Chapter 22: The Date
2007 Words
Tyran's POV Continues . . .
"Ty, where are we going?" I heard Jess asking like a little kid with curious eyes.
"You have to wait," I chuckled.
She frowned like a little kid and looked towards the window.
I smile. It has been a few hours after we ate and we talked a lot and we prayed our Isha prayer in a mosque. But, I didn't want the night to end yet. I was finally having fun with Jess and I wanted to go to more places with her. I wanted to see the beautiful smile in her face. So, I decided to have a long drive and take her towards the mountainside to surprise her with something she always wanted to see.
I kept driving and looked at her once in a while. She was growing like a little kid because I wasn't telling when I was taking her.
I sighed.
This felt like a date and I was enjoying making fun of her and pulling her legs.
I reached to the mountainside and stopped my car.
She looked at me with her beautiful eyes and smile. "So, this is the place?" she asked. She looked around nature.
I smiled back and said, "There is more to it. But first . . . take your hijab off."
She looked at me confusingly.
"It's 1 am, Jess. Nobody is going to come to a mountainside this time," I said. Plus, I wanted to see her beautiful hair.
She nodded and unlinked her hijab and took it out. She was having her hair in a bun. She looked at me and smile.
"Go outside, I will just grab something," I said.
She nodded and got out of the car.
I got it the car too and went to the back part if the car and pulled out a telescope and a big piece of cloth, that was rolled.
I closed the car and locked it. Then I carried those things towards the place where I saw her standing near the trees and smiling and twirling around, feeling the air around her.
She probably hadn't looked up the sky but it was full moon today. The sky was filled with so many starts in the mountainside.
She was twirling around and she looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Her fair soft skin seemed to glow on the moonlight. She twirled around and saw me and smiled.
I couldn't look away from her. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight and I just wanted to watch her all night.
She ran towards me and noticed the cloth and telescope.
I put the telescope on the ground and unrolled the cloth and spread it on the ground.
"Ty, what are you doing?" she asked.
I looked at her and smile. I didn't answer though.
I laid on the cloth and looked at the sky. The sky looked beautiful from here. There were stars filled in the sky and the moonlight was just making the starts glow more.
I looked at Jess and spread open my arms towards her, still lying in the cloth. "Come here," I said.
She looked at me and blushed. Her cheeks turned red, making her look so fragile and beautiful. I wanted to bite those cheeks -
I mentally slapped myself.
What the heck I am thinking?! I should focus on the date, not in her cheeks. Although . . .
I watched her looking at me innocently with her still blushful face. I ran my fingers on my hair and sighed.
If only she knew what is going on in my head . . .
"Ty, um . . ." she looked at me.
"Come on," I smiled, still holding my arms out. "Jump."
She blushed more. "J-jump on your arms?"
I nodded. "I want to show you something."
"Something even cooler than this," she said excitedly.
When I nodded, without a second thought, she jumped on me. I held her on my arms as she laid on top of me. She pulled a bit away from me and when she noticed how close our faces were, she blushed.
I smiled. I ran my fingers on her hair, making it open from the bun and falling all over her. She looked so beautiful. I pulled her from the top of me and placed her beside me, turning her towards the sky.
Her widened as she saw a sky filled with starts and one full bright moon.
She was speechless. I held her close to me as I watched the beautiful stars in the sky.
"Subhan Allah," she said. "This is so beautiful."
I smiled. "Surely Allah (S.W.T.) is the most powerful to create such beauty."
"Yeah," she smiled.
She turned her head on her side and looked at me. "Thanks, Ty," she smiled.
I smiled at her. "Do you remember when we were in grade - 4 and you always wanted to see starts but we never saw starts since we lived in a city?"
"Oh yes," she laughed. "Is this why, after so many years, you wanted to show me this?"
I nodded.
A smile spread on her lips. She turned her head straight to look at the sky
"You know, Ty," she said. "After we got separated in grade - 8, I was lonely. I didn't have anybody to talk to and because I was so shy, I was having a hard time making friends in high school. You asked me that day that how did I change so much from our past and I never answered you."
I watched her speaking.
"I . . . there were things that happened in high school, Ty. Things that I regret it. Things that made me suffer," her voice was low. I felt her body leaning more closer to me and I tighten my hold on her. "I went through so much . . . pain . . . that I . . ."
"It's okay," I smiled. I did want to know about her past but, I didn't want to force her or make her uncomfortable.
"No, it's not okay," she said, still looking at the sky. "I want to tell you, Ty."
"Then tell me, beautiful," I said as I noticed her looking down to her fingers. I knew this action of her. She was scared if I would judge her. I smiled and held her hand. "You know, Jess, no matter how much nonsense you did, I won't judge you. After all, we all make mistakes."
She looked and me and smiled. She then turned to the sky again and said, "In grade - 9 in high school, I would always get bullied and because I was shy, I couldn't make any friends. Kids would make fun of my hijab and play tricks on me. And then this one day, I met a guy who saved me one time from one of the bullyings. He began to hang out with me more and I began to have feelings for him. It was like a small crush. But then, he . . . in a summer camp in grade - 9, he . . . tried to force himself on m-me. . ."
She didn't need to say anything more. I understood what she wanted to say. I held my fist tight to lower my anger. I wanted to hear her, but I didn't want to ruin it by getting angry.
I noticed her eyes seemed watery, but she didn't cry.
"I kind of hit him and ran away," she said. "But then . . ." he voice got lower. "Rumors spread. All the rumours were about how I wanted to take advantage of him. Nobody believed me, " she whispered.
I didn't know what to say. This was the past that she went through. This was what made her lose trust in love.
"I was heartbroken. I was mentally depressed and the bullying increased. I had a mental breakdown and all I wanted to find you again and have you in my life again. I felt so helpless . . ." she whispered as she whipped a tear from her eyes. "I cried days after days. I went through mental therapy but nothing helped. But then one day, I remembered the promise that we made to each other."
I knew what promises she was talking about. Before we graduate from grade - 8, I made her promise to take care of herself and be strong.
"I remembered your promises and I just thought that if I am weak then nothing won't work out, so was letting those bullies having ways with me. I was letting the bad people win. It was wrong. Unless I am strong, nobody was going to respect me. Why would I suffer for something that I didn't deserve?" she said. "So, so followed our promises."
I smiled. That's my girl!
"I switched high school and began to learn martial arts. I did wear hijab that time as well, but I still beat up kids so basically everybody we scared of me. I changed a lot when I went to a new high school and it's all because of you, Ty," she smiled at me. Her eyes looked like she was sleeping.
I smiled back.
This girl . . .
She never failed to amuse me.
I pulled her closer to me and smiled. I felt the warmth between us as she leaned on my shoulder.
I was happy with her though. Instead of becoming weak, she used her fear and pain and turned it to her power.
But then again, I did regret not being there for her. She meant so much to me and I was supposed to protect her. But I couldn't.
However, from now, I wanted to protect her.
'
Allah (S.W.T.), please, You are the most powerful. Please, Allah (S.W.T.), give me enough strength to protect the queen of my heart,' I muttered a prayer.
I looked at her and noticed her already fall asleep.
How naive of her . . .
I smiled and then looked at the telescope. I wanted to show her the starts with it, but oh well . . . maybe some other day . . .
I got off and took the telescope and put it in the car. I then went near her and used my arms to scoop her on my arms.
I went near the car and opened it and put her inside the car. I then rolled the carpet and put it away in the car. Then I for on the car and drove to our house having sleeping Jess just beside me.
Within an hour, I reached our house. I parked the car in front of our house and got off the car and went to her seat and scooped her sleeping body on my arms.
I went near the door and unlocked it and then went upstairs to her room. I placed her on the bed and when I was going to go, I noticed her finger holding my shirt collar tight.
I smiled and slowly used my fingers to uphold her grip on my shirt.
"No," I heard a faint whisper from her lips while she slept. "Ty," she whispered. "Stay."
I smiled as I felt my cheeks turning red. Only she could make me feel this way.
I slowly pressed my lips on her forehead.
As much as I wanted to stay with her, I couldn't. She was so pure and innocent. I couldn't take advantage of her in her sleep. Maybe someday . . .
I pinched her nose and noticed her pouting in her sleep. I smiled.
Maybe someday . . . when she would tell me what she really felt about me, I would stay with her . . .
Forever . . .
Allah (S.W.T.), please have Your blessings on us, on our marriage and please help me to make Jess fall in love with me.
- Writer
