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[D]

They hadn’t spoken until they got to the pharmacy and Sulaiman walked out first, answering a phone call. Yazeed walked out of the car even though he didn’t leave right away, he as well didn’t come to where she was. She opened the door by herself and when she tried to move, she felt as her joints cracked, which was so painful. She winced and stood up, walking out of the car while trying to steady herself with one hand and have a better hold of her handbag with the other.

She didn’t know how it happened, how he walked to where she in a matter of seconds, but he had swiftly collected her handbag and was looking into her eyes, “Can you make it inside? Or we have to ask for help?” By help, she knew he meant for a woman to come and help her in, and that was rather thoughtful of him.

She looked at her bag that was in his hand and stared at the distance she had to cover before she could make it inside, “I think I can make it.” She moved from the car and he closed the door before he followed behind her, all this while delicately looking at her ankle which she limped painfully. She nearly lost her balance and Yazeed swiftly moved to where she was, even though he hadn’t touched her and she regained her composure right back, she could see through his eyes that if something was to happen, he would have done that.

They walked inside, to where someone showed them and met Sulaiman already seated on a chair while still on a phone call. Sulaiman looked at them and softly smiled at her before she was given a chair and Yazeed found a spot beside him and sat. Jalilah didn’t know whether it was a nurse or doctor that had came to treat her, but she knew the man had a cool smile that she had to smile back despite being in so much pain.

“We’ll have to move the leg to know what exactly happened to it, can I?” He gently asked, and she nodded her head before she lifted it to him. Her anklet was revealed, which had adorned her ankle and the doctor began moving the leg softly. One minute she was smiling and thinking of the cool smile he had, the next minute she was scrunching up her face, preventing herself from crying out loud. The next move he made with her ankle made it so hard for her to hold it in.

She screamed softly, more like a loudly wince, and covered her lips with her palms, giving way for her tears as she closed her eyes. “That hurts!” She whined amidst her tears and tried pulling her leg away from him but he held it firm.

“I’m sorry,” he said and gently placed her leg on something while he stood up. “I think you’ve strained your ankle, but it’s not a serious wound. You’ll heal in no time.”

That was it, what she feared! “But, can I dance with the leg like this?” She asked out of the blue and didn’t even know where the words came out from. He gave her a confused look and she quickly shook her head with a shy smile, “I mean ballet, not normal dance. Can I practice ballet with the leg?” She looked rather sad when she asked the question because she didn’t know what his answer would be.

“No, you can’t. You have to give it some weeks to heal, but if you dance with it like this, you will hurt yourself deeper which will cause even greater damage.” She nodded her head in understanding while he walked away to bring the medications for her.

For a brisk second, she looked up at Yazeed and for a brisk second he had lifted his eyes too from his phone and laid them on her. They were so quick at looking away and they all waited until the doctor came back with the medications in a nylon bag and he handed it to her. “There are ointments and pills…” he kept talking about how she had to take them until Jalilah didn’t find his cool smile alluring any more, she hated medicines.

After they were back to the car, Sulaiman stopped her before she entered with a soft smile, “I think you should take the rest of the day off, where can we drop you off?” He asked, and she shook her head.

There was no way she was going to take the day off and have herself neck-deep in work tomorrow. Yazeed had given her a pile of work that she hadn’t even touched yet, and she was sure there would be more tomorrow. “I’ll be fine, it’s just a sprain. And I have a lot of work I need to complete as long as I want to leave early tomorrow.” She glared at Yazeed through her peripheral view, and sadly, he saw that. Wait, did he always have his eyes on her?

Sulaiman nodded his head and suppressed his chuckle, he had seen the look she flashed Yazeed. “We were heading to my house to eat lunch, let’s all go there.” He said after they had already driven off, and she knew there was no way she could argue. But the thought had made her nervous, she would have to be in the same environment with Yazeed? Like a normal home, not his office? While she was having that thought, their eyes locked through the rear mirror and she pouted before she looked away.

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