coffee, wet grass and perfume, all mixed up, gave the sense of belonging. Bastiaan walked beside Sanaa silently enjoying the aroma of her scented hair every time the wind blew. The canal was even crowded with tourists enjoying a tour around the city. The vibe was active and lively making Sanaa content with her choice of being here. 'So what is exactly your major' she tried making small talk. Taken by surprise Bastiaan realized that he never explained to her much about who he was 'I am a philosophy and ethnics major, so basically I am one of those critical thinkers’ he said jokingly but eager to know what her next question was. 'Oh okay that's interesting' she smiled and continued walking. He still continued to wait but for no question to be asked. Bastiaan felt disappointed as he continued the walk with only the occasional audible sounds of their sighs keeping them both company.

Reaching the library, she settled with the first table she saw. 'Hey no, not here’ he whistled to her and raised his voice; the librarian looked at Bastiaan in anger pulling out a cardboard that read silence in Dutch. Bastiaan gestured to the librarian showing him how apologetic he was and walked to where Sanaa was. ‘Come beautiful. I'll show you around' he whispered in her ear.

Sun & Moon: Chapter Six

First of all I apologize for not updating, I have been caught up with exams and publishing a scientific paper that not enough hours of the day were enough to squeeze in everything

Anyhow, this is a short prologue if it may be, I'll further continue it during the Eid vacayyyy inshallah. Eid Mubarak to all of you and hope you and your respective families enjoy it to the max.

It was dark and gloomy, the air was dry, she felt she was about to choke only she coughed so hard her ribcage felt it was going to rub against her insides vigorously. She felt pain; sharp hurtful shocks around her chest made her turn to the other side only she couldn't. She was stuck; she struggled even more only to feel extra weight on top of her. She couldn't see what was around her, she couldn't see what was in front of her; it was pitch black. She was trying to scream for help but her voice was mute.


The air around became dewy and moist, she heard breathing sounds which made her panic. ’Who are you? She wanted to ask but her voice to still remain mute. With a palpating heart she shivered scared of what was going on around her. She could now sense the weight shift to the top of her, she could smell the cologne which mixed with the smell of his breath; she knew who the person was. Feeling her hope of escaping sink, she gave up fighting and simply chose to remain still. 'You think u can leave it all behind?' He shouted at her, piercing her ears. She sobbed quietly knowing she’s trapped, she cried regretting what she once chose, what she once did and what she once believed was her destiny.


Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alaaaaaiiiiiiiii


Loud music came from the next room; it was so loud for a Saturday morning. The sun was out of its hiding place and bright. The fields were getting filled with picnic baskets and mats. Sanaa was still in deep sleep, she was tossing and turning. She looked as if she was suffocating, like she was in trouble. She was trying to break free. Loud moans and screams filled her warm blue room. 'Nooooo' she opened her eyes in tears. She wept in shock of her nightmare. It was recurring every night. She was quivering in fear as her heart raced. She sobbed even more remembering how that nightmare was actually true.


Sanaa felt she was in need of comfort of a crying shoulder; she needed a protector who would shed all those horrible dreams and dissolve her haunting past, her closest friend who would make her laugh. Getting up from her bed in her bugs bunny pajamas, she grabbed her keys and rushed out the door to find him. Getting into the elevator pressing 2, she waited as the doors opened to her destination. Looking for the number 218, she slammed on the door with her two hands waiting for him to open. Opening the door she screamed out his name 'Bastiaan' only for a blonde Amazonian like tall girl to emerge from behind the door.

No Matter What:Chapter Six

Previously

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Noor feared that her mother might have noticed the notepad but luckily she left before she did. She hurried and placed the notepad back inside her bag. Looking through the door to make sure her mom left, she took out something from the side pouch of the bag and placed it in her pocket before she left the room.

'Shihab calling...' her phone flashed

-------------------

She got surprised. Shihab never called her since the famous incident. She got angry and chose to ignore the call. She hated him for trying to call. A few rings later, her heart softened and she remembered how he never meant to hurt anyone. How he was the reason for many happy memories. How he was trying to soothe his wounded heart. Taking out the phone from her pocket, she suddenly felt nervous. She didn’t know how she was supposed to greet him. Her heart skipped a beat hoping that it wasn’t bad news. Her hand shook fretfully as she clicked on the answer button. Clearing out her voice she started to speak but nothing would come out of her vocal cords. Her brain was in alarm failing to send signals for her to speak until she heard him say the five letter word.

- ‘Hello?’

Her heart felt mellow as she sat on the floor cross legged and leaned to the wall. The breeze from the air conditioner of the living room hit right across her face as she arranged her legs and arms in a comfy position on the cold taupe marble floor. Smiling as her uptight body relaxed, she replied with a sweet soft casual,

- ‘Hi’

He paused and remained silent for a while. He was trying to put his thoughts into words only for his brain to deceive him. Gathering up the courage after the silence became an awkward one; he opened his mouth and said,

- ‘I know you wouldn't like me calling you and causing...’

- ‘It's no hassle at all’  she managed to blurt out interrupting his long speech.

- Can I meet you?

- I can do mornings

- Fine by me. See you in an hour?

- Sure

- Okay, see ya.

They never decided on the place because by default they always met at the café where he wrote to his Noor and she wrote to her Shihab. Getting excited she headed over to her closet to choose the clothes that she should wear. Fiddling around, she found the perfect outfit that would go with her morning make-up which she carefully placed next to the clothes. In less than an hour she was all fresh and clean with a tangy spicy whiff scenting the place she walked past; her perfumes were always intoxicating.  She was all set and ready to see him as she clucked away in her heels which enclosed her feet perfectly.

She was calling, he knew from the customized ringtone he set for her as his phone flashed her name in block letters. Picking up to answer with a hello, he got bombarded with her angry screams on the phone,

- 'Where the hell are you?'

- ' I'm on my way. Got stuck in traffic'

- ' Make it fast. I’ve been waiting for ages'

- 'Five minutes tops I promise'

- 'Fine'

She hung up as her annoyed face softened up to reveal a radiant oval face and threw the phone at the large hideous sofa they always lounged at. She was already at the café and ordered her regular; espresso minus the glass of water, just the way she liked it. She was fond of her coffee concentrated and strong; exactly like her personality. She was independent with a big heart. She always kept herself well groomed and had a fierce look on her face that dressed up perfectly with her miss independent personality. Her nails manicured, light brown curls intact, expensive brand clothes perfectly fitted along with her oversized bag and sunglasses. This was Fajr, stylish and breathtaking. Many of Shihab's friends couldn't understand why he got involved with Noor when her best friend Fajr was way more sophisticated and beautiful. But Shihab fell head over heels with Noor because of her down to earth, sweet innocent personality. She always smiled and was so raw and pure that gave off radiance and a glow to her presence which Shihab couldn't deny. She might not be stylish with her outdated shabby sense of style. But to him it was the heart he fell for not the looks.

As her fingers started tapping on the table, a habit she picked up from her father, she started growing out of patience.  More than five minutes have passed and he still didn't arrive, she hated this. A thing she always loathed about her fellow country men; unpunctuality.  She wanted to dial his number only for her to feel a tender brush on her back. 'I told you five minutes and I never disappoint' he said but didn't seem upbeat as he usually did. She looked at him sarcastically 'Errrm technically it's eight minutes my dear so you did disappoint' she smiled but noticed how uneasy and sad he was. He seemed tired and drained. His dishdasha was unbuttoned, his kemma was almost falling off from how far back it was on his head and his beard unkempt.  ‘So how are you?’ she asked and felt like burying herself. How could she ask that? Of course he's not fine. ‘Great you made a fool out of yourself. What a dumb question Fajr. Way to go Fajr' she thought to herself. Shihab took a deep sigh and ignored the question. Sitting on the sofa opposite Fajr he tried to hide his despair with a smile. She smiled back with a plain smile and continued sipping on her now cold espresso. A moment of silent took over the place until he spoke. 'You know?...' Fajr kept her cup down and attended to him. 'It's a first...' he paused lowering his voice. 'It's a first that I see you without...' he cleared his throat unable to complete her name. Her heart went out to him. She knew the pain he was going through. She could relate to the two and how hard it must be for them to act all fine when they aren't. She remembered all those lonely dark nights she cried herself to sleep mending herself to perfection. She felt for Noor's fragile and broken heart.

Fajr and Shihab go way back, they were class mates. Fajr was the girl every guy sorted after, the miss popular type of girl. She was very pretty and with her petite figure and height, she really would have made a career out of modeling if she wanted. Shihab on the other hand was the nerd type who never mingled with anyone. He had braces, spectacles that looked like huge magnifying glasses and oiled up hair like an Indian boy who's mother dashed a pint of coconut oil on his scalp to style his hair. He always wore very short trousers that were too long to be three quarters. His trousers were short enough to show off his socks and a part of his legs above the sock line; hence the nickname Fajr and her friends gave him Mr. Bean. Though they weren't ever close, they never hated each other either. They both later on went on and pursued their higher studies and never saw each other until one day at the beach. The day Noor and Shihab met.

Fajr found herself standing up from her seat and scooting over next to Shihab. It was her gesture to display her offering of a crying shoulder. They sat there in silence for what seemed a century. They stayed quiet with only the background music playing; the café was empty but for the two of them. 'I know I have been distant' Fajr broke the ice and began talking 'and selfish lately' she continued. ‘I too, was hurt in the process. We were like the sisters we never had for each other until it all changed in a span of a day and night.' her voice started to shake and quiver. She missed her best friend, she missed everything they did together but now she was banned from seeing her thanks to Noor's religiously strict family. 'But I'm here now for you and I would never give up on both of you' she placed her hand on Shihab's shoulder blade. Shihab grew shockingly more quiet, the total opposite of what she was used of him. 'Shisho?' she called him by the nickname Noor gave to him; a name that only his late father used on him as a kid. It was pure coincidence that Noor called him that once and he was shocked but never told her until later on. It was a special name with a special effect on his heart.

His head suddenly tilted to her shoulder and a tear managed to drop on Fajr's palm. She grieved for his shattered soul. She shared his sadness and patted his back in an attempt to console him. 'You guys will be together. You guys are meant to be.' she said in confidence. His eyes were red and tired, puffy with dark circles that seemed they were soon going to invade his cheeks. His hazel brown eyes weren't even noticeable anymore; they only seemed to give off the feeling of torture, frustration and pain. Fajr couldn't help but pat him on his back in hopes she could ease the pain. 'Do you think Noor is okay?' he asked her as her heart raced. She didn’t know what to tell him about her. Should she tell the truth or resort to lying? What should she say? Shihab asked a question that was tough for her to answer. 'Of course…’ she paused. ‘Of course she is’ she smiled deceivingly as he looked her right in the eye.  ‘I'm sure she is. Our darling is brave' she reassured him as her pats on his back started pacing up. Her smile soon disappeared when he turned his face away. A white lie she told him. It wasn't true. Noor was having a tough time but how could Fajr tell him that? She couldn't. She wouldn't. She mustn't.