Chapter 27 Boom!
Zayd
I think I'm going insane.
I had been watching her all day.
From the moment Amrah left her building that morning and actually drove to campus, something she rarely did.
The careful way she moved, the tension in her shoulders, the occasional pause between steps. I monitor her movements like some obsessive stalker.
But I couldn't stop, because she had been avoiding me.
So I watched from the shadows as she went through her classes, and then I followed her to the tier three library where she always went afterward.
I sat at a corner table, partially hidden behind a structural column, and scrolled through some emails on my laptop while my eyes tracked her every movement.
She spread out blueprints across her usual table, her ginger coils falling forward as she leaned over the drawings.
Every so often, her hand would drift to her stomach, fingers pressing against her abdomen before returning to her work.
The gesture was subtle, but I had watched her long enough to notice everything.
Hours passed. I should have left. I had actual work to do, like checking the engine of the sports car Chris wanted to race with later in the evening.
But something kept me rooted there, some instinct I couldn't name.
When she finally started packing up, the relief on her face was unmistakable. She moved more slowly than usual, more carefully, as if sudden movements might hurt.
I waited until she headed for the exit before gathering my things to follow.
That's when I saw Remi intercept her in the hallway, near the library entrance.
I couldn't hear what she said initially, but I didn't expect Amrah to exchange words with her. I could see that she was trying to stay strong but her pale face and occasional wince.
I moved closer when I noticed their interaction getting intense and the crowd was beginning to form.
That's when I saw how pale she had become and her free hand was pressed against her stomach again, knuckles white.
I was beside them in three strides.
"Are you sure we don't need to go to the hospital?" I asked, already moving toward the exit.
“Zayd! You promised my Father!” Remi yelled behind me but I barely paid heed. Whatever promise I made to her father could wait
Amrah was in pain and all I could think of was how to relieve the pain.
"No." Her hand gripped my shirt.
“Home. Just take me home."
"Amrah, you need—"
"I promise it's just period cramps," she hissed quietly, color flooding her cheeks despite the pallor.
"Just take me home. Please."
I hesitated, searching her face. Pain creased the corners of her eyes, but there was also mortification at having this conversation in public, with those curious eyes watching us.
"My car," she added.
“I drove today. It's at the library parking lot."
Right. I'd seen her arrive in it that morning.
I adjusted my hold on her, ignoring the stares from other students as I carried her out of the library.
She directed me to her car with murmurs, and I settled her carefully into the passenger seat before retrieving her keys from her bag.
The drive to her apartment was silent except for her occasional sharp intake of breath. I kept glancing over, watching her curl into herself, one hand pressed against her abdomen.
Each wince felt like an accusation. I should have noticed sooner and approached her earlier instead of lurking in corners like a coward.
"You don't have to do this," she said quietly as I swerved into the underground parking lot, to her designated spot.
"I know."
Inside her apartment, I had been prepared to leave her at the door, but she swayed when I set her down. I picked right back up and took her to her bedroom.
“What do you need?” I asked.
"I will go take a hot shower," she managed. "Hot water helps."
"Go. I'll..." I looked around helplessly.
“I'll figure something out."
She disappeared into the bathroom, and I walked her out of the room feeling utterly useless. My phone buzzed with messages I ignored.
I should search WE-Net. I searched and saw a few trusted suggestions. A heat pack ginger honey tea, hot green tea, chamomile tea, and a lot more tea.
I stood in her kitchen clueless for a moment, it wasn't packed with groceries like mine. I have always known Amrah to hate cooking, she grew up having people at her beck and call anyway.
I searched through her cabinets until I found what I was looking for: a hot water bottle and ginger tea.
I plugged in the kettle, watching it heat while I filled the bottle from the tap.
The domesticity of it was strange, unfamiliar. I couldn't remember the last time I had done something like this for anyone.
When Amrah emerged twenty minutes later, wrapped in oversized clothes with her hair damp, I had everything ready.
She took the hot bottle without a word and pressed it against her stomach as she curled up on the couch. I handed her the ginger honey tea, our fingers brushing briefly.
"Thank you," she whispered.
I nodded, unsure what to say. Sorry seemed inadequate.
Everything seemed inadequate.
She sipped the tea slowly, her eyes already growing heavy. Within minutes, she was asleep, the hot bottle clutched against her stomach, her face finally relaxed.
I should leave. I knew I should leave.
But I couldn't quite make myself move. I haven't seen her in three days, I wanted to enjoy her company a bit more and watch over her in case she needed anything later.
The sound of a key in the lock made me turn. Chris walked in, stopping short when he saw me sitting in the chair across from his sleeping girlfriend.
"Zayd?" His confusion was evident.
"You are really here?"
He knew I was here? Probably got the news from the student who saw me carry Amrah. News travels quickly in Minaret Towers.
I looked at Amrah's sleeping form, then back at Chris.
"She needed help," I said simply.
His expression shifted as he took in the scene—the tea mug on the table, the hot water bottle, and Amrah's pale face even in sleep.
"How long have you been here?"
"About an hour," I said flatly while scrolling through more remedies for period cramps.
Chris studied me for a long moment, but I didn't care what he was thinking and what conclusion he was drawing.
"I have been sending you messages. The race is in an hour," he said finally.
“I saw them. But I couldn't leave her alone in pain” I said dismissively.
“It's just period cramps, she should be used to them”