Masha'Allah all you little detectives. A lot of you were really close to guessing why Sameena can't remember Tariq. I enjoyed reading all your theories, some of 'em were so good, I was like, hmm maybe I should utilise their idea instead of mine :P

But the person who came closest to the correct answer is ruya123! Big round of applause to you! Be proud child!

Don't worry, you will all be finding out the nitty gritty details of their relationship soon :)

Enjoy!

#Chapter Twenty Eight#

The large body landed right onto my legs and God, did it hurt. I yelped in pain but to my relief, I felt nothing break or crack, only a shooting pain with the weight of the body, trapping my sprawled legs from moving. I couldn't see who it was as I had landed on my side and turning my head was too hard of a feat at the moment.

It was only when I had managed to take in a deep breath and refuel my lungs, did I realise the absolute chaos that had ensued around us. People were screaming and running around frantically, some were staring at us in horror and others were clasping tightly to their phones that were held to their ears. I searched around for the man in black but found him no where.

Frustrated, I yelled out for Ziad or someone to come and help me.

"Move, out of the way!" A booming voice yelled and I sensed rather than saw Ziad's form appear behind me. "Salem!" I heard him shout only a second later, his voice aghast and urgent.

I felt my heart pick up speed and I desperately tried to haul my body upwards to see what was happening. Gritting my teeth due to the large amount of exertion, I managed to hoist myself up and balance a quarter of my upper body with my right hand. Finally, I turned my head and gasped in shock when I saw Salem's semi-conscious body on top of me. Tariq was kneeling by his body, inspecting his body at inhuman speed, his eyes focused and unwavering. I had never seen him like that - so zoned in, so intent and knowing.

I flinched when Tariq ripped off a large piece of fabric from Salem's shirt and wrapped it around his bloodied head.

Bloodied head?! When did that even happen?!

Next, he ripped off another piece of fabric and tied it around Salem's left arm, securing it tightly in place with a knot. I gulped and mentally tried to reassure myself that Salem was going to be fine - of course he would be fine.

If something happened to him...

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

I was just about to declare my legs going numb, when Tariq's eyes flashed to Ziad - who I didn't even realise was by my side - and said, "we need to lift him off Sameena." Ziad nodded and he moved towards Salem's feet. "Be careful when you put him down, he's had a bad hit to the head." Two bystanders came to help haul Salem's body off of mine, since clearly he was too big for even two grown men to carry him. "One, two, three," Tariq said and at the last count, they lifted him off me. "Can someone get me water?!" he yelled out loud but everyone just stared at Tariq with a mixture of apprehension and stunned shock.

Ziad shook his head. "I'll get it," he said, before running off through the crowd.

As soon as he was off me, I automatically rolled onto my back and grimaced at the lack of feeling from my waist down. Foolishly, I tried to stand up, my concern for Salem overriding my rational side right now but my legs buckled beneath my weight and I shrieked as I felt myself falling towards the floor.

At the last moment, I felt two hands encircle my waist and suddenly, I was being lifted into a pair of strong arms. Only a second later, I felt hard plastic beneath me and I closed my eyes as nausea took over. "Sameena, look at me."

It was like everything happened at once. My legs were still numb, I felt dizzy, the sickening feeling of needing to throw up returned and a sudden shooting pain ripped through my skull. I clutched my head and cried out in pain, knowing too well that this didn't feel like my ordinary headache. I felt two warm hands grasp mine and pull them down.

"Tariq," I whimpered with a mixture of pain and fright.

"I'm right here Sameena. Can you open your eyes for me?" I swayed in my seat slightly. "Can you do that for me?" came his voice, this time it was firmer. With everything I had, I cracked open my eyes. "OK good. Now take two, very deep breaths for me." I did as he said and opened my mouth to take in some oxygen. "You're doing great," he said with a small smile. "Now follow my two fingers with your eyes." It hurt to concentrate on his moving hand, since the scorching pain was still burning at the back of my head.

"Tariq, my head," I mumbled, and I unconsciously leant forward.

"I know Sameena, I know." Despite my state, I heard the restrained worry in his voice. "I'll make it better in no time."

"Salem?" I asked, vaguely noting how my body was shaking a little. "Is he going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

After that, everything happened in a rush. Ziad returned with some water in which they force fed me. The paramedics finally arrived and I watched as they ran towards Salem's body which was still lying on the floor. I heard Tariq inform them quickly and authoritatively of what's wrong with him and as my awareness waned, I only began to catch a few snippets of his words.

"Attend head first...another bed...she's in shock...low blood pressure...I need a drip."

When I felt like I could no longer hold my head up, I collapsed right onto Tariq's shoulder, whose form had not moved and whose hand was still firmly clasped in mine.

####

"I know there's something going on and I also know you're not telling us!" I exclaimed in frustration, continuing to pace around baba's office. He was sitting behind his desk as usual; he looked ten years older and extremely exhausted and despite the fact that I knew I shouldn't be talking back to him, I couldn't help the flurry of emotions taking over.

"Sameena, calm down," Ziad ordered, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at my tone of voice towards baba.

When I remained standing with a stubborn expression on my face, Samir placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me towards a chair. Even though he still had a few days left before his break, after hearing what happened, he had booked a flight immediately and flown down.

Apparently it was also in the best interest of the family if we all remained together at this stage.

Why?

Well, I'd tell you if I knew.

Because in all of my twenty two years of existence, I had never, ever been attacked.

Baba ran a hand down his face and vacantly stared at the wall ahead of us for a while. It was quiet in the room as we all waited for him to say something but when a few minutes passed by in silence, I threw up my hands in defeat. "So we're expected not to ask any questions, after being attacked, publicly I might add." As soon as I had woken up in the hospital room and everything returned to me, I knew, I just knew, that what happened was related to the conversation I had eavesdropped on between Salem and baba.

It's not a coincident when baba asks for security measures to be intensified and then only two months later, we're attacked.

"Sameena, I've told you this. The man was opposition, borderline psychopath. What other reason do I need to give you?" baba explained, repeating the same thing he had said only moments before.

Yes, the man had been caught. And no, it didn't add up to me.

"Can't you see how something's not right here? His capture, it was all too easy. No one in their right mind would attempt governmental murder in public, where they know there would be hundreds of security cameras and guards crawling around the place with just one word."

"He's simply an idiot and good thing too - otherwise we would have never caught him."

I gaped at baba.

"You're not being serious," I stated.

"I am, child." His eyes bore into mine and I tried to find any hint of a lie, any hint that baba was hiding something from us.

All I saw was tired eyes.

"This is all Isaac's doing," I proclaimed, after a beat of silence.

"Enough Sameena!" baba bellowed suddenly, slamming his fist against the table. My gaze unwavering as I stared at him.

"He's brainwashed you."

"Sameena!" Samir growled.

"Ever since he's come, everything's gone down hill...you can't deny the facts!" I continued on unrelentingly.

"You don't know what transpires day in and day out between the two of us, so how dare you claim that he has brainwashed me!" baba yelled and I recoiled.

"Maybe I would know if you had chosen me instead of that infidel!" I exclaimed. An uncontrollable sob left my lips and I turned my face away from baba's confused expression.

"What in Allah's name are you talking about child?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," I voiced in defeat, uncrossing my arms and retreating towards the door.

I wouldn't spell it out for him. If he couldn't figure it out on his own, then I'd just have to live with the fact that I had a completely oblivious father.

I didn't know who to trust in this world - everything was hazy and thing's were getting more complex by the minute. Whenever I tried to seek reason or put the pieces together, no one listened to me. Whenever I was suspicious of someone, they played it off as my complicated trust issues. If I tried to give my advice, I was brushed off.

I balled my fists.

Let them all have it their way then.

I swiped away at my tears and pulled out my phone, flipping through my contacts until I found Tariq's name. I had never messaged him before unless it was completely necessary or urgent, but at this moment, I felt like I needed him by my side more than ever.

It was past ten at night, but I couldn't care less.

Salam. Can you come over?

Wasalam. Right now? Isn't it a bit late?

Please?

I bit my lip as I waited anxiously for his response.

Is everything OK...?

Not really.

I'll be there in twenty minutes.

I smiled despite myself and trailed towards the living room. When I found Lia and Sarah sitting in there, conversing quietly, I turned back around and headed towards the garden. It was times like these I wished that Tariq and I had done our nikah already, so that he could pick me up and whisk me off to a quiet place, where I could be alone with my thoughts, but not lonely.

I walked over to the familiar dome of water, one which I hadn't visited in a while. I flipped the switch off and watched, never failing to be entranced, as my fish began to swim there way around excitedly, each one glowing with a different colour. I stood there for a long time - or so it felt like a long time - breathing in the crisp Summer air and just trailing the little things with my eyes.

"This brings back memories." I jolted in surprise at the voice and my heart soared at the sight of Tariq walking towards me.

"It does, doesn't it..." I trailed off in a mumble, glancing back down at the fish.

He stopped so that he was standing across from me and even though it was dark, I blushed a little when I saw how Tariq was analysing my face.

"And now whose upset you?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Are you sure? I can beat him up for you?" he joked and I cracked a smile.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Tell me a story." Tariq's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"A story?" I nodded my head. "OK then...once upon a time," he began and I groaned playfully, cutting him off.

"I mean it!"

"No, seriously I've got a good story, just listen," he said. I squinted my eyes at him suspiciously but when he only grinned at me boyishly, I nodded my head.

"Fine."

"Once upon a time, there was a girl - a girl who drifted through life blissfully. She lived amongst the trees, flowers and oceans; she loved nature and the way it enveloped her body. From the soft caresses of the leaves to the smell of the native pine wood. She lived upon other people's happiness but at the same time, she never forgot to keep herself happy. When life's burdens accumulated and she felt herself weakening from the inside, she would simply go for a run through the trees again and just like that...things were better. She trust and believed in herself and because of that, she was unbreakable."

I must have looked like someone just got run over in front of me, cause the last thing I expected was that from Tariq. "You sure you're not Shakespeare?"

He chuckled at my comment yet the intensity of his gaze never waned. "Do you know who that girl is?"

I smiled at the way his grey eyes were looking at me expectantly. "Me?"

"No, it was me actually."

"Wait, what?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Apparently until the age of six, I looked like a sissy girl cause mum refused to cut my hair."

I choked on my laughter. "A sissy girl?!"

He nodded his head slowly, as if sad. "She loved my hair too much. There are photos to prove it."

"I would sure love to see that." Tariq smiled warmly at me and crossed his arms. He pushed a dark lock from his forehead and bit the inside of his lip, before glancing at me with a serious expression.

"Trust yourself Sameena. Your life will be ten times happier."

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