Nicholas wasn't sure how this would turn out.

His parents were like ticking bombs, one wrong movement, and the world around them exploded. Nicholas was very aware of their power, very aware of their hot-headed tempers. His only worry was for Dina.

Could she stand strong in the face of their scorns and disapproval?

He glanced over at her, watching her fidget in her seat as unease washed over her expression, a small, tight smile straining her lips, not reaching her eyes.

He had to break the ice.

But how?

His father cleared his throat. "So, Nicholas," he started, "have you found a new profession?"

Here we go again. "I wouldn't say new, but it is a different company."

"I assume this means you won't be coming back to work with me."

"You already know the answer to that," said Nicholas, narrowing his eyes. "Is that why you invited us to dinner?"

Identical cerulean eyes met his, sadness lining his wrinkled eyes similar to hid own reflection of sorrow and heartache. His father's eyes reminded Nicholas of the same look he'd worn for years before his family noticed the darkness that engulfed him.

Now, it seemed that a different darkness swept across his childhood home. His gaze moved to his mother, witnessing crystal, evergreen eyes losing the flare they once held, her own smile faltering like ripples among a lake. Her fingers shook around the glass, and something shifted in Nicholas.

The frigid glacials of his past melted down the mountains of torment, sun rising from the hidden corners of the Earth, expelling the nightfall and stormy weather, and chasing after the light of dawn. A fleeting dream of his was to have his parents' affections, yet the mirrors that surrounded him threatened to shatter the pieces all over again.

He couldn't keep fixing himself together.

Dina's hand gripped his under the table, breaking his thoughts. The warmth from her touch traveled up his arm and filled his senses by her heavenly presence, by her unwavering love, her undying support. No matter the outcome of tonight, he'd always have Dina by his side, and he wanted his parents to understand that.

All he wanted was peace.

Nicholas's father placed his utensils back on the plate, exhaling deeply. "Can we... can we change things between us, Nick?" he asked softly.

Nick, he thought. He never calls me that.

Barriers rose from the depths of his mind, building layers of foundations to protect himself, a suit of armor shielding Nicholas even when outsiders pushed against them. He wasn't ready for them to insult him again, and he didn't want to take the risk.

His heart longed to listen, but not at the cost of his small sliver of serenity.

"What do you mean?" he managed to croak.

Nicholas's mother reached for her own husband's hand, grasping his attention for a moment. The two gazed at each other, silently confirming their own turmoils, a softness entering their eyes, endearing and gentle.

Even if this moment was a fantasy, he couldn't tear his gaze away, nor could he simmer the bubbling anticipation.

Neither could find the words that were locked inside their throats, love lost on the tongue like the sweet taste of what they could have had, a dream of the life people believed the wealthy thrived off. Wealth could not bring love. It could only mask the growing resentment that sorrow brought.

Dina was the only one brave enough to speak. "I'm sorry if our marriage caused you grief," she said, eyes averted to her plate of untouched food. Her voice was barely above a whisper, scared and frightened, yet he knew she was determined to close the distance between their families. "But I can't apologize for falling in love with Nicholas just as he fell in love with me, so please don't punish him with indifference. Even if you hate me, please stop hating Nick. He didn't do anything wrong."

On instinct, Nicholas wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her to his chest in comfort, her words thrumming the strings to his heart again just like when she first confessed her love in the library. His life was always a series of misfortune and dissatisfaction, but Dina brought a light to him, brought faith into he closed doors of his soul. She opened all the locks with her love, and Allah healed the scars.

Even now, she was willing to sacrifice her relationship with her in-laws as long as it protected him. She was his knight, and he was the abandoned prince of an estate that lost its meaning. Slowly, she leaned against him as well.

Nicholas stared at his parents with a stoic expression, waiting for the onslaught of insults.

His mother smiled, something he hadn't seen in years. It wasn't a smile of deception or one of manipulative measures. Her smile was the one a mother would give to her child after a tearful day, one of unfettering parental love.

Like Nicholas and Dina, his parents also held each other.

"You're right, Dina. We have been unfair to you and to Nick," she admitted.

His father nodded in agreement. "We didn't understand, and we didn't even try. Nick, you have no idea how much we care and love you."

Nicholas pulled away from Dina, voice shaking as he asked the question that burned the back of his mind for years. "Then why did you send me away? Why did you leave me in that hospital?" he asked.

His father winced at the memory. "I... we," he corrected, "didn't know what to do. At the time it seemed like the best option, to let professionals help you. Nick, you were so upset, so inconsolable, and we got scared."

"Scared of what?" he pushed harshly. "Scared of me ruining the perfect image of our family?"

His father shook his head, visage falling as the cold, hidden truth weighed on his shoulders. "No, that was never our fear. We were scared of losing you," he choked, electric blue eyes meeting Nicholas's. "Do you know how... difficult it is to see your only son, your only child cry throughout the nights, weeping for his friends, to hear him fall apart night after night, to see him push everyone away only to have thoughts of death run through his mind?"

"Nicholas, we couldn't stand to see it," his mother continued, her eyes welling with tears. She harshly wiped at her eyes. "I-I know it's a horrible excuse, and we don't expect forgiveness, but goodness Nicholas, how could you ever think of killing yourself? You can't leave us like that, sweetheart, please don't ever go like that."

He didn't expect the tears that streamed down her cheeks or the sobs that ripped from her chest or her raspy, uneven breaths as she struggled to speak. He'd never seen his mother so disheveled, so unkempt. His father rubbed soothing circles on her back, whispering to her.

"Nicholas, please," his mother begged. "If you died, do you have any idea how much it would kill us?"

"Mom, you never stopped me."

"Because I didn't know what to do. You hate us, Nicholas, and you should," she sniffled. "We've been nothing but horrible parents. We didn't know what to do, so we followed examples of other families."

"I didn't need anything, Mom." he said softly. "I just wanted to hear that you loved me. I wanted to know that I belonged in this family, in this home, in your arms. I wanted to be cherished by your attention... not to be sent to a mental institution."

Rising from her seat, his mother went straight to him, embracing Nicholas in his seat, her tears shedding onto his own cheeks, her body trembling from her guilt. Following her, his father also embraced them, holding onto Nicholas for his dear life, silent tears tracing the corners of his eyes, small streaks slipping down his jaw.

Nicholas was lost.

"We love you, and we're sorry," his father said. "I should have said it more, Nick. I should have told you everyday, but I swear that I will for the rest of my life. You are loved. You do belong."

His mother kissed his forehead, voice sweet as honey and soft as if she were speaking to a younger version of himself. "You're our son, sweetheart, and my precious baby boy," she smiled. "When I held you in my arms for the first time, I swear that the entire world brightened. Nothing could have changed how we felt."

His barrier crumbled, debris falling from the strain he put on himself. The chains loosened from his past, and his chest felt lighter, weightless almost, yet confusion rang like bells, a sign that this moment could not be permanent, and he couldn't trust what he saw.

"If you really felt that way, then what about all these years?"

His father sighed, standing straighter. The moonlight shined through their wide windows, the frame of glass so clear that the moon appeared closer. His father stared into the cloak of darkness, into the field of stars that surrounded the moon, a faraway look in those bright eyes, the sadness from the beginning of dinner still lingering.

"You know, parents sometimes are lost themselves. What they think is right for their child based on the words of others turns out to be wrong. What they think is helpful turns out to be detrimental," he spoke. "We really thought we were doing what was best, but we didn't know that with everything we did, we only pushed you further away."

"What about me becoming a Muslim and forcing me into the business?"

This time, his mother took the initiative. "Parents always have a fear of losing their child, and that was the same for us. We already made so many mistakes in the past, and if you were also a Muslim and completely cut ties with us, then we'd lose you. You were so far from us that it felt like we were strangers."

"We are strangers, Mom," he sighed.

"So let us get to know you now," she whispered, holding a hand out to Dina. "Let us know both of you."

Dina's eyes widened. "What?"

His mother pulled Dina form her seat, embracing her as well. "We treated you unfairly because of your religion when we should have taken the time to know you. Our son fell in love with you for a reason, but we judged you harshly because we thought you took him away from us."

"Y-You approve of me?" stuttered Dina.

"Yes," his mother laughed gently. "Call me Mom."

Nicholas's father also turned his attention to Dina. "We owe you both a sincere apology."

Dina pulled back. "No, it's okay. We're all humans after all," she smiled. "I just don't want any tensions between us. In Islam, family is very important, and I don't want Nicholas to lose that part of him because of what he chose to believe in."

"We could never hate him, Dina, don't worry," reassured his mother.

"The pain of losing you is too difficult to bear, and even if you hate us, Nicholas, we will never hate you. When Dina's father broke the painful reality of our actions, that was when we knew we had to do something to salvage our relationship," said his father as he outstretched a hand towards Nicholas. "So please, stay with us. I don't care if you work for me or not. Whatever path you choose, I will support you, and help you in every way that I can. You're my son."

Nicholas glanced at Dina, searching for an answer to the hand that offered him a choice. He didn't have to forgive them for everything, and he planned to tell them off once and for all, yet Allah had other plans.

Dina's warm, dark eyes encouraged him, gave him the strength he needed to forgive. After all those moonlit nights of grief and stinging rejection, he found his place in the world, a place in his home.

He fought for so long to convince himself that his parents were not dear to them and that they meant nothing. He was lying to himself. Life kept going, day to day, night to night, and he couldn't guarantee that he would have everything tomorrow. Life faded as time went on, but he would continue to hold onto those that he loved.

Even if this moment was a fantasy of his, a fleeting dream, he wanted his parents by his side. Maybe he was crazy, but as Nicholas looked into Dina's eyes and saw the happiness that swelled within her and his mother's arms wrapped around his wife like she was a daughter of their family, he knew that he couldn't say no.

Yes, his parents made mistakes.

But life was too short to dwell on every mistake. They were presenting a change, and their tears, that he still felt on his cheeks, showed Nicholas that tonight wasn't a dream. It was his blessing from Allah.

Instead of grasping his father's hand, Nicholas hugged him, feeling kind arms embrace him as well. He closed his eyes as a lone tear escaped.

"Welcome home, Nick," his father whispered.

Alhamdulillah (thanks to God).

----

This might be the longest chapter of this book, damn. I know a lot of people have some opinions about his parents, but hey at least they admitted their wrongs here. Nicholas needed that.

Sorry for the late update. I had my last cumulative exams back to back and now I have finals back to back. God, save me.

Good news though! I'M GETTING PUBLISHED! It's only one of my books rn, "A Diamond in Islam." It comes out on Amazon on December 23rd In Shaa Allah. Details are on my profile.

Back to this story, did I touch the feels? You know I did, don't lie.

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