11. SECRETS OF MEMORIES

"Her world didn't have land to fall and sky to fly,

it was empty,

just like a black hole",

__

Her scream of agony echoed in their room. She wriggled in his hold, he tightly held her, not letting her free. Her body shook with feelings of anguish and despair, seeing her in agony- his heart thudded in his ribcage. It bleed everywhere but his veins.

"They will kill her!" Her dried throat from crying let out another scream. She was getting out of hold and control. Waqas was not so sensitive, like this; he never felt any pain in his heart. He just sympathized his patient’s every time. But, now he feel it, the pain burning into his lungs, making his heart beat into ashes.

"No one will kill her." his soft whisper echoed in the room followed by her heavy and uneven breathing.

Her disheveled hairs sticking out in every direction. Her body shaking with some memories of excruciating past trying to be free from her mind- where she held them captive, captive for years.

"Sh-shhh." his calloused palm smoothing out her hairs as she shook violently, her body paled remembering something which couldn't be said out loud.

"Mirhan, where are you?" He whisper questioned himself, tightening his hold around her body.

"Let her free". An-other scream. An-other strike of pain. An-other box of memory opened. An-other time to be held captive. An-other world for daydreams. An-other world of nightmares. An-other life chased by demons of memories only because someone couldn't be less aggressive, someone couldn't control himself, someone couldn't digest the reality, someone couldn't save his daughter.

She was a box of paradox tied with chains of mysteries, no one tried to open.

Zohra was a wild flower, with every memory of dreams caressing the softness of the petals dancing in hues, colorful. Her memories are a pile of mystery dreams waiting to be solved by him.

Her eyes fluttered, her body began to slump around his. He could no longer feel her fighting against his hold. A single tear slide down across her cheek. He wiped it and hugged her, feeling her pulse beating under his palm.

"Everything is fine." he tried to assure himself. Because, he knew this wasn't a simple case he was going to handle. Just something, this will wrap time around itself.

"Waqas" a huffing and puffing call reached his ear and saw Mirhan standing there drenched due to the rain.

"It was more serious and powerful than before. I have never seen her like this before," Waqas didn't spare him any glance and filled him with information. His eyes remained locked with her closed eyes.

"She will be fine." Mirhan didn't sound so sure. He was confused, because few hours ago she was laughing like a butterfly around a flower and now she was like a Venus trap, no one could go near to.

He slides her gently under the covers. Tugging it till her shoulders. Smoothing her hairs off her face he glanced her for a last time to go and discuss the real cause of her state.

"I know nothing about her past, and I am sure it’s something related to past." Waqas confessed pouring water in two glasses.

"You can change if you want." he advised seeing Mirhan's drenched shirt and as he shrugged his right hand into his wet hairs.

"Later" Mirhan was disturbed with her reality. She was a daydream but nightmares held her. He pitied her.

"Can I know any episode from earlier?" Mirhan inquired drinking half of the water.

Time passed as Waqas filled him with new information shocking him and more confusing him.

"Oh, I didn't knew you invited guests Waqas." her gentle but a sour voice startled them making Mirhan let out a yelp.

"No, I was just going. Well, how are you?" He asked masking his face with wide grin.

"I am good! Do you know I had beautiful dream where I was crying and this character 'Aaron Warner' from 'Shatter Me' series consoled me. His hands were so warm and big and they held me tightly into his arms. Not letting me go." she blabbered forgetting she was married.

To say, listening to this, Waqas was not mad would be truth because he was irritated like a sixth grader is irritated with math’s, like a lover is irritated when he is not permitted to talk to his beloved, like a regular person who had a bad day and hit his toe into the leg of table. Yeah, he felt that irritation and pain. And he was showing it perfectly by a scowl forming on his face.

"If you keep scowling like that, she might not like you." he pinned Mirhan with famous grave digging glare.

"You should stop fantasizing fictional characters." his voice laced with jealousy and possessiveness.

Now, it was time for her to scowl.

"I will keep fantasizing! What would you do?" She challenged him making him stand up abruptly and chase her.

She yelped and ran away from him as he chased her. Mirhan sighed and called upon them "Guys, I am still here.”

They ignored him and continued chasing each other. Her giggles flying across the room making his lips twitch upwards.

"Zohra, you treat your guests like this!" Mirhan gasped in horror making her stop in her tracks.

Listening to him exaggerates, she too gasped and Waqas's big figure stumbled with her small one as she stopped without a warning.

"Oh, I am sorry! I will make you some tea." saying she wandered off into the kitchen. Leaving them alone to talk.

When she arrived back with the prepared tea they quietened down letting her settle with the atmosphere.

Minutes passed by as they talked nothing but just wandered into pits of memories and wells of answers.

"I should go. It’s already late." Mirhan nodded at Waqas giving him a signal and they moved to the front door bidding him bye.

Silence sat heavy on their shoulders. As she lost her mind into the memories of reality, seemed like a dream to her.

"Tell me, Zohra. Who ties you against your will to your memories?" He almost winced at his straightforward tone but didn't let it show. His shoulders tightening with his breath clogging in the lungs.

"W-what ar-re you- tal-king -about?" she stuttered visibly and paled. Her fingers slowly tightening around the cup.

"It’s just a simple question, flower." nickname. He called her with a nickname making her forget about the question. Something opened-, a cage of butterflies opened, swarming around her.

Red tint coated her face and neck. Making his eyes shine in amusement.

She squeaked before clearing her throat and answered "Our memories tie it to us".

"What if they want to get free?"

"Then they should be let free".

Six words so easy to say, so much hard to do in actual.

Something familiar weighed heavy in his green orbs making her realize what he is talking about.

"Then why are you not letting them go?" A simple question, so much hard to answer.

"I am afraid, if I shall let them free, they will ignite the world like no fire does." her voice weighed with burden memories pressing onto the door to let them out. A battle.

"Sometimes a burning world can save a universe from destroying itself.”

"I wish you were fighting physically, and then I could have helped you to win. But it’s your battle, Zohra. Let them go and you will win." he continued stepping down to his one knee. Taking her hand in his big one, rubbing his thumb in circular on her soft skin.

"I will help you, please, for us." he whispered as if her pain was only thing he could feel. The claws of ache pressurizing his heart.

Her insides burnt as she inhaled a big amount of oxygen preparing herself to open a box of memories she is dying to finish.