True love never runs smooth- Chapter 6
Told from Syed's point of view
Syed was still in a state of shock after the phone call from Christian a few hours before. He had listened incredulously as Christian had outlined the details of the phone call from Amira. He couldn't begin to describe the intensity of the emotions that had coursed through his body at the sound of Christians voice. Longing, happiness, sadness, regret, he had felt them all and more during the ten minute phone call. He wondered if Christian felt the same. Did he wake up in the middle of the night too and reach out to touch him, only to find no-one there? Did he cry himself to sleep feeling utter despair and a crushing loneliness that threatened to engulf his very being?
He was jerked roughly out of his musings by the sound of a bus rounding the corner. In just a moment he would be face to face with Amira, the woman whose life he had ruined with his lies and deceit. How was he going to look her in the eyes knowing the devastation he was certain he would find in their depths. He knew with solemn certainty that "sorry" simply wasn't going to cut it.
Amira was such a sweet, gentle girl. A little spoilt perhaps and sometimes she could be selfish and just a bit pushy, but basically she was a decent girl whose heart was in the right place. She hadn't deserved any of what he and Christian had dished out to her. She'd done nothing to deserve it, and now she was carrying his child. A child who one day would grow up and want to know why his Dad had left his Mum. What would he say to him/her?. He was frightened that telling the truth would make his child hate him, but not telling the truth would make his child despise him for being a coward and a liar.
Suddenly he saw Amira standing up to get off the bus and he thought he was going to faint or be sick. His mind was telling him to be strong, stand up and take whatever she threw at him, but at the same time a little voice in his head also was telling him to run away and don't look back. However he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and prepared to face the woman who had once been his wife, the woman who once he thought he could build a future with, have a family with.
Then she was right there in front of him, saying his name and looking at him with her head on one side. Syed stared back at her, she was so very beautiful. Then he did something he never in his wildest dreams thought he would ever do again, he reached out and grabbed her hand…