Nothing but a Good Morning🌚 and Jumuat Kareem❤️

Enjoy!

Zayn didn't know what to feel at the moment.

Anger? Happiness? Sadness?

He didn't know honestly. But that wasn't the problem.

The problem is that he couldn't feel anything. Except it concerns Kulsum, he couldn't feel a thing.Though he was used to it, it didn't help the fact that he knew people will expect him to 'at least feel something'. A major reason he didn't like getting involved with people. Their expectations from him were simply too much.

He felt like letting them know that they shouldn't expect anything from him. Then again, when was he ever the one to express himself?

Never. And it will stay that way for eternity.

His eyes didn't move from the message on his phone. He had been staring at it since it came through. He couldn't bring himself to make a move to answer it or turn it off.

He simply watched it, waiting for the time the phone screen will go off so he doesn't have to see it again.

~Dear Zayn,

Come over for dinner. Let's dine, as a family. Please.

Never in his life had Zayn ever yearned to feel something like he did at the moment. He wanted to feel angry. He wanted to shout and ask why they would send him a message that begins that way? How could they do that to him knowing it'll remind him of her? They are all aware of how she suffered from that message...the paranoia she had to constantly go through.

Another part of him wanted to be happy. The part wanted to feel joy knowing that despite how things ended between them ten years ago, they still consider him a family. At least, someone in the family does.

And a much bigger part of him wanted to crumble. They want a family dinner with him. What they keep forgetting though is that to him, it will never be a family again without her.

People say you get over your loved one's death yet Zayn want to find the person who said that, and ask him if he ever lost a loved one. He doesn't get how others do it. After ten years without her, the pain was still there prominent just as the day he lost her.

There was only one thing that kept him going all these years. And that was knowing that Allah loves her more than he does. Every day he feels pain, he reminds himself that Kulsum is happy now, and that's all that matters. Every time he prays, he prays for her to ba happy and in Jannah. He prays that Allah ends all her suffering, that all of it ended here in dunyah.

That was what kept him going.

The screen went off eventually, ending Zayn's gaze on the phone. He sighed, burying his face in between his hands. He glanced at the wall clock, noting that he had about an hour before the dinner. The message came through hours ago, yet each time his eyes fall on it, it feels like the first time.

He didn't want to go. But, he had to look for Kulsum's phone and the house is the only place he could ever think of.

So, he stood up from the bed, picking his phone and car keys along with him, he headed out. He didn't bother to change his outfit; he didn't feel the need to. Not when he wasn't going there to meet his family and be happy. He will go there for his own reasons and leave the minute he gets answers.

He knew it would take a while to arrive at the house, and there's a big possibility that he would be late too. He didn't care about that one bit though.

He took his time as he drove off to the one place he grew up in. The place he once considered a home though it never felt like it.

Being in the street felt like déjà vu. Memories flooded his head yet he shut them out. He couldn't be distracted at a time like this. He didn't want to be distracted further by his memories. They had done enough damage already.

Besides, if he is going to face his family, then he'll need all the mental stability he could have at the moment. Not that he cared one bit about what they think of him. Back then, they didn't care about him much less care to think about what he does.

Why would they now?

The one time that someone other than Kulsum actually cared about a decision he made, it ended terribly. And if there's one thing he is sure of at the moment, is that the dinner won't end up in his favor. If by any chance it begins in his favor that is.

He doubts they are aware that she invited him. Surely if she knows of his return, then they do too right? The fact that she was the only one who cared to invite him meant they didn't care what he does with his life.

They are staying true to their words. To his words.

The first familiar face he came across is that of the gateman. The man still looked just as he did ten years ago except for the greying hair. The oversize police shirt and wide trousers barely hanging around his waist if not for the belt remained the same. His police barrette covered his forehead and grey eyebrows. And those no nonsense shades covered his eyes.

The old man quickly took off the shades when his eyes fell on the face he hasn't seen in a decade. Wide eyes met that of Zayn's. "Oga Zayyan...." He trailed off, using the same name he used to call Zayn back in the days.

Zayn used to hate that name with passion because according to him, they were ruining his name. The one person that actually loved the name just like the gateman was Kulsum. She loved teasing him with that name to no end.

That is one of the reasons he didn't want to visit the house. He knows everyone and everything would remind him of her.

Could he handle it?

He tried to offer the man a smile. All that acme from him though was a small, barely visible one.

Still stunned, the man opened the gates for Zayn knowing from the look on his face, he wasn't in the mood for a reunion, emotional or emotionless. It was never his forte.

Zayn drove into the house, spotting a number of cars as he parked his car in the parking lot. He wondered who else was there for the family dinner. Who else is family now?

With a sigh, he got out of the car, closing the door behind him as he slipped the keys into the pocket of his jacket. He didn't hesitate this time around as he made his way into the house, not bothering to ring the bell or do anything to gain anyone's attention to him.

He simply twisted the doorknob and stepped into the house. The scent of sandalwood incense reached his olfactory lobes with reminiscent of earthier, woodsy odors with a tinge of subdued pieces. It smelt just as it did those years back...maybe better.

Walking further into the house, his eyes swept around the place, taking note of the changes. Unlike how it looked on the outside, nothing looks the same in the inside. Mrs. Abdullah Danbatta has always been one obsessed with changing her interior design every now and then. 'It helps me calm down' Was her response when Zayn once asked her about it.

He stopped by one spot. He blinked, eyes fixated on the empty space that was held the family picture. Frankly speaking, he wasn't surprised that thy got rid of it. It was a miracle they didn't do that the day she died, or before she did.

After a couple of minutes of simply staring at the empty wall, he turned around and walked towards the dining room where he suspected the dinner would be taking place. Once he was only a few steps away from the room, he heard voices confirming his earlier thought.

With slow, yet confident strides, he made his way into the dining hall.

The first person his gaze fell on was the one face that made him pack his belongings after Kulsum's death—his father. Beside him sat his mother, who was laughing at something that was said. And the other spots were filled up with familiar faces of Sabrina, her husband Hanif, and a two kids beside them.

But they weren't alone.

Aasim was there too, with a woman.

How they became a part of the family? Zayn was yet to find out. However, their presence there alone stirred up this anger he hasn't felt in a while. The anger he felt towards Aasim when his sister died, he felt the same pain at the moment. And in a way, it was more than before seeing as the woman beside him could be his spouse.

If she really is? Zayn didn't want to think of the possibility.

His mother looked up before the others did. Her eyes widened to the extent Zayn thought they'd fall out while her mouth hung open. "Zayn..." She muttered, her voice shaky. She couldn't believe her eyes. She actually feared her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Her husband heard her though, making him snap his gaze to follow her line of sight. His brows squished together as his lips fell open. "Ahmad?" His voice sounded much stronger than that of his wife, but it held the same disbelief.

The sudden silence from the parents and the shocked expressions, got the attention of the others in the room. While the adults stared at Zayn with stunned, the kids stare at him with brows drawn in.

The only person that had a different expression was Sabrina who looked relieved. A smile made its way on her face once Zayn's eyes met hers. "You came..." She muttered. She didn't think he would come considering he didn't reply her message but there he was.

Zayn made his way inside the room, only stopping at the empty chair beside Aasim. He moved his gaze from Sabrina to his parents, "Am I late?" He asked, staring blankly at the both of them.