Chapter 12: "Stranger Danger!"

                                    

                                          
The night had cast its shadows on the horizon, and murkiness wore a cloak of deadly silence. The devil stood there, on his balcony, his icy stare watching the glowing moon. There was anger in his gaze, anger so lethal that even the moon could feel its frostiness.
A war raged in his neural symphony. His soul had burned, but the ashes that remained in his being reminded him of the forsaken night, the night that had snatched away the divinity from within.
Screams rang in his dead soul. They were so vivid and clear that even if he didn't want to hear them, there was no escape from them.
"Maa! (Mother!)"
Dominic tore his gaze away from the frightful moon and locked it onto the vast sky. His rebellious heart knew who was present there on the other side. He was aware, but the devil inside him was furious at the Divine.
A sense of resentfulness was present in his heart; he could not fight his way out of the darkness because he didn't want to.
There was mockery in his gaze, displayed for the One present on the other side. There was an allegation in his stare, so much negativity, but the Divine smiled because He is known for His mercy!
"Maa! Please, Allah!" His innocent cries played on loop in his ears. The embers of fire flashed before his tormented eyes.
"Please, Allah Pak!" His constant pleas fuelled the anger within his heart.
"No, Maa!" He closed his eyes. The anguish was too much for his woeful soul. He could still see his mother's dead body lying in the burning room, her skin melting with the fire. He could see the embers reaching the ceiling, and there was no reply, no scream coming from her lips as the flames seared her flesh.
"Allah, please, no!" His final call, his last request, but there was no reply; his Lord had abandoned him, the devil whispered into his innocent ears.
Dominic snapped open his eyes, and the fire in those burning orbs remained on the sky. Allah saw it; his soul was raging. Allah knew it; he was just a child. Allah watched him.
The Devil was unaware, but Allah had never abandoned him. Allah was still where Dominic had left Him, awaiting his return.
***
Minahil sighed, her nervous heart beating in an anxious rhythm. She looked up at the looming building; the café watched her, awaiting her decision. She knew there was no going back. Taking a deep breath, she entered inside.
Her mossy eyes looked around before locking with charcoal ones; she shuddered. Musa sat there with a steaming cup in his hand. He watched her.
"Assalam-u-alaikum," Minahil greeted, approaching him.
"Walaikum Assalam," he replied.
There was tension in the air surrounding them. Musa waited for her decision while she hesitated. She knew there was no going back after her answer, no matter how precarious the circumstances might become in the future.
She heard the bell jingling, but her focus remained on the man before her.
"What did you decide?" There was no emotion whatsoever in his tone. No warmth, and maybe it was because of the reluctance she showed the other day.
"I—" Before she could give her reply, another voice joined in on the conversation.
"Miss Durmaz." Minahil's eyes snapped up to look at the intruder.
Her olive orbs clashed with brown ones, nature colliding in a single glance. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at the man in utter puzzlement.
"Mr. Knight," she said in acknowledgment.