Chapter 7: 6. ONEIRATAXIA

"And I don't want you to choke on me,

My sea can drown you in,"

"Hey, why are you avoiding talking?" Waqas leaned on the slab, his gaze moving forth and back to her face and hands, watching; how swiftly she chops the veggies.

"Who said that?" She asked with a soft smile continuing her work, avoiding glancing in his eyes.

"Talk Zohra, it solves all the problems"

"And what if someone has nothing to talk about?" she rebelled softly, mixing different spices in the hot pot and mixing the chopped veggies.

"You don't make a fool of talking, even the silence speaks." his words made her flinch in a way she loose her comfort for a while.

They fell silent, Waqas was worried, he have dealt with many patients to know, silence will never going to help people in healing. Talking is the only aid. Because, somewhere in the corner of the world he believed that talking could avoid any damages, but how ironic is it, the world is round as a sphere.

Waqas knew, he couldn't force her into talking. So he mentally made a series of questions to ask her.

"What do you like to do in your free time?" He asked softly humming to tune and deciding to help her in the cooking.

"I like to read, you?" She answered shortly in a question, giving him space to stand.

"Hmm, interesting, umm, what do you read, what genre?" he placed his next question, stirring the contents in the hot pot. He couldn’t lose the professionalism around her, after all she was also her patient.

"Any genre, but I avoid scientific fiction and something that can destroy my mental peace." answering with a chuckle she mixed some sugar, yeast, eggs into the baking flour.

"Oppsie, I guess I forgot how to make cup cakes" pouting, she turned to him for help.

"Butter, vanilla" he reminded continuing to stir the pot until, it started to boil.

"What flowers do you like?"

"Carnations. They are my favorite." her soft smile sticks to her face.

"I didn't know you are an interviewer." she continued, while mixing the batter.

He opened and closed his mouth like a fish. And decided to leave the matter, chuckling he shook his head, and took out another pot for some rice.

"I am making rice with curry, need help with cup cakes?" Tilting his head, he asked as he gazed at her, how the child gazes at fire. His soft baby hairs falling at his forehead.

"No, I am just done here. You tell me?" she served the batter in the platter, setting the timer in the oven. Washing her hands she made her way to the living room, with him following her like an excited child follows a firefly.

"I am psychiatrist, have my own neurology department, many known doctors work with me on researches and I am a vise-supervisor of the town's psychology department in the central hospital, I would like to show you my work place.” He did exactly what he decided to.

“I don't have many friends, but I try to be polite as much as I can. And you really need to meet my assistant, sometimes he eats my head.” He continued telling her about himself. One thing he couldn’t forget was to tell her about his embarrassing moment, that’s how manipulators gain trust of the victims. And he used the same exact trick to make her mind and body to trust the speaker.

“Once, I asked him to bring me a red file, in which the patient’s document was kept. He took the papers out and brought me the file; I mean how more stupid can a human get? Taking out papers, what? Sometimes I just think, he is an alien living on planet earth" he rambled lazily. Time to time making eye contact with her. At last he sighed and closed his eyes. He coiled the words in way showing that he was embarrassed of his assistant.

She snickered, and then laughed out loud; she couldn't control her laughter after listening to his one side of the story.

He fluttered his eyes open, he felt like; he never heard this melodious laughter in his entire life, before. He didn't knew when a soft smile formed on his face, seeing her trying to control her laughter but failing at every chance, bouncing, throwing hands and wheezing.

Wiping off the tears, she somehow got a hold of herself.

"Woah! That was real funny." she commented and got up from her place on hearing the ting sound of the oven.

"Time is up!" singing, she skipped to the kitchen.

Shaking his head he helped her in plating the table. The cutlery sound echoed in the quiet living room as they had their little lunch with each other and silence.

"Why don't you start working again?" He asked breaking away the peaceful environment. The silence growing like second skin of him.

"Yeah, I was on leave, soon I will join the school again." she answered and continued eating.

He knew he has to work hard in making her comfortable in talking.

"Hmm, that's one delicious curry I have ever eaten." he commented drinking water.

She smiled and nodded her head in gratitude. Soon, they were cleaning the kitchen. After cleaning he went to work on some papers as he got a call, leaving her alone.

Her world blurred in her sight and she saw the room fading into the abyss.

She sat there alone with her thoughts.

"You are beautiful! But what a fate, your husband doesn't see it" a character from a book told her. She had a sinister smile on her face. She knew these features. It was Talha, a book character she was reading. She came again to warn her.

Her breaths quickened, something churned in her stomach, she tried to call for someone but her voice got stuck in her throat.

Her eyes widened when she saw that face staring right into her soul. Her breaths were so loud that she heard it. It was echoing in the room. But there was no room around her, everything turned into pitch black.

Waqas skipped down the stairs calling her name. But all she heard was a beep in the background and a heavy blur voice calling her name.

He hurried towards her, taking her hands in his, he rubbed them; trying to get her attention. She was still in her world of mind. Cupping her jaw, he made her look in his eyes, but her eyes were blank, wide. It showed numb and emptiness. Seeing her like this, something hurt him.

"Zohra, darling" he again called her. Taking her small frame in his huge arms. She was on sofa and he was on his knees, she still was small against him.

"Zohra!" he called her loudly, trying to get her attention.

He was calm in dealing with his every patient, but seeing Zohra like this, hurt him. His eyes blurred with tears, as he patted her back a little hard.

She gasped coming back to the real world. Pointing at different directions, she tried to form words.

"S-he, be-au-, f-t" she stuttered and he hugged her tightly, to his heart. Rubbing her back.

Her face had sweat rolling down, she was scared and he could see it.

"I am sorry, I left you alone." he apologized closing his eyes, hugging her to his heart. For a second, a mere thought of Jinn occurred in his mind. And decided to do a Ruqya.

Making sure she is calm, with every breath.

"Breath in, breath out. See, I am here." he tried to divert her mind and was successful, when, she calmly rested her head against his chest. Her breath labored but she could never forget those wide staring at her.

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