A tale of love, loss, and new beginnings.
Hareem wants to start over, Momin is stuck in the past. Can a newly wedded couple learn to love and accept one another while also dealing with an uncertain future and a haunting past?
Trigger warning: ptsd...
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Chapter Twenty Five
It was absurd to think that the journey to improve mental health was a one-size-fits-all. With different experiences, different traumas and varying intrinsic motivation to recover, Momin understood that Hareem couldn't fit into someone else's mold. No matter how many psychology books he read, or studies he tried to understand, he couldn't be a therapist to her, she needed to be formally diagnosed, or at least evaluated by someone who had extensive experience in the field of medicine and psychology to find out which treatment approach would suit her best.
Which was what he wanted to talk to her about as he watched her walk towards his car.
He had all of it worked out, the clinic they could visit for her evaluation was located an equal distance from the Shoukats' h0use and the university campus, so he could gladly take her for therapy after class. He had already printed out the admission forms and was hoping to give them to Hareem so she could have her father fill them out.
Although they were married, Momin wanted to consult her father and see if he wanted to be Hareem's guardian as her father or could Momin as the husband? Despite the fact that Hareem was an adult, whoever chose to be responsible for her had to pay the bills, drive her back and forth, and be present with her when the doctor went over her treatment plans.
He turned himself towards her as the passenger door opened and Hareem entered the car.
"Assalamu Alaikum, sorry for being a bit late," she exclaimed breathlessly, setting away her bright pink and black bag.
"Wa'Alaikum Salaam. No problem," he replied back, smiling. "Did you get free from class just now?"
"Yes, I stopped at the History Club before rushing here," she explained, taking a deep breath to regulate her breathing.
Her cheeks were rosy, Momin noticed, probably because of the decreasing temperatures.
"I see." He nodded, his face breaking into an excited expression next. "Oh yeah! How did the tutorial go?"
"It was good from what I heard. I was there when it began and then at the very end," she truthfully told. "I, um, had to step out for a bit."
"Are you feeling better now?" Momin asked in concern.
Seeing her nod, he reached for the black lunch bag on the backseat. Unzipping the bag, he took out two bottles of chilled iced tea.
"I'm much better, Alhumdulillah," Hareem said, accepting a bottle from him. "I have a...thing with stages and auditoriums in general." She pushed back stray stands of her hair as she said the last part, avoiding Momin's gaze.
Despite her looking away, he didn't miss the traces of a smile on her face, like she was proud of herself.
"That's not too bad. At least you tried to attend," he comforted, guessing that she wasn't willing to elaborate on why she was hesitant with being in public view. "Anyway, I asked to meet you here because, erm...I found this really great clinic."
