Home sweet home,

Chapter 31

Three years finally passed being my last day at the dojo. Ameera left after the first year to settle down with Yacob and continue her preschool teacher profession. After today Mutaq will be given the keys to his father's businesses.

I on the other hand am about to open another studio in Japan as well as a dojo back home.

Three years went by and not much contact was made between me and Zafar, he was serious about only reuniting after three years despite all the efforts I made for us to be on good terms during out split. My parent's retirement happened a month ago where my eldest brother took over the industry merging with Zafar’s father's business. Mutaq choose not to go ahead with his wedding, stating that he had to be willing to give his heart out genuinely to a soul deserving of it. Birthdays went by, new year events too, festivals and so much more.

Not much has changed about me, even if my art brand is growing rapidly thanks to the Japanese mentor who mistakenly took me under his wing…I really am going to miss this place.

The lights, the street buzz, the food, and most importantly the freedom I had over the years. I had the choice of continuing my study there, but I preferred going home and living a normal life for a person my age, I missed my family back home and the delicious homemade food, I want to try living a normal life for once.

Zafar will be graduating next year after performing his first surgery…even if I wasn’t close to him, I prayed for him…for his success and safety, who knows by now he would have gotten over his crazy puppy love for me and moved on to someone willing to give him what he deserves. Elham finally got rid of that jerk and hit it big when she finally founded her own engineering company, with the help of my parents of course…who raised her better than her own did.

We had our final class and bid our farewells. After packing i have to catch my flight next week, South Africa here I come.

“ Nura wait, ” Mutaq said rushing towards me

“ jee(yes),”

“ Nura…don’t forget me now that we are about to become different people living in different worlds.”

“ I won’t, and your dad booked our return tickets jointly.”

“ at least I get to spend my last few days with you by my side.”

“ I’m honored.”

Even if I were an official citizen in Japan, I didn’t plan on staying there forever. After visiting the places I spent most of my time at and meeting the people I’ve grown used to over the years, I finally made my way to the airport. My bike shipped home and all the other furniture I used over the years.

After taking the usual route home I arrived, unpacking. I hadn’t returned home after the first year's visit after hearing that Zafar didn’t visit as promised. I held the legal documents for our marriage questioning the quality of it. How much effort wasted….

A month at home with me settling into my new boring lifestyle as I await the opening of my new art studio as well as a dojo. Mutaq would accompany me from time to time as I helped him redecorate the small cafes under his father's franchise.

One evening when I arrived home exhausted I heard a knock on the door.

“ who’s it?” I ask leaving the couch I had just plopped myself onto.

“Zafar, ” he said in his deep cold voice.

I stood behind the door with my hand slightly away from the doorknob, hesitant to open up for the man standing on the outside. I had planned for this day, repeating the scenario in my head over and over again…but for some reason during that moment I froze…unsure of what to say, knowing that I had planned the exact words for this moment.

I open the door looking up, he looked tired, distant, and stronger. I stood there in front of him…afraid of what was going to happen, the only way I could communicate with him effortlessly was through the pain in my eyes as I stared into his….

“ can I come in?” those words quickly bringing me back to the situation we were currently in.

I step aside silently, as I help him carry his bags in.

Three years, went by without him being beside me, I thought that I had gotten over it but a part of me was furious at him for not keeping in contact with me...

“ I’ll go sleep at a hotel tonight,” I say grabbing the keys on the counter avoiding his gaze.

He pulled me back holding onto my waist, “ where do you think you're going?”

Looking into his eyes, I was reminded of the first time we met.

I swallow chunks of my anger pushing him off me as I take a few steps back tripping over the suitcases behind me. He instantly caught me. Wow, what an awkward night, “let go,” I say holding onto his arm, and he actually let go of me, before walking upstairs.

Where did he get the time to learn such dirty tricks? I stayed in the living room reading a few documents before falling asleep, the next morning waking up to an empty house but a plate of breakfast on the table, I questioned my passive behavior last night.

After spending the entire day at work, the house still empty, which is completely normal as he is a doctor…I on the other hand am my own boss. Reluctant to cook due to my bad single habit I order a takeaway before lounging off like an old person, a relaxed atmosphere rather than the ones filled with adrenaline, maybe I really was getting old.

“ I’m home, ” he says opening the door, “ get up I want to take you somewhere.”

I like how he waltzed back into my life pretending like there wasn’t this huge gap between us that possibly ruined our marriage, after watching him dust his old bike, as I nagged him about me wanting to use the one I bought in Japan, he eventually took off in the dusty bike with me on my new one.

Confused by his mysterious behavior I followed him to an alley, it looked similar to the ones at our university.

“ race me, ”he said putting his helmet back on.

“ Do you want to spoil your mood that badly, ” I say leaning onto my bike sipping on a bottle of water.

“ all talk no show, ” he says mimicking me

“ oh, we'll see.”

We start our bikes, pressing the accelerator as we listened to the sound of our bikes take off, the wind blowing dramatically onto our bodies as we rushed through obstacles and tunnels. With the race ending and me losing, I shook his hand giving him the heads up.

“ you win, why’d you bring me here.”

He took off his helmet brushing his hair out of his face, “ I just wanted to recall the old times.”

“Zafar, we adults. I have no time for your stupid mind games so for the sake of Allah(God). Can you please tell me what you want?”

We took a seat near the road with two bottles of cokes beside one other. “ I want to apologize Nura.”

“ There’s no need for that, I think we both know that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

With him seated with his back against mine…I had no idea what to expect from this man.