9.7.13

Legally In Love: Part 4

Amirul Aiman had really thought that the hiking trip would be a great idea of a honeymoon for them at last. He was already about to tell his mother when one day Nur Balqis came home from work in a very bad mood. She didn't even bother cooking them dinner, so Amirul Aiman had ordered some pizzas for them both. 

"Hey, aren't you coming out for dinner?" he asked, knocking onto her bedroom door. She had locked herself in her room ever since she returned from work. There came no reply, so Amirul Aiman assumed that Nur Balqis had fallen asleep. He slowly twisted the doorknob to peer inside. As he had guessed, Nur Balqis was lying on her bed, already changed into her pyjamas and sleeping very soundly. Although she had seemed very sour a while earlier, now she looked calm as the sea. There seemed to be no trace of her moodiness.

Amirul Aiman slowly approached her bed. He wasn't sure whether to wake her up or leave her be. The problem was the pizzas he had ordered; who's going to eat them now?

As he stood there gazing towards Nur Balqis, he realized that this was the second time he ever came this close to his wife while she was asleep. The first time was during their first night, and even then he had been forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor just so that they wouldn't arouse suspicions from their parents. Up until that point, both their parents had been delusional in thinking that they were happily married together like other couples.

And that was when Amirul Aiman also realized that he was a man, and right there in front of him was a woman; his wife.

Gathering his inner strength, Amirul Aiman looked away and thought of the pizzas in the kitchen. Leaving the room felt like the most right thing to do, but it didn't either, because rightfully, she was his wife.

In the end, he left the room feeling a little agitated. 

You see, Nur Balqis had just lost a court case that day. She was supposed to send a man to prison for murdering his own wife. The motive was jealousy, it was obvious. What she didn't see coming was the man's health records that proved he was mentally ill. She had always disliked the fact that a health record or history could simply turn things around. And she loathed losing in cases that involved murder of women by men the most.

Nur Balqis awoke at about a quarter to midnight that same evening. She quickly took ablution and performed Isya' prayers before going to the kitchen to see two boxes of pizza on the dining table. Amirul Aiman was no where to be seen, probably already fast asleep in his room. She tried a slice of Hawaiian Tuna and decided that she wasn't hungry. She chucked the rest of the remaining pizzas into the fridge, wondering why ever did Amirul Aiman order so many. 

"Why are you so far from me?
In my arms is where you ought to be
How long will you make me wait?
I don't know how much more I can take..."

The song started playing faintly from somewhere in the house. Nur Balqis frowned and concluded it came from Amirul Aiman's room. It seemed he wasn't asleep after all. She crept to the door of his room just to confirm her assumptions, otherwise the house would be haunted. Luckily, she was right. However, it wasn't from a radio. It was Amirul Aiman singing to The Civil Wars' To Whom It May Concern accompanied by the mellow plucking of his guitar. 

"Slowly counting down the days
Till I finally know your name
The way your hand feels round my waist
The way you laugh
The way your kisses taste..."

His voice wasn't that good, but it suited the song that she already knew by heart. His beautiful guitar plucking was the thing that mesmerized her. Although she never admitted this to anybody, she had always admired guys with musical abilities. She stood in front of his bedroom door, attentively listening as he sang and plucked his guitar. Silently and secretly, she sang along with him in her heart. 

When the song finally ended, Nur Balqis heard the shuffling sound of a chair, followed by faint footsteps heading towards the door. She quickly ran to her room and shut the door close. All in that instance, Nur Balqis remembered of the court case she had just lost earlier that day, and the mentally ill man who murdered his wife. She also remembered the pizzas she had put into the refrigerator. A curse slipped out of her mouth for being so careless. 

To Be Continued...

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