Chapter 27

Kareem's POV...

I pulled out of the driveway and grabbed my files from the passenger seat before stepping out of the car.

I stole a quick glance around the front yard. The driver stood not too far behind me, washing the other car. This could only mean one thing, Laila was home.

After the awkward apology I'd given her last night for shouting, we haven't had one proper conversation other ' good morning ' or ' what do you want for breakfast?'

I sighed before pushing open the front door and closing it behind me. I noticed Laila seated with her arms wrapping her legs on the living room couch. I didn't think too much of it and made my way towards the dining room.

At first, I expected her to approach me or something but she just sat still, staring blankly at the wall. Did she even know I'd returned, or was she just ignoring me? I pulled off my blazer and tie and placed them on the dining table before unbuttoning a few buttons on my shirt.

I stole a glance at Laila, she was still seated on the same spot, not moving or saying anything. Just staring blankly at the black TV screen. There was definitely something wrong. I slowly approached the couch and sat down next to her, she still didn't react, but then I noticed something. Like a tear drop slowly making it's way down her cheek. She was crying, but why?

I lightly tapped her her shoulder, she flinched a bit as she finally looked up to meet my eyes. "What's wrong, why are you crying?" I asked her, my eyes searching hers for any uncertain answer. I could feel the fear gripping my chest. What could have possibly happened to cause her to be so upset?

Before I could even react, she threw her arms over my shoulder and hugged me tight. I could feel my heart beat faster as she whimpered softly. I froze, my hands were still beside me.

"What happened?" I asked softly, the urge to hug her back growing stronger by the minute.

I watched as she pulled away, tears still streaming down her face. "My grandma", she said softly as her eyes slowly met mine. I stared back at her, waiting patiently to hear what happened. A part of me was curious but then, there was that other part that was scared. Scared to know what happened, scared to know if my worst thoughts were true. "She's dead".

Hearing those words made feel like someone had just turned off the lights, leaving me in a dark and quiet room. Images of the old yet friendly woman I'd met not too long ago flashed through my eyes. Though I'd only known her for a short while, it felt like I'd known her for much longer, and now she was gone...

I diverted my gaze back to Laila , she sat there quietly, tears streaming down her face and me being unable to comfort her when she needed it the most.

It didn't take her long to throw her arms over my shoulder and hug me again, but this time with more tears streaming down her cheeks. I closed my eyes and slowly placed my arms on her back as I threw my head back. At this point, there was nothing more to say, the only thing left was to enjoy each others embrace.

...

Several hours had passed and Laila was still stuck in her room. I had thought about going in to comfort her, but then thought against it.

I didn't know her grandma well enough to feel the same amount of pain she felt, but one thing that kept bothering me were her grandma's words, ' maybe one of these days, I'd leave the world too, like both their parents did...' I shook those thoughts away. Is it possible that she already knew that she would die soon?

I sighed before dishing out her food and placing the bowl on the tray. It probably won't be the best time to go see her, but it would be better than just letting her isolate herself in her room, and starve herself.

I walked up the stairs whilst holding the tray with a firm grip, trying hard to not let the tall glass of water spill. As soon as I arrived at her door, I used a shaky hand to knock on the door. No response. I knocked again, but this time, harder, instead of getting a response, the door slowly creaked opened.

I took a deep breath before peeking inside. I don't know why, but a small part of me felt concerned. Concerned that she could harm herself or do something worse, but I trust Laila, and know fully well that she won't do such .

Once I noticed her seated on the floor with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees,I fully pushed open the door and made my way inside. She seemed to have not noticed my presence and continued staring at the blank grey walls. I approached her and knelt down beside her before tapping her on the shoulder. She flinched a bit but then cooled down once she saw it was me.

"Are you okay?" I asked noticing the tears streaming down her face. I carefully placed the tray down on the floor.

She shook her head before burying her in the space between her knees and her chest. I watched her for a moment. I've probably never been in a situation where I had to comfort someone so this whole thing just seemed awkward.

"You haven't eaten anything, so I brought you some food". I said, pushing the tray a bit closer to her.

She rose her head and rested it on her knees."You know, she was perfectly fine the last time we spoke on the phone. I even promised her that I'd be visiting soon, and now..." She said, her voice cracking as it trailed off. I totally understand what Laila meant. The last time I saw my mom, everything seemed better than ever, and the next day, she's gone...

"Don't cry", I said as I wiped the tears away from her face. She looked up to meet my gaze and saw just how much tears were ready to start streaming down her face, but before I could react, she wrapped her hands tightly around my waist, hugging me in the process. It took me a moment to process before I gave into the embrace and hugged her back. "You know, the same thing happened when my mom died. One day I was talking with her, thinking I had more than enough time to speak to her again, and the next day, she's gone". I paused for a minute, remembering how the whole thing played out, when I found out about my mother's demise.

"How' did you cope, then". She said softly.

"I moved on, and upon remembering that my mother's late wishes, I chose to fulfill them, by getting married to you". I felt as Laila slowly pulled away from the hug.

"So you won't have gotten married to me if not?" She asked, sounding exhausted from crying and not eating.

"Uhuh", I said, staring at her. Her eyes looked a bit puffy. "Now would you eat your food?"

She nodded before dragging the tray closer to herself and began eating. I watched her closely as a small smile spread across my lips...