Chance

May 12 2021

Alaya spent the entire day in the clinic as she simply could not bring herself to leave the old man. She was the one who did the most of the taking care though it was the housekeeper who was paid for it. For an unknown reason, she had a feeling that she had known the man for a long period of time. She was planning on questioning the man about just that as soon as he gained consciousness.

But he didn’t, even by the fall of the night. The doctors did, however discharge him, affirming to Alaya that his body was in a better condition than before. Alaya’s heart sank, when they warned her not to talk about anything that will worry or cause him stress. She wondered whether she would be able to hold herself back from asking all the questions that were popping up in her head.

The ride home from the clinic in the ambulance was a bit colder than to Alaya’s comfort. The cold air reminded Alaya of the time of the year and she sighed, as she realized that this would be the first winter that she would spend all alone. Little had she known how the events would turn just moments from that minute.

It was close to 9:30 PM when Alaya reached home along with the man. The attendants from the clinic helped Alaya and the housekeeper to move the man to his room. She thought of holding an entire interview with the housekeeper as soon as the attendants left but was not in the mood to do so, due to the gradually lowering temperature. She rushed to her room and changed to warmer clothes as she felt a fever rising within her. Being sick was the last thing she wanted to be when she was all by herself. Never had she taken out medicine and took them for herself though she was bold enough to dream about living all on her own, she thought as she made herself into a ball in the corner of the bed. As she did, the heater in the corner across the room caught her eye. She regretted it big time for not switching it on before getting on bed. She thought of not getting out of the blanket for anything as she could feel the cold on her feet even through the socks she was wearing. But could not help it as she started having thoughts of her heart turning into ice, if that was something that actually happened outside of Disney movies.

So finally she made up her mind and got out from her thick blanket. As soon as she took a step away from her bed, the room blacked out and her heart stopped as she stared into the darkness. The next second, her heart felt like it was going to burst out from her chest as some creative scary thoughts surrounded her mind. What was this about? Was a horror movie going to turn real with her tonight? Was her spirit going to come and meet her to tell her of a revenge she had to take? Or was this a plan of burglars and they could burst into her room any minute? Alaya could not figure out what she would do in such a case but she knew she had to take a step right in that moment. So she took a step forward and raised her hand to feel the wall of the room. To her luck, she felt it just within two steps. She kept feeling the wall and walking in hope she wouldn’t bump into any cupboard with sharp edges. She remembered who else was in the house and thought of calling the housekeeper but realized she did not know her name. How weird would it be to call her by ‘housekeeper’? She’d end up laughing even if she tried, Alaya thought to herself as she successfully reached the door of her room and opened it.

As soon as Alaya stepped out of her room, she saw a man, standing in the living room with a lamp. The light of the lamp helped her see the living room all the way through the corridor of the rooms. It was hard for Alaya to recognize who the man was since his back was towards her as he was frivolously searching for something, strangely from inside the flower vase kept on the side of the room. He looked suspicious to Alaya especially since he wore one of those large jackets, the kind that burglars wear in typical movies. It did not occur to her that perhaps he wore it because of the cold weather but she was too preoccupied by the idea that she ended up taking a decorative metallic vase without a plant that was kept on a table near her. With the vase, she started to walk towards him as secretively as she could. She surprised herself as even she could not hear her own steps. She was imagining herself as one of those heroines in a novel, as she described the scene to her own self. She walked and stopped right behind the man and with all her might, she hit his head with the vase.

“OW!!!” the man screamed as he put one of hands to the back of his head. The voice sounded familiar to Alaya and for some reason she even felt butterflies in her stomach. As she was trying to figure out who it could be, he turned around with a pained face. Alaya’s mouth dropped open, as she saw none other than Raphael right in front of her.

“R…Ra..Raphael what are you doing here?” she asked. Raphael opened his eyes slowly and a similar shock appeared on his face. Their eyes locked for a few seconds and Alaya felt something strange, because of the disturbed way Raphael looked at her. The moment she realized she wasn’t wearing her hijab was the moment Raphael turned the other side. With a rush, Alaya made a run to go to her room but hit her knee on a side table kept near the sofa.

“Take this!” Raphael called out. When Alaya looked at him, he was holding out the lamp for her while still showing his back. Alaya awkwardly walked towards him and took a hold of the lamp and rushed into her room once again.

She came out again with her hijab and the lamp and found Raphael sitting on the sofa still holding the back of his head. With a guilty conscience, Alaya went into the kitchen, deadly hoping she would find an ice pack in the refrigerator. When she did, she took it and walked into the living room.

“Here…” Alaya said, holding out the ice pack for Raphael. He looked at it once and then to her face and took it. Alaya kept the lamp on the floor and sat on the sofa right across Raphael. She looked at him massaging his head with the ice pack for a while, savoring the happiness she was feeling from just that scene. But she wasn’t able to smile, as the realization that both of them were married, hit her. Just then, she realized she had something to ask him.

“What are you doing here Raphael?” she asked.

“I’m sorry. Wasn’t expecting you here. May I ask why you are here?” he asked.

“Well…..my husband took me here after we got married just this morning.” Alaya said, not wanting to tell Raphael who she got married to. Raphael would know what kind of a guy Layaan was even from school. She doesn’t want to be embarrassed by the idea of him judging her for her choice, especially when he has married someone like Laana.

But instead, Alaya felt hurt as she saw a pain on his face as he heard of her marriage. It did not occur to her even once that it might make him feel this way to know that she was married. Or was she just imagining? Because of her uncontrollable urge to live a long lasting love story? Alaya wasn’t sure.

“Congratulations on your marriage! May I know who you are married to? And perhaps why he would bring you to this house?” Raphael asked unexpectedly. But Alaya answered with a sigh, knowing she can’t escape this conversation.

“It’s Layaan, Raphael. He brought me here. He said this house belongs to his father.” Alaya said.

“I see…” Raphael said, staring down on the floor, thinking intently.

“Why are you here Raphael?” Alaya asked again, inevitably. Raphael looked at her, and sighed.

“My father lives here.” Raphael answered and Alaya’s eyes grew wide open.

“That’s your father?! The old man in this house?” Alaya asked, as the face of that man clearly fit into her memory of Raphael’s father on a wheelchair in front of her poor house. Raphael nodded as an answer.

“Gosh Raphael! He was very ill when I reached here this morning. He coughed up blood and went unconscious. I took him to the clinic today. The doctors said he is better and now he is home in his room.” Alaya explained. A horror appeared on Raphael’s face as he heard the story.

“Can you take me to him? The door is locked and I can’t find the key.” Raphael said.

“It’s locked? I did not know. I think the maid will have the key. Let me go and check with…”

“No no…..please don’t! I will come back some other time. Just take care of him. And tell him not to worry about me.” Raphael said.

“I don’t think that will help Raphael. He was asking for you even as he fell unconscious. You can’t just leave him like this. Why isn’t he living with you?” Alaya asked. Raphael gave a light laught.

“That’s my life Alaya. I don’t get to live with those I want.” Raphael said that, kept the ice pack on the table and got up to leave. Alaya got up in a rush as she saw him leaving.

“Well maybe you don’t get to do that because you never told them you wanted to be with them. And even when they came back you pushed them away.” Alaya could not believe herself as she heard her own self. What was up with her? Why did she just say that? How could she do that especially now when she was married? She saw Raphael stop in his tracks as she thought about it and felt a guilt building up inside her.

“And maybe whatever happened was just for the best. Maybe being together would have done more harm than good. I completely put my trust in Allah for whatever He has planned. For both of us…” Raphael said, without looking back at her. Then he left, without giving her a chance to say a single word. Alaya looked at the door through which she lost sight of him, all over again. Thinking about what he said last, left her more than confused.

May 12 2021

As Alaya walked inside looking all around her, she heard coughing of an old man from one of the rooms she passed. For some reason, that voice sounded familiar to her. She went near that door out of curiosity. When she opened it, her eyes grew wide.

The white-haired man who was sitting on the bed had coughed up blood and his hand was red from it. As Alaya looked, he coughed again and blood came oozing out of his mouth. Alaya could not stand to see any longer so she opened the door wide.

“What’s wrong uncle? Have you being sick for a long time?” Alaya ran into the room and bent down near the bed.

“I don’t think I have much time. Please let me speak to my son.” the man spoke in Egyptian Arabic.

“Where is your son? Does he live in this house?” Alaya asked in his language. Just then, Alaya found him passing out. At once she yelled for help.

Within half an hour, Alaya found herself in a ward of a small clinic. She’d gotten the man admitted there with the help of the housekeeper. Alaya had asked about the man from the housekeeper while they were on their way to the clinic in the ambulance.

“I don’t really know much about him. He was brought to the house under our madam’s order. I’ve been taking care of him since then.” the housekeeper replied.

“Who’s your madam?” Alaya asked curiously. Suddenly, she saw nervousness on her face. As though she regretted what she just said. Alaya awaited her answer impatiently but didn’t get to hear it as the lying in front of them started to cough again.

Alaya still wondered about the madam the housekeeper spoke of, as she looked at her keeping everything in order in the side cupboard near the bed. Alaya turned her eyes towards the man who was now in a deep sleep after an emergency treatment. He looked familiar to her as she stared at him. She felt like she saw him from somewhere but had a hard time remembering where.

As she was thinking about it, the doctor walked in. The doctor came in and checked his pulse.

“How is he doctor?” Alaya asked.

“He is much better now. It was a fatal attack. Especially since he just had his last chemo session quite recently.” the doctor said.

“Chemo session?” Alaya asked. The doctor nodded.

“He is close to reaching the third stage of blood cancer. There isn’t much hope that he will get better due to his extremely weakened body. But we are trying ever since he moved to this area around 6 months ago.” the doctor explained.

“Oh! Is there anything we can do to help?” Alaya inquired as the last thing. The doctor recommended to ensure that he takes his medicine on time and that he has a proper diet. Alaya promised herself to fulfill the recommendations for that old man as she realized that he might have been all on his own for a long time.

Few minutes after the doctor left the ward, Alaya came out of the room due to the thoughts she just could not keep to herself. The questions that came to her mind made her dial Layaan’s number on her phone. She listened to the rings outside the ward. Layaan picked up the phone as she was just about to give up on the call.

“Hello darling! Miss me already?” Layaan asked.

“No….Layaan I have something to ask you.” Alaya said.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Who is that old man who lives in your house? In the house you left me in?” she asked.

“Old man?” he seemed surprised.

“Yeah….I heard him coughing from one of the rooms. When I opened the door he was coughing up blood and he fainted after a short while. I’ve brought him to a clinic nearby with the help of the housekeeper. It happens to be that he has cancer! Who is he Layaan?”

Alaya asked, yearning for an explanation as detailed as her description of what happened. But she got no response from the other side for more than 10 seconds.

“Hello?” Alaya called out when she heard nothing. Instantly, the phone got disconnected from the other side. Alaya looked at her phone, puzzled.

“Did you happen to transfer him from where I kept him myself?” Layaan asked in a dissatisfied tone as he drove the car.

“I did! Because Raphael visited him too much when he was here in Boston. I pretty much heard how the father and son were planning against us.” Laana spoke, as she kept a card on the poker table.

“What the hell can that old man do to us? I can finish him in less than a minute and both he and his son know that very clearly. They couldn’t have done anything. But now that you have changed him without asking me or telling me about it, we might get in trouble. I just left Alaya in that house and Alaya found out about him!” Layaan explained.

“Oh! Does the **** know that he is Raphael’s father?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then darling! Don’t you think you are making a huge deal out of nothing?”

“Why isn’t this a big deal? What if Raphael goes to meet his father, gets back his girlfriend and the is brainwashed by her to stand up against us.”

“Haha! That ain’t happening in a million years. Raphael’s wife is just too stubborn to let him meet his father. He contacts his father through phone every day. That too just for 5 minutes. Thanks to his wife. If a son is talking to his father enough not to feel guilty about not having any contact with him, why would he try the difficult way if he knows he has to face the wrath of his loving and adoring wife?” Laana half smiled as she said it and she saw herself winning the poker game at the same time.

“Hehe…you are just too good. And have I told you what I’ve got the Raphael guy into? I told him that Alaya is still lost. Poor guy is making rounds all around Boston searching for the love of his life. That’s going to distract him for quite a bit.” Layaan said.

“Yep! Until we win our game.” Laana said as she saw the tiny towers of coins pushed towards her.

May 12 2021

At once she agreed with what her mom said. She would marry Layaan, a little more pleased than before since now he is a bit tolerable with his charming character towards her. Alaya agreed that she would still be seeking the life of ‘freedom’ that she dreamt of though she was married to a guy like Layaan. Positive vibes filled her heart as she thought of how perfectly everything has fallen into place in her life. Little had she known, that this was just the calm before the storm.

**3 weeks later**

Alaya wore a long and glittery dark blue dress and a black shawl as she walked into the court alongside her father with her other family members following behind her. Layaan wore a black suit with a tie of same colour as he looked at Alaya walk into the courtroom. Alaya smiled as her eyes met with Layaan’s.

It was nothing like how Alaya imagined her wedding to be. Ever since she was little, she thought she wouldn’t be able to look at her husband in the eyes on the first day of her wedding. She thought she would be too taken away by even the idea of spending the rest of her life with a man that she wouldn’t be able to stop blushing. She thought she’d feel sick with all the butterflies in her stomach.

But there she was, walking straight towards her husband-to-be, with no hesitation whatsoever. Why? Alaya asked herself as she sat down on the chair next to Layaan. Was it because she didn’t like Layaan? What was he lacking? He didn’t lack anything. For some reason, the spoilt brat version of Layaan has turned into one charismatic man.

Alaya still remembers the night where she was left alone on the road by a driver. She was walking alone on a highway when a bunch of burglars tried to snatch away her handbag.

“Let go off my hand! RIGHT NOW!!!” she tried to use the voice and words of someone who made stand in that position that night. But that did little to help. The men kept trying to take a hold of her hands. Just then, Layaan made his dramatic appearance and threw a punch at the man who held her hand. When the man left her hand with a twist, she ended up falling to the ground with her right hand underneath her. She moaned with pain that emerged in her hand but wasn’t able to move either.

“Never think of coming back to her ever again!” after a few minutes of fighting, Alaya heard Layaan saying. The fact that those burglars ran away right after those words took Alaya by surprise. Was Layaan really that good of a fighter that he could scare away those huge men? She found it hard to believe. But before she could think about it, Layaan came near her and bent down.

“Are you hurt? Can you get up?” Layaan said, in a voice full of concern. Alaya tried to get up but couldn’t because of the pain in her right arm. Layaan looked at her failure at her attempts and once again to her surprise, picked her up in his arms. Alaya looked into Layaan’s eyes as he did. She wasn’t sure whether it was for real or it was because she watched too many movies. But she saw a genuine concern in those eyes for her. Her heart beat differently as Layaan walked with her in his hands. She kept looking at him though he looked away. She was too busy staring at him to even notice that her head was bleeding. She passed out after a few seconds because of that.

When she woke up on the hospital bed, the first face she saw was also Layaan’s.

“How are you?” he’d asked with a charming smile.

“Wh…what happened? Those…burglars last night. You’d saved me…” Alaya said, recollecting everything. Layaan nodded, with the same smile.

“But before that I was in your car. The driver said that he will take me to you. But he left me in the middle of….” Layaan put his hand on her lips before she could complete.

“I know. I know all of it. That driver was planning to run away even from the beginning. I came to save you as soon as I heard his plan from some of the other housekeepers. I’m really sorry to have you in trouble like that. Will do anything to fix it.” Layaan said sadly. Alaya quietly thought about it and trusted those words more easily than she thought. What was up with her?

She’d figured out soon. She was in utter need of someone who loved her and cared about her. And Layaan did exactly that for her from that night. She’d brought her favourite soup and favourite ice-cream for dinner that night. He’d talk to her for a long time that night. Alaya was comfortable with the conversation since it had nothing to do with their marriage. Layaan mostly shared and reminded Alaya of their school days and they both laughed. Alaya looked at Layaan dreamily as she thought of giving him a chance. She was all out of love anyway. Remembering how Raphael addressed her the last time they had a conversation, and seeing Layaan’s changed behavior made Alaya incline towards that thought. Though having the thought that Raphael hated her still hurt her in the very depth of her heart. She’d see dreams about Raphael saying those same words to her. But he’d always have tears in his eyes when he did. Alaya wondered whether those dreams meant that Raphael still loved her.

“I accept.” Alaya came out of her thoughts as she heard Layaan saying. Alaya closed her eyes as she felt uneasiness in her heart. What was it about? Was it the thought that Raphael still had feelings for her? But how could that be? How could she come to believe that when he had left her in the middle of the street with no guardian? How Raphael have talked to her so harshly if he loved her? How would Raphael have ignored her all the time she was at her house? And for heaven’s sake he is married. That is quite telling of the fact that he had moved on.

Even with all the evidence, Alaya still felt like something was going wrong, as she thought she was getting completely bound to another man other than Raphael. But Alaya took a deep breath, brushed those thoughts away and opened her eyes.

A few minutes later, Alaya was walking down the stairs of the court with her hand in Layaan’s arm. Layaan’s father and Alaya’s family followed behind them.

“So we will be leaving now Layaan….and Alaya.” Mahmood said after getting off the stairs and looking at the young couple. He put his hand on Alaya’s head lovingly. Alaya smiled at her father and hugged her other family members before she lost their sight as they got in the taxi that was going to take them to the airport. Thanks to the money Layaan’s father had, her family was flown to Boston all the way from New York just for her wedding.

“Shall we go?” Layaan asked Alaya, after even his father had left. Alaya nodded with a smile. Again, she walked with Layaan with no nervousness or hesitation that it kind of scared her. Nonetheless she began to walk towards Layaan’s Mercedes along with him. But before they could reach the car, Alaya saw one of her friends from high school.

“Alaya!” Lucy had screeched. She was wearing casual clothing along with some files she carried.

“Lucy! Long time no see….what’s up?” Alaya asked, momentarily forgetting about Layaan.

“Well I’m working on a case for my assignment. I’ve decided to stick in this field. How about you?” Lucy asked. Alaya’s smile faded as she thought about it. She’d gone into a crash course in law while she was in high school. Her friend right there was so interested in law that she dropped out of high school to get into law school. It happens to be that she did get the application though she dropped out. Alaya should have done the same. She loved law too. But the thought of being hated by people made her hesitant. That too was one of the things she couldn’t take a chance on.

“I…have not decided my field yet. Not law though…” Alaya said.

“What are you doing here then? Getting married or something?” Lucy asked.

“Well…yeah.” Alaya laughed unwillingly and Layaan showed a smile too.

“Congratulations! I really gotta get going. See you later Alaya!” Lucy said, as she headed for the stairs. Alaya said bye as she did. Once again, Alaya began to walk with Layaan, envying Lucy to a higher extent that she thought she would.

Unlike Alaya expected, they had a quiet ride. This time, even Layaan wasn’t initiating a conversation. It was odd for Alaya to see the change in his behavior again. She thought that her ‘charming prince’ would talk to her about her thoughts on career. What was up with him? Was he having the nervousness that she was supposed to have? Who knows?

Alaya didn’t ask where Layaan was headed because she was close to sure that he will take her to one of his ‘mansions’. But to her surprise, after an hour and a half, Alaya found the car going into the country side. She started seeing more and more greenery from outside the window. She stifled the need to ask but ended up asking a few minutes after they got into that area.

“Where are we going?” Alaya asked. Just then, Layaan parked his car into a small wooden house typical to that area. Layaan turned to her without turning off the engine.

“Alaya, I’m sorry that I did not tell you this before. I have some business to attend to. Its going to take me about 3 months starting from today. Have to stay away from you in that period since it would take a lot of travelling….that house you see is the first house my father lived in. I thought you could stay here until I came back. You’d even get more time to think about your career don’t you think?” Layaan asked. Alaya felt a heaviness in her heart as she heard that. Was she being left alone? AGAIN?

“Its ok….you could go. I can live on my own.” she ended up saying though she was disheartened. Layaan smiled and held her face lovingly for a few seconds. Then just told her to go. Alaya was taken aback by those words. She thought Layaan would help her take her luggage and to get into that house. But to her horror, Layaan left her after a housekeeper who came from that house took her luggage. It was that lady who kindly told her to get in as well.

Alaya got into the house and took a good look around. It was higher and bigger than Alaya thought it would be. It had up to date furniture and fireplace as well. The living room was almost as big as it will be in a mansion. As Alaya walked inside looking all around her, she heard coughing of an old man from one of the rooms she passed. For some reason, that voice sounded familiar to her. She went near that door out of curiosity. When she opened it, her eyes grew wide.

May 12 2021

“Of course! And we can have a beach party on the second day. Its going to be amazing with our barefoot in the sand. Can’t wait to have it babe. Love you so much!”

From the recording, Raphael heard a voice that he quickly concluded was Alaya’s. But somewhere in the back of his head, there was a suspicion. A suspicion about something being wrong.

Raphael looked at the half smile that Layaan gave him before he walked away. Raphael stayed on the spot, thinking for a while and then headed for the elevator.

He had walked out of the hospital that day without looking back. He thought of going back over and over to figure out what exactly was up with Layaan and Alaya. Alaya had clearly told him that she was not happy with her marriage to Layaan. But the recording that he heard told him otherwise. How could that be? Was Layaan trying to show that Alaya loves him though it isn’t true? The curiousness made Raphael call Liam just the next day.

“I’m good Liam Alhamdhulillah! Are you….still at the hospital?” Raphael asked on the phone while sitting at his desk that afternoon.

“No I’m not. I just dropped my wife aka Alaya’s sister with her. I’m headed to go to a mall to buy some stuff they need. Anything the matter?”

“No….I just wanted to know if Layaan was there. Is he?”

“He was a while ago. But went somewhere saying that he had some business to handle. Is he your friend? He is one caring fiancé I must say. Hehe….remember I told you about the kind of spouse I aspire to be? He is pretty much that way. He doesn’t leave Alaya’s side as much as he could. Perhaps that’s the reason why Alaya is softening towards him too. My wife said Alaya didn’t like him in the beginning. But she said Alaya has started to talk about him even to her since this morning. Saying she is grateful for all that he has done and would like to give him a chance in marriage. Isn’t that amazing? What a show of character does!” Raphael listened as Liam spoke. He sighed as his fist clenched on the table. He disconnected the phone and put it upside down on the table.

****

Just from the window of Raphael’s cabin, Layaan was seen getting off from a Mercedes that had stopped near the building. He officially wore a black suit and white shirt. One would expect him to go into the tall building but quite strangely, he told his driver to go. As the car went by, he looked at both sides of the street and ran across the street. As he reached the pavement on the other side, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey babe, where are you?” he said, speaking to the receiver from the other side.

“Near the hotel I told you about.” a woman’s voice was heard from the speaker.

“I’m there too.” Layaan said, looking at the name of the hotel that was about 10 steps away from him.

“I see you.” the woman said and that was the moment Layaan’s eye caught her. As soon as it did, a smile appeared on his lips. He disconnected the phone along with the woman who stood a few steps away from him. The woman had an oval shaped face with a light complexion. Her straightened black hair flowed freely behind her and her eye wings made her face look captivating. She looked pleasant with a brown long sleeved top and black pencil skirt.

“Laana!” Layaan said the name and Laana smiled. She walked slowly towards him doing her catwalk. As soon as she reached him, Layaan hugged her tight with a smile.

“I missed you.” Layaan said.

“Me too.” she said.

*2 days later*

Alaya’s POV

Alaya tightened her eyelids as she was about to wake up from her sleep. As she was awake and she opened her eyes narrowly she heard and saw Asma who was speaking on the phone.

“I’m sorry dad…but I’ve been insisting her to talk to you for the past two days, she wouldn’t agree to. She says that she is too embarrassed to face you, after what she has done.” Alaya heard Asma speaking. She looked at the ceiling as without any shock as though this wasn’t new for her. And it wasn’t. Asma has been saying that to their dad since the day she was brought to the hospital. And she has been giving the same answer from day one. As Asma had said, she doesn’t want to talk to her mom or dad. What would she say to them anyway? How could she face them after acting so cowardly? She could take their scolding to get back to them. But even then, she would live her whole life in guilt for having them go through so much pain. She could imagine how both her parents must have cried for her while she was away. Why didn’t that appear to her then? When she thought of taking this gigantic step in her life? Hadn’t she thought of anyone else? Was she that self-obsessed?

Alaya’s chest felt tight with guilt as she thought about those questions. Just then, she heard Asma asking about mom. After hearing the answer, she just said to give her medicine on time and clicked the phone. Even Alaya worried about her mom. In the past two days, it was only their dad who tried to keep in touch. Asma told her about how mom went completely silent when she heard from the police that she could not be in New York. But what she heard about the medicine just now was news to her.

“Why is mom taking medicine?” Alaya asked, as Asma was about to say something about what dad said as she sat on the chair near the bed. Alaya wanted to know the answer to her question more than she wanted to hear what Asma was about to say. So she looked at her, expecting an answer.

“It’s just her high blood pressure that comes with headaches now. Doctors tell her to relax and take rest as much as possible but she isn’t able to. Seems like she doesn’t stop worrying about you even for a second.” Asma said. Alaya felt tears in her eyes as she listened to that. There she was, dreaming of a man who would care for her and love her like no one else in the world. Who would be hurt when she would be around. Who would do anything to have her back if he lost her. When she dreamt of that kind of love, little had she known that she already had it so close to her. She was refusing to see it, in hope of living an unreal fantasy.

Asma put her hand on Alaya’s as she saw her sister’s face getting saddened. Alaya looked at her when she felt the hand.

“Talk to her Alaya. That would make you feel so much better In Sha Allah. Often the hurt grows because of the words unsaid. Don’t do that to yourself. Neither to mom.” Asma said. Alaya could not say anything to that as she felt a lump in her throat. After a moment of silence, Asma spoke again.

“Life is too short to hold grudges Alaya. What could mom say to you at most? I’m sure what she wants right now is just to hear your voice. Only you can make this right, Alaya. We all make mistakes but that’s not an excuse to distance ourselves from our loved ones. Tell me this…if she died today, without hearing from you, how would you feel?” Asma asked. Alaya gave a sudden look at Asma as her heart filled with fear because of those words.

“Shall I call her?” Asma asked. Alaya nodded, with a tear falling from the corner of her eye. Alaya’s heart began to race, as she saw Asma dialing the number. After a few rings, Asma spoke.

“Salaam mom. It’s me Asma. Alaya wants to talk to you.” Asma said. Alaya got up from the bed and sat upright. Alaya looked at Asma to get any clue of whether or not she heard a word. She was saddened when Asma shook her head with a sad face.

“Here mom. Speak to Alaya.” Asma said and handed the phone over to Alaya. Alaya took the phone and put it on her ear with a shaky hand.

“H…hello…” she brought herself to say. She held her breath as she waited for a response from her mother. But a minute and a half went by in complete silence. Alaya even looked at the screen of the phone thinking that it was disconnected. But it wasn’t. Her mom just wasn’t saying anything. As she was about to give up all hope of hearing from her mom, with a pain in her chest, she heard her voice.

“Alaya…” she heard the trembling voice of her mother. It brought absolute shivers down her spine as she remembered Asma saying that her mother hadn’t spoken a word for almost a month. How then, did she bring herself to say Alaya’s name? The answer to that question touched Alaya to the very core. She’d never felt this kind of a love. And she couldn’t believe that she’d left it to fulfill her own ego.

“M..mom I…” she was going to apologize. But she broke down and tears began to pour down her cheeks. She cried even more when she heard her mom crying. Alaya hated herself even for that. How could she even apologize? Does she even deserve to be forgiven? A mom like hers doesn’t deserve a daughter like her. She wanted to apologize for being such a disappointment. But before she could….

“How are you my darling?! We were so worried about you here. Did you eat something? You aren’t sick or anything, are you my dear?” Alaya heard her mom asking. The love she heard in her mom’s voice, even after what she did made Alaya feel a heavy burden.

“No..mom I’m just fine. I’m sorry mama…I’m just…so very sorry. I’m going to come back to you as soon as I can I promise.” Alaya managed to say through her tears.

“What are you saying my dear? No need to be sorry. It was us who forced you to take that action….I was traumatized all these days thinking of how you felt towards us. Never thought you’d even want to talk to us. I wouldn’t, if I were you, now that I think about it.” Waleeda said. Her words paused Alaya’s crying because of how it shocked her. She never thought her mom would think this way.

“You may not know Alaya, but I too was quite like you when I was young. I wanted to seek freedom just like you do right now. The only difference is I never got to do it because my fear was bigger. I’m kind of proud that you were brave enough to decide living all on your own. But I would have been happier if you shared your hopes with us before. If you took such a decision after taking advice from us and others, you would have been the perfect daughter I always dreamt of.” Waleeda said and Alaya could not believe her ears as she realized that she misunderstood her mom big time. She wasn’t able to say a single word.

“After thinking about you in the past few weeks, I’ve made up my mind Alaya. I for one, will not ask or force you to come back. If you have taken a step towards something, fulfill it to the very end. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m allowing you to stay where you are. And from what I’ve heard from your dad, you are pleased with Layaan now as well. Layaan decided to marry you in Boston itself. When you do we don’t need to worry about your safety either.” Waleeda said, all in a calm voice. Alaya could not believe what she was hearing. Her mother had been harsh with her every once in a while. Little did she know that her mother understood her to this level. At once she agreed with what her mom said. She would marry Layaan, a little more pleased than before since now he is a bit tolerable with his charming character towards her. Alaya agreed that she would still be seeking the life of ‘freedom’ that she dreamt of though she was married to a guy like Layaan. Positive vibes filled her heart as she thought of how perfectly everything has fallen into place in her life. Little had she known, that this was just the calm before the storm.

May 12 2021

“Hello Layaan. Is it true that Alaya is with you now?” Liam asked. Raphael looked at Liam expecting him to give a sigh of relief. But…

“What?!!” Liam shouted out and Raphael came to a halt. His heart stopped as he waited to hear what Liam would say further.

“Where is she right now? At the hospital? Which one? Ok….we are on our way!” Liam said and disconnected the phone.

“What did he say?” Raphael hurriedly said as the woman near Liam was about to ask something in that same line.

“Alaya met with an accident. She is at the hospital right now along with Layaan. We’ve got to go…let’s go Asma.” Liam said and turned his back to Raphael along with that woman. Raphael looked at them as they went while having hard time breathing. He could not believe what he just heard. He remembered how he left Alaya on the street just a short while ago. She should have got on the car that he saw behind his car. What could have happened?

Raphael came into action as soon as that question popped in his head. At once, he went climbed back up the stairs, got his keys and hopped into his car starting it with a roar.

Within half an hour or so, he parked in the parking zone of a hospital few kilometers away from his house. He rushed through the hospital, eyeing to see Liam and his wife who must have reached there before him. But when he couldn’t find them, he got Alaya’s information from the reception. He was surprised at first to know that Alaya was in a private room. But when he remembered who she was with, he sighed the thoughts away as he walked towards the elevator to get to the private rooms’ floor. Within a few minutes, he was rushing towards the room 403 with his heart racing in his chest. He was having horrible thoughts with the words ‘Alaya met with an accident’ ringing in his head. He dearly hoped nothing as bad would happen to Alaya but he was barely containing his worry.

So much so that he reached the door of the room 403 and did stop because of the consequences he’d face. But the hesitation did not last long and he opened the door due to not having the patience even to knock. As soon as he opened it, everyone in the room looked at him. There was Liam and his wife who were on the other side of the bed, facing Raphael. But then there was a man sitting on the chair near the bed, who had to turn to look at him. It was none other than Layaan, with a face pretending to get all surprised. Raphael struggled to see Alaya’s face from the spot he stood but wasn’t able to because Layaan was blocking the view. As Raphael looked at him, his hand caught Raphael’s eyes. Alaya’s hand was on top of his.

“Raphael, what are you doing here?” Liam asked.

“Um…..I..I just came by to see if everything was ok.” Raphael said, still eyeing on Alaya’s bed, hoping he’d see her face.

“Really? I wouldn’t have bothered coming. You could have called me, Raphael.” Liam said.

“That’s right. I wouldn’t come to a hospital in the middle of the night to see what happened to someone who didn’t mean much to me.” Layaan said. And it was clear that he played on words to hurt Raphael. It worked too. Raphael looked away, thinking of how much he just worried about Alaya. And just how much she meant for him.

“Eh….i guess Raphael’s bit of a softie, hehe….what do you think Liam? Anyway Alaya is fine now as you can see. Just some injuries here and there as you see.” Layaan said and moved away, to show Raphael. When he saw Alaya, he could not help but take a step forward because of a heart that wanted to care for its love so badly. But he could not do anything except stand there and look at that innocent face. Her hand was fractured and Raphael could see scratches near her right forehead and cheeks. Her hijab was on and that was an excuse for Raphael to keep staring at Alaya as she kept her eyes closed.

“Hehe…she’s taking a rest now. She wouldn’t sleep a blink at night before talking to me. We had a long conversation about our wedding before she dozed off. I’ve not been able to move from here because of this hand.” Layaan said, as though to ensure everyone saw it. Raphael looked at his hand that was kept on bed. Alaya’s hand was on his and now that he looked carefully, it seemed that Alaya must have held that hand before she slept. The thought that Alaya found comfort by talking to someone and holding the hands of someone other than his, hurt Raphael to the point where he could no longer stay there. He turned his back to everyone and came out of the room.

Yet he did not have the heart to walk away from that room. He closed the door, took a few steps and then laid against the wall near the door. His mind began to bring back the visual of Alaya holding Layaan’s hand. His thoughts furiously began to imagine how Layaan and Alaya must have talked through the night, about their wedding. How he wished he could be in Layaan’s shoes. How lucky is Layaan to be in a position so close to Alaya.

Raphael blinked quickly to stop his tears from welling up. As he was about to walk away, he heard Layaan laughing out loud about something. As he was about to be depressed about that as well, he got curious about something. If he had left Alaya on the street, after he saw Layaan’s Mercedes besides him, how could have Alaya met with an accident. If she did meet with an accident, it should have been with Layaan. But Layaan doesn’t seem like he has a single scratch on his body.

Within a few seconds after Raphael began to think about it, the room’s door opened and Layaan came out.

“Hi!” Layaan said, with a bright smile.

“Hi!” Raphael said with a curious face.

“Gotta go to the shop to buy some munchies for my wife-to-be. Feels great to have a woman in your life doesn’t it? Tsk…how would you know anyway? You never had one. Haha!” Layaan said and was about to walk away.

“Where did this accident happen? How come nothing has happened to you? And I think I saw your car safe and sound in the parking zone here now that I try to remember.” Raphael said. Layaan turned around to face him.

“What are you trying to say?” Layaan said, with a face turned angry all of a sudden.

“I saw your car right behind mine a few hours ago when you called me and told me to let Alaya go. I only sent her so that she could be safe. What in the world did you do to her?!!!” Raphael kept taking steps and asked the last question with rage, grabbing Layaan’s sleeve.

“Whoa! Easy…..I guess somebody is getting way too jealous.” Layaan said, holding up both of his hands.

“Don’t try to change the subject and tell me what happened to her!” Raphael said, grabbing the sleeve further.

“You really think you would get to her by picking this fight don’t you? You cant be more wrong! You saw how she was holding my hand just now.” Layaan said with a sly smile and Raphael loosened his grip involuntarily.

“Do you really think she would want to be with someone like you anyway? You are on your way to becoming bankrupt and you know it. Girls don’t take it lightly you see?” Layaan said and this time, Raphael left his shirt, realizing his weaknesses in getting to Alaya.

“If you don’t believe me about what she talked about just now, listen to this.” Layaan said and took out his phone. Within a few touches, Raphael heard a recording.

“Of course! And we can have a beach party on the second day. Its going to be amazing with our barefoot in the sand. Can’t wait to have it babe. Love you so much!”

From the recording, Raphael heard a voice that he quickly concluded was Alaya’s. But somewhere in the back of his head, there was a suspicion. A suspicion about something being wrong..

May 12 2021

“Why didn’t you look at her?” Raphael asked, catching up to Liam who was walked by as he stared. Liam turned to him and smiled.

“I don’t know much about you Raphael. So let me ask you this question now. Do you have a woman you love?” Liam asked. Raphael was confused by the question but began to think about it. A woman he loved. Those words took him back to a moment from years ago. Where he stood in a station, saying his final goodbye to the only girl who ever thought of him as a person of worth. Who made his heart skip a every time he saw her. Who he doesn’t want to get hurt in any way.

“Well?” Liam asked, breaking the silence.

“I do…I do have a woman I love.” Raphael said as a fear crept into his heart. Admitting it to someone made him feel so weak. Because now there was very little chance for him to confess that love of his. He felt weak in the knees as he realized how far away he was from that. The name ‘Alaya’ echoed within the beats of his heart as he thought about it.

“Would you want anyone to look at her the way you were looking at those women? Do you want any man to think of her as dirty as that? Do you want men to stare at her and….”

“No!” Raphael blurted out, louder than he expected. As he thought of Alaya’s beautiful face with the innocent smile of hers. He’d never want any other man to look at her with such lowly thoughts.

“Then why would you look at any other woman that way? For all you know even those are women who belong to a family. They are somebody’s mother, somebody’s sister, somebody’s wife….and more than that….they are all slaves of Allah. Allah takes care of them like no one ever can. We might think we get away with a glance. But Allah Will question us and bring them justice even in this matter that we think as small. So we better be careful.” Liam said. And for some reason, that ‘religious lecture’ seemed so real for Raphael.

He kept thinking about it even as he laid in bed that night. As much as he admired how highly Liam regarded woman, he also thought of his last words. How Allah Will question on the day He will bring justice. The thought brought goose bumps on his skin. He sat up in bed as the fear in his heart kept growing for an unknown reason.

Irritated by his inability to control his emotions, he thought of how to get rid of it. As he was thinking, a copy of the translation of the Quran that Liam gifted him, caught his eye. He took it, in hope of finding something ridiculous so that he could stop feeling bad about himself. He opened the book and by chance, opened up the translation of somewhere in the middle of Surah Ghafir. He started reading the page uninterested. But as he was about to turn the page, he saw something about a glance.

“He knows the stealing of the glances and what the chests are hiding…” the translation of a verse said. Raphael was startled as he thought those words were speaking directly to him. Just a while ago, he was looking at women thinking no one will find out. But here he was, reading about how Allah Knows about even the tiniest of injustices that happen.

The astonishment that night made Raphael close the book and not touch it for a few days. But for some unknown reason, his heart kept longing for it. He wanted to know what the book said. So one weekend, he took the book again and began to read it from the beginning. He thought he’d find harsh verses about punishment or chopping hands or killing murderers and non-muslims even on the first page. But he caught his breath, as he read the translation of Suratul Fathiha, the very first Surah (chapter) of the Quran.

He was surprised how it began with words of praise and thanks. With a statement that said all praise and thanks belong to Allah, instead of commanding to do so. He was surprised when he saw the description of the mercy and love of Allah in the explanation of the next ayah. What shocked him the most was when he realized that there is a part that he himself has to admit in the surah. The translation of one verse said, ‘You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.” He’d expected it to command and force to obey Islam whether one wanted or not. But there he was, reading the Word of Allah, where He swt gave the human being a choice. It’s the human being who has to realize that he has a Master Who gave him everything he has and thus obey Him on his own as a show of gratitude. It’s the human being who could use his intellect to understand Allah’s Word and Know the consequences of his or her own actions to take the right decision. It was all so clear. Was he truly running away from this all these years? Raphael wondered.

And years later, there he was in his luxurious room with his arms crossed over one another, reciting that same surah that changed his life. It still touches his heart as he asks for Allah’s guidance and his help through that surah. It brings peace to his heart knowing that Allah guarantees those things for the person reciting that verse in the prayer.

After saying salaam at the end of the prayer, as Raphael raised his hands to make a dua, he heard Jia’s voice from outside.

“Sir we have someone outside. He wants to meet you.” a knock on his door followed Jia’s voice. Raphael’s eyebrows crossed as he thought of the time. It was close to 12 at midnight. Who could it be?

Raphael stood up thinking about it. Whoever it was, he knew it must be serious. So he hurried outside thinking of all the possibilities. As he got downstairs to the living room and saw the man at the front door, his steps slowed down.

“Liam!” Raphael said as he saw his friend after so many years. He was manlier than before with his shiny straight black hair combed back and thick beard. Raphael saw the worry on his face as he walked towards him. He even noticed the woman next to him who wore a long black dress and a hijab. As he reached the conclusion that she was his wife, Liam spoke.

“Raphael my friend! Hope you are doing well. I really don’t have the time to talk. I came to you because I need some help. My sister-in-law has gone missing since the past two months. Please tell us if you find her.” Liam said, handing over a picture to Raphael.

“Really? What’s her name?” Raphael asked, taking the picture.

“Alaya Mahmood!” answered the woman next to Liam. And that was the moment Raphael took a look at the picture and saw Alaya’s face. Not being shocked by the story, he spoke.

“Oh….Alaya. I heard about her. Her fiance’ took her in his car just tonight. I heard it from someone.” Raphael said, not wanting to give away that Alaya stayed with him.

“Really?” Liam said, along with his wife. At once, Liam said that he better call Layaan and he did. Raphael sighed trying to digest what was happening.

“Hello Layaan. Is it true that Alaya is with you now?” Liam asked. Raphael looked at Liam expecting him to give a sigh of relief. But…

“What?!!” Liam shouted out and Raphael came to a halt.

May 12 2021

Alaya let out a sigh and stood to her feet. For some reason her head felt lighter after the dua she just made. She had firmness within her heart as she looked forward to the road ahead. She did not want to go back to where she came from after what she faced there. She wanted to start a new life. All over again. Only this time, she did not feel any insecurity for an unknown reason. She had incredible hope in her heart that everything was going to be okay. That she was going to find a way out. Towards a better life than she has right now. She had that hope from the very first step she took forward.

Raphael’s POV

It was half past 12 when Raphael reached home that night. He went into his room and dropped himself onto his bed. His eyes were sore from all the crying from the time he left Alaya to that very moment. He’d stopped his car near a silent neighborhood to let all his tears out but they simply wouldn’t stop. He could not help but think about how he’d lost the girl who brought hope into his life forever. Laana would make fun of him for those emotions of his if she knew, Raphael thought painfully. If only he had the one who understood him by his side. If only…

Raphael shook his head and got up to sit on the edge of the bed to stop thinking about it. He mustn’t be thinking in ‘if only’s. Whatever happens is only by the Will of Allah and there is no changing it. And whatever Allah Wills to happen, is only for the best.

Raphael agreed with the thought, got up from his bed and went to the bathroom make wudu without second thoughts. He was out within a couple of minutes and then he started praying. As he started to recite Suratul Fatiha, he began to cry. He remembered those first days where he’d first started to take his religion seriously.

Even he was one of those muslims who doubted Islam. He questioned it plenty though he kept it secret. He was quietly siding with those ex-muslim students who were debating with muslim students while he was studying in college. It appeared to him that the muslim students did not have solid answers to the questions that the ex-muslim students were asking. So he reached the conclusion that Islam is not the right religion just based on hearsay. He did not try to read the Quran and think about it for himself even once. Just because he heard about couple of ‘harsh’ verses from the Quran, he made his assumption that the Book was all hocus pocus written with the intention of controlling people by scaring them.

But then one day, he met a young man slightly older than his age on a subway in New York. He had half an hour to kill until the train that will take him to his college came so he’d sat on a bench. A while later, the man sat next to him and soon Raphael realized that he was reciting Quran. And it surprised him. He never saw a young man taking Islam seriously until then. It kind of scared him as he thought that the man could be one of those seeking the image of ‘terrorism.’ But Raphael’s ego that day did not make him want to back off. He wanted to challenge the guy, no matter how dangerous it appeared to him.

“Good day huh? Whatcha reading?” Raphael said, trying to sound friendly. He expected the man to glare at him. He was planning to use that glare to question the character of muslims and bring him on spot. But to his surprise, he found himself being gifted with the kindest smile he had ever seen.

“Assalaam’alaikum. I’m reading the Quran. You look like you are from Egypt. Are you muslim, brother?” the man asked. Raphael’s smile faded as he stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Y…yes I am.” Raphael said hesitantly, as he wasn’t sure about that since it had been months since the last time he prayed.

“That’s great to know Ma Sha Allah. Haven’t met a muslim outside of a masjid ever since I moved to New York. My name is Liam…what’s your name brother? Where are you headed?” Liam said, extending a hand towards Raphael. Raphael took it awkwardly.

“My name is Raphael. I’m going to college.” he said, as Liam shook his hand with a bright smile.

That was the beginning of Raphael’s friendship with Liam. Liam worked in an office close by to Raphael’s college so they started meeting up frequently. At the time, Raphael had his garage and other businesses started and Liam encouraged him to keep moving forward. Raphael liked his company as he’d frequently give business tips based on his own experience with being a beginner entrepreneur on a company that sells digital art. As a result, he started spending more time with him, visiting his small office and meeting his handful of employees.

Soon, Raphael began to realize how religious Liam actually was. It didn’t just boil down to the beard he had. But rather, Islam had literally taken over his whole life. It impacted the way he spent his time, the way he ate, the greetings he said, the way he interacted with people and a whole lot of things. He’d pre-pone or cancel meetings just to ensure he made it to the prayers on time. He’d pause a project that is due within an hour just for the prayer. He’d spend time reciting Quran on the train because he knows he wouldn’t get any other time during the day. More than this, Raphael could guarantee that Liam would never lie. Neither would he do anything indecent.

Spending time with Liam had an impact on Raphael too. As Liam would go to pray while having a conversation with him, it would just be too awkward for Raphael not to go with him. So he’d go and pray with him, though he hadn’t the slightest clue of what to say in the prayer. Nonetheless he promised himself never to lie again and be true to himself, as he saw Liam apologizing to an employee for a mistake that he could have justified.

Raphael kept thinking more about how an intelligent person like Liam could take Islam seriously. Liam was clearly his kind of a person. Not a close-minded unsuccessful person like most religious people. Raphael held himself back from fulfilling his curiosity but simply could not help it because of an incident.

It was the third day of Ramadaan that year. Raphael and Liam were walking on a street when a bunch of girls who were dressed in short skirts and tops were reaching them. They were laughing out loud joking about something. Raphael’s head began to spin as he looked at the three girls dressed that way.

“Whoa!” Raphael looked at Liam to crack a dirty joke but his smile faded when he saw Liam lowering his eyes with a serious look. As though he was disturbed about something. Raphael was too taken away by the looks of those girls to care about what was happening to Liam. For some reason, the girl in the middle, who was wearing a red sleeveless top and a black skirt caught his attention. He could have sworn that he must have seen her. As his eyes moved along with her, the girl brushed against Liam’s shoulder as she went.

“Watch where you are going! You ****!” the girl screamed and walked away. Just then, Liam stopped in his footsteps. Raphael looked at where he was looking and saw a wallet on the pavement. Liam bent, picked it up and turned around.

“Excuse!” Liam said as he walked up to that girl. The girl stopped and turned around.

“What is it?!” the girl said crossing her arms against her chest with the arrogance clearly showing on her face. Perhaps she was assuming that Liam was going to give her some attention. But that wasn’t the case.

“Here.” Liam just showed the wallet in his hand. His eyes were fixed on the wallet and Raphael was wondering how he did it. The girl kept looking at him surprised all the same.

“Thanks.” the girl said, taking her wallet.

“You are welcome.” Liam said, taking a step back with his eyes still low. The girl gave a light laugh.

“Why don’t you look at me?” the girl asked curiously.

“It’s not for me to look.” Liam said, turning his back to her. Raphael looked at the scene, stupefied.

May 12 2021

The fear in Alaya’s heart grew, as she stood where she did, not being able to move an inch. What just happened? Has she just been left all alone in the middle of a road twice tonight? And this time perhaps for good?

Alaya’s heart whispered ‘yes’ as she sensed nothing except for the cold breeze of the night. She looked at the car and thought of getting into it. But what would she do in the car? She’d never driven a car before. And God knows if the psychotic driver left the key for her. Why would he do that if she wanted to leave her? He wouldn’t! Alaya thought as she peeked through the window of the car just to realize that her assumption was right. The key wasn’t there. So she couldn’t even attempt to drive the car.

Alaya looked around her. There was no light on that highway except for the light from the full moon. She looked side to side and saw no vehicles at all. Neither did she hear the sound of any. She knew she had to do something so she took out her phone from her handbag. She unlocked her phone and at once found herself dialing a number. Within seconds, she paused because of the name that popped up through her contacts.

“Mom…” Alaya read it through her breath. Her eyes became teary as she did. When she realized how far away she was from her mom right now. At this time of need. Her mother was the one she always turned to, in times of need. But today, she can’t even bring herself to call her because of her own actions. How wicked can she be to be stuck in a situation like this? Was she being punished by the God that everyone talks about? Was Allah punishing her for not praying at all in the past few days? Was she being left alone because she betrayed and left her own family?

The questions that came to Alaya’s mind built up the tears in her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks. What would she do? Without her mother? Without her family? Without Raphael who was supposed to help her? Perhaps this was exactly what Asma was trying to tell her before it was too late. Life wasn’t a frigging movie. Only this time, those words hit her hard. She dropped to her knees being sick and tired of this long night. And not knowing what to do next. She looked up at the sky where she saw the stars in a black background. At that moment, for some unknown reason, she thought of Allah. She remembered how her sister Asma told her that Allah is way up High where we cannot see Him, but He is in full view of our situation. If what Asma said was true, Allah must be Seeing her. If He was Seeing her, why was she putting her through this difficulty. Allah could have made everything easy for her if He Willed. So why is He doing this? Is it because she doesn’t know many Arabic duas? Because she doesn’t recite Quran? Because she watches filthy movies and isn’t as pious as her sister? What can she do to undo all the bad she did? It would take a lot of course, Alaya thought.

Just then, Alaya remembered one thing that Asma said.

“Remember Alaya, everyone else gets made when we frequently ask them for things. It’s only Allah, Who loves us more when we ask from Him. So ask from Him. Even if its for something as simple as to fix a broken shoe lace. Ask from Him and do your best to achieve what you asked for.” Asma had advised and Alaya had rolled her eyes. But now she was in desperate need of that advice.

She thought of making dua to Allah, as she looked up. As weird as it felt she raised two hands and thought of calling onto Him. She thought of not saying anything multiple times but her heart won over those voices. What had she got to lose by calling on Allah? She thought and she started the dua.

“Ya Allah, guide me for I am utterly lost.” she said. And a strange feeling crept into her heart. She felt a shiver down her spine as she felt a peacefulness engulfing her heart. She had no idea as to what those feelings were about. She just asked Allah to help her find a way out of that dark highway into a city. But little had she known, that she’d asked for more than that. And that Allah knew exactly what she needed the most.

May 11 2021

“Salaam.” Raphael had answered the phone as he parked the car on the side of the road. Stopping the car was the last thing he wanted to do especially when he had Alaya with him. But he knew he had to because he knew the caller way too well. And the superiority he had over him.

“Salaam or Wassalaam just tell me this! Is Alaya Mahmood with you?” the caller had asked. Raphael’s eyebrows crossed when he heard the question. Why did his caller want to know about Alaya? How does he know about Alaya anyway? As Raphael was thinking, he heard the voice again.

“Answer me cowboy is she with you?!” he asked.

“Yes, why do you want to know about her?” Raphael said.

“I need to know because she ran away a day before her engagement and her whole extended family is searching for her!” he said with a rage building up. Raphael’s eyes widened because of what he heard. He could not believe his ears. Has Alaya really run away from home? He had an idea that she was somewhat immature but he did not expect her to be at this level. To be so out of line to betray her own family.

“Sh…She ran away?” Raphael asked that in disbelief.

“Yes I think that’s what I said! Now if she is with you let her go this instant. I know that she is with you in Boston. I’m going to pick her up from wherever she is since I am her fiance’!” Raphael’s heart sank as he heard the last words. He remembered how he heard from a neighbor of Alaya’s that she was happy about the engagement. As a pain began to emerge in his chest, the caller spoke again.

“Are you just ignoring what I’m saying or not hearing on purpose? I do know that you have a thing for Alaya so no need to hide it. But if you don’t let go off her at this moment on that street, you know what’s going to happen to your father. And not just your father…..the more you try to hold her for yourself, the more I’ll make sure that she suffers on my hands. And you know clearly what I am capable of…her dignity would be ruined within less than a day. So do it. Do it….right..now!” he said.

“I’ll call you back in a while.” Raphael said and clicked the phone as he found himself in a dilemma. An image of his sick father who was going through his third chemotherapy came to his mind. His weakened thin body and his sad eyes. Raphael closed his eyes thinking of his strange circumstance. He had all the money and luxury in the world. But right now, he had them at a cost. His hard-earned money was now only half his, because of the plot of some people. That caller had the power over him as he said. He can do anything to Raphael or his father. And there is nothing that Raphael could do about it. As he thought of what he must do to get out of the fear of that threat, his heart stopped. How could he leave Alaya like that? All alone on the street? He could not even see a car parked anywhere near that area. Was the caller acting like he knew? If he was he wouldn’t know if he leaves Alaya or not. But what if he did know? What if he does get his hands on Alaya some other day other than this night? What would he do to her just to get his revenge out on Raphael?

No! Raphael thought. If anything wrong happened to Alaya because of him, he would never be able to forgive himself. Perhaps the caller only told him to leave Alaya so that he could pick her up and take her to her family. Or even to her fiancé. As Raphael thought of Alaya’s fiance’ he was reminded of what he heard from Alaya’s neighbor.

“Alaya is getting married you know? To Dr. Layaan Ahmed.” the woman had said. Raphael’s breath paused as he remembered that name. His brain worked to connect that memory to his present and all of a sudden, he gave a quick look to his phone. Within an instant, he spoke.

“Get off this car Alaya…” he said, closing his eyes once again as though he did not want to face reality.

“Wha…What do you mean?” he heard Alaya asking in a tensed voice. A pain began to emerge in his chest with his love for her. How he did not want her to be worried even in the tiniest bit.

“It doesn’t have to be explained. Just get off this car and don’t come back.” Raphael said, trying to strengthen his voice and hoping Alaya would not say anything more. But she did.

“But why would I do that? Where will I go? We are so far away from home.” Alaya’s words made Raphael weaker. ‘Home’ is exactly what he didn’t have. And it only felt like it ever existed when he was with her. If she only knew.

“You aren’t going back to that house.” Raphael said, with tears welling up in his eyes.

“But why? I have nowhere else to go to. I’m sorry if I did something wrong. Yes I did run away from my family because they were forcing me to marry someone I didn’t love.” Raphael heard the pain in Alaya’s voice as she ended the last sentence. It was hard for Raphael to breath when he comprehended what she just said. Being forced to marry? Someone she didn’t love? This was all news to Raphael. At once he wanted to face Alaya and talk to her. To go near her, hold her tight and comfort her by saying that she did not have to marry someone she did not love. At the same time he wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t have run away from home. That she should have talked it through with her family. And that he would help her do so and perhaps they might even get together.

Just as Raphael had that thought, he saw a car parking right behind his car through the rear view mirror. He knew exactly whose Mercedes it was as he’d memorized the number on the plate. At once, he spoke again.

“Now Alaya! Go!” Raphael said but only this time, he heard his voice fading with pain in his chest building up. For the moment, he hated how those emotions were taking a hold of them. He knew that if Alaya said a single word more, he would spill all the beans and it wouldn’t be good. So his voice rose.

“RIGHT NOW!” he said that in a voice he had never used in his entire life. His heart broke into a million pieces, as he saw the love of his life shudder because of his voice. His eyes blurred with tears, as he saw her rushing out of the car in fear of him. That was the last thing he wanted her to be. But there she was, being fearful all because of him. He hated himself for doing so. He didn’t deserve to be with Alaya, he thought as she closed the door with a loud sound. At once he started the car and went onto the road caring little about the vehicles in front of him.

Alaya’s POV

Alaya stood still on the side of the street for minutes. She kept thinking back about the conversation she had with Raphael in the car. She still couldn’t believe that it was Raphael who was being that harsh with her. Did she mistake that man to be someone she loved before? Or has he truly changed that much? She kept on thinking but was too mentally exhausted to reach a conclusion.

As she stood by, a car came along and stopped in front of her. The window was pulled down and she saw a young Indian driver.

“Please get in ma’am. Layaan sir sent me to pick you up.” the driver said. Alaya looked at him for a moment and then looked down with a sigh. This was the fate that she was running away from. Now she was pulled right back into it. She would go home to her ‘psycho’ family and get married to his cousin spoilt brat to have kids in order to extend her father’s family even further. She got in the car with a sunken heart trying not to think about it. She looked out the window as the car drove forward, trying to accept her fate. She had a clear picture of what will happen within a few moments. She would meet her family and Layaan in some hotel and they would go back to New York with the earliest flight possible. But little had Alaya known that she got herself into a devious plan against her.

Her journey went smooth for almost 15 minutes. Within those few minutes, the driver had taken her on a lonely highway where one could hardly see any vehicles or people. A few minutes after reaching the highway, the car came to a rough halt. Alaya looked at the driver.

“I think we are out of fuel ma’am. Better get out of the car to get some.” the driver said in his accent and got out of the car. Alaya looked at him as he stood in front of the car looking side to side. Alaya sighed and looked at her wrist watch. It was beyond 10 o’clock. No wonder she was feeling sleepy. Through her sleepy eyes, she looked at the driver again. To her disbelief, she saw the driver getting in a car that was passing by, and driving away. As the car drove past the car she was in, she got out from it.

“Hey!!!” Alaya called out as loud as she could but the car disappeared in lightening speed. A fear crept into Alaya’s heart, as she realized that she was the only living being standing in the middle of that darkness.

May 11 2021

“Raphael?!” Alaya ended up saying, as she saw his green eyes from the reflection of the rear view mirror. There was a pause when his eyes met her via the reflection but Raphael looked away.

“Don’t be surprised. Jia told me that you had a function to attend so thought of taking you there on my way to my office.” Raphael said, pulling the gear and driving forward out of the gate as though everything was normal. And for a while Alaya did feel so. But all of a sudden she recollected what had shocked her. This Range Rover. And Raphael being the owner of it! Could mean that it was Raphael who saved her from Max and his friends? Could it really be him? If it was him it’s impossible for him not to remember her. Because that was just a month ago. He must know her! He must care about her too. Alaya looked at her hand as she remembered how he had held her hand. The love that she felt from that touch.

Alaya looked at the driver’s seat in front of her. She looked at the rear view mirror but saw that Raphael was looking forward with his eyebrows crossed. That’s strange, Alaya thought. His attitude right now did not line up with the night he had helped her from those thugs. If he did help her, he would at least ask her about it wouldn’t he? He would still care about her. He might as well love her. What is he doing right now completely ignoring her? Was it his marriage to Laana? Why did he marry Laana if he still remembered her? Something was utterly wrong and Alaya had to know.

“What’s wrong, Raphael?” Alaya asked, in line with her thoughts yet completely out of the blue.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You know what I mean! Why have you married Laana when you don’t love her?!” Alaya asked. The change in the tone of her voice surprised her and yet she didn’t plan to back off from this conversation.

“Who told you that I don’t love her?” Raphael said in an unexpected harsh voice.

“Well I know that you don’t and you know it too. It was you who saved me from three guys in the prom weren’t you?”

“Three guys? Prom? What are you talking about?!”

“You know clearly what I’m talking about so stop acting! It was this Range Rover that you drove away in that night.”

“Lady! Do you really think this is the only damn car that looks like this or have you gone out of your mind?”

Raphael said and just then as Alaya was going to say something, his phone began to ring. Alaya paused to give him a chance to take the call. But as soon as he looked at the screen, something strange happened. All of a sudden, he pulled the car over to the side of the road as he answered the call.

“Salaam.” she heard him saying. Alaya tried to take a peek at his face as she saw him listening intently to the caller.

“Yes, why do you want to know about her?” Raphael asked and Alaya started to wonder.

“Sh…She ran away?!” Raphael said in a whisper and Alaya’s breath caught in her throat. Who was on the other side of the call? Was it her parents? Was it the police who were searching for her high and low in the states?

“I’ll call you back in a while.” Raphael said as he clicked his phone. Alaya’s heart was thumping against her chest as Raphael paused for a while. After a moment that felt like days for Alaya, he spoke.

“Get off this car Alaya…” Raphael said in a calm voice and Alaya froze.

“Wha…What do you mean?” Alaya asked.

“It doesn’t have to be explained. Just get off this car and don’t come back.” Raphael said, without even looking back.

“But why would I do that? Where will I go? We are so far away from home.”

“You aren’t going back to that house.”

“But why? I have nowhere else to go to. I’m sorry if I did something wrong. Yes I did run away from my family because they were forcing me to marry someone I didn’t love.”

Alaya was close to tears as she explained. She never thought she’d have to explain herself to Raphael this way. But there she was, with tears rolling down her cheeks as she thought Raphael did not care much about her. She expected him to turn around and show his sympathy for her. To console her by saying what she did was right. And she should never marry someone she didn’t love. But no. None of that happened. Raphael just sat in his seat like a statue in silence. The silence was broken when Raphael received a text message. He looked at his phone and spoke again.

“Now Alaya! Go!” Raphael said and for a moment, for one split second, Alaya heard a pain in his voice. As she was about to think about it, his voice rose.

“RIGHT NOW!!!” he shouted out loud. Alaya shook from his voice and was forced into action. At once she opened the door of the car and did as he said. Just as she closed the door, the car came to life and it went straight into the road dangerously dodging a motorcycle that passed by. Within seconds, Alaya lost sight of the car and she let out the breath she was holding. She was too shocked to feel or even comprehend the mixed emotions that began to build up in her heart. As a result, she just stood in her spot not knowing what to do.

Raphael’s POV

Raphael’s sight was utterly blurred because of the tears in his eyes. He could only see blobs of light in front of him and he knew he was on the verge of a dangerous accident if he didn’t stop. But the pain in his chest made him wish that he did face such an accident. Perhaps the pain would stop if he did and he found no other way of getting rid of it. There was no other way now, when he himself was the one who pushed away the one he loved.