Chapter 63

*

Silence had always been Afrah's companion. Even now, after surrendering half of her soul to be replaced by someone else's, it still hovered around her like a second shadow. It wasn't so bad though. Silence was multifaceted after all, sometimes bearable and sometimes appalling. Silence in the presence of Adnan however was neither.

It was blissful.

She didn't have to worry about filling it; part of her knew instinctively that he was just as unbothered by it as she was. Ever since he'd returned to the hotel room, she'd studied his face, anxiously looking for a sign that he was uncomfortable with the muted air in the room. He seemed cheerful however, silently nodding his head as he worked on his laptop. They were scheduled for dinner in less than two hours, but neither one of them was in a hurry.

Briefly, Afrah glanced over at the clothes she'd laid out for the evening. It was nothing fancy, a pair of dark, slim-fit jeans, a white, long sleeve shirt which her mother had bought for he