28. SILENT VISITOR

The metal slide away making Murad pull back from her his eyes shining with something Taliya denied to read. Exhaling loudly, she stepped away from, her eyes drinking in his features as he blinked at her.

Murad stood in the dimly lit hallway, his eyes fixated on Taliya as she disappeared into the other end of the hallway. His heart ached with reluctance, a conflict of emotions battling within him. He barely registered the presence of Fahad until his friend's firm grip pulled him away.

"Murad, what the hell were you thinking?" Fahad's voice was a harsh whisper, laced with frustration and concern.

Murad shook his head, his frustration evident. He motioned with his hands, signing with urgency, "Taliya is related to my past."

Fahad sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I get it, Murad. But you can’t let your emotions get the best of you, especially not now. We have a mission tomorrow, remember?"

Murad's shoulders slumped as he nodded. He knew Fahad was right, but it didn’t make it any easier. His thoughts were a tangled mess, memories of the past swirling around Taliya’s face.

Seeing Murad's distress, Fahad's expression softened. "Look, we'll deal with this, but right now, we need to focus. Tomorrow morning, we’re heading to Alpha Team. I’ll be disguised as their leader, and you'll be in the camera room, watching everything. We can't afford any mistakes."

Murad gave a resigned nod, his mind reluctantly shifting to the mission ahead. He watched as Fahad walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway with his thoughts.

As the echoes of footsteps faded, Murad leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead. The mission was critical, and he had to put his personal feelings aside. But the image of Taliya lingered in his mind, a ghost of the past he couldn’t quite shake off.

Murad walked through the quiet corridor, his mind heavy with thoughts of Taliya. Sliding his pass, he entered his room, the door clicking shut behind him. He tried to banish her face from his mind, to avoid the penetrating gaze that seemed to follow him. But something about her wouldn’t let him rest.

He sank into the couch, rubbing his temples in frustration. His past was a blur, a void in his memory that he couldn’t fill. Taliya’s presence stirred something deep within him, a connection he couldn’t place. He closed his eyes, trying to piece together fragments of a life he barely remembered.

A sharp ring shattered the silence, making him jump. Murad sighed, reaching for his phone. The screen displayed Uncle Hashim’s name. Bracing himself, he answered the video call, immediately met with his uncle’s furious expression.

"Murad! What were you thinking, losing your composure like that over a mere girl?" Uncle Hashim’s voice was harsh, each word a reprimand.

Murad stayed silent, his face a mask of stoic endurance. He knew better than to interrupt his uncle’s tirade. Uncle Hashim continued to scold him, his anger echoing through the small room. Murad’s mind drifted, the words blurring together as he thought about the unresolved past that haunted him. He tried to breath slowly and deeply and counted to ten until his Uncle got tired.

Finally, Uncle Hashim’s anger seemed to burn out, and he hung up abruptly after giving Murad a warning to not get lost.

Murad let out a weary sigh, setting the phone aside. It was new to him seeing his uncle angry but he knew he was on a position he couldn't compromise. Oh, how he hated this all. He knew the turmoil he endured, the battles he fought within himself. He leaned back, closing his eyes, the weight of his hidden struggles pressing down on him. He knew he had to keep his facade, but inside, he was still searching for the missing pieces of his past.

Murad lay on the couch, his thoughts a tangled mess. The exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on him, pulling him into a restless sleep. His dreams were fragmented, images of Taliya and blurry memories of his past mixing into an incomprehensible haze. He tossed and turned on the couch, murmuring incoherently, the weight of unresolved emotions pressing down on him.

In the stillness of the night, Taliya slipped out of her room. She moved silently through the corridor, her steps purposeful yet filled with a sense of trepidation. Reaching Murad's door, she hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She slid her pass with trembling hands, the door opening without a sound, and she slipped inside, closing it gently behind her.

She stood there for a moment, her breath hitching as she watched Murad sleep. His face, usually so guarded, was relaxed in slumber, revealing a vulnerability she had seen before. Taliya’s heart ached with a mixture of longing and regret. She approached slowly, her eyes never leaving his face, her anxiety growing with each step.

Kneeling beside the couch, she reached out, her fingers hovering just above his cheek. "Murad," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with emotion. "I've missed you so much."

She bit her lip, struggling to keep her emotions in check. Leaning closer, she could hear his soft, steady breathing, the sound both soothing and painful. She longed to wake him, to explain everything, but fear held her back. The fear of rejection, of misunderstanding, of the past that bound them in ways she couldn’t fully grasp.

Her mind raced with memories, flashes of moments they had shared, the bond that once connected them so deeply. She could see the shadow of pain on his face even in sleep, and it mirrored the turmoil within her. Her chest tightened, the anxiety almost overwhelming as she fought the urge to break down.

Spotting a duvet folded neatly on a nearby chair, Taliya stood, her movements shaky. She carefully draped it over Murad, her touch as light as a feather, as if she feared disturbing his fragile peace. Each movement was deliberate, infused with a tenderness that spoke of her deep, unspoken feelings.

She watched him for a few more moments, memorizing the contours of his face, the rise and fall of his chest. Her own breathing was ragged, her emotions a chaotic storm threatening to engulf her. She whispered again, her voice barely a breath, "I wish things were different."

With a heavy heart, she turned to leave, casting one last, lingering glance at Murad before slipping out of the room as silently as she had entered. The door closed behind her with a soft click, and Murad continued to sleep, unaware of the silent visitor who had watched over him in the night. The tension in the room dissipated slightly, but the unresolved feelings hung in the air, a silent promise of more to come.

Taliya slipper into her mask easily as she stomped back into her look blessing the walking beside a swarm of people with her cold face and moving on forward.