27-09-2025, 10:09 PM
(This post was last modified: 27-09-2025, 10:09 PM by matiba2025213. Edited 1 time in total. Edited 1 time in total.)
Chapter 38: Janina (Act 2)
Janina was about to turn away, her hips swaying gently as she prepared to leave, when Rahim suddenly reached out, his voice halting her mid-step. “Wait,” he said, the word escaping him before he could stop it. His hand hovered in the air, as if unsure whether to pull her back or let her go.
She paused, turning to face him with a curious tilt of her head. “Yes?”
Rahim hesitated, his fingers curling into a fist before he dropped his hand to the table. He stared at the half-empty beer bottle in front of him, the weight of his words pressing heavily on his chest. “It’s… Lina,” he began, his voice low and gravelly. “She’s… she’s pregnant.”
Janina’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, her playful demeanor softening. “That’s wonderful news, Rahim. Congratulations.”
He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “It’s not that simple.”
Janina slid back into the seat across from him, her expression now one of genuine concern. “What do you mean?”
Rahim exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “She’s far along now, and… well, you know how it is. The intimacy…” He trailed off, his cheeks flushing slightly. “It’s been tough. For both of us.”
Janina nodded slowly, her gaze steady and understanding. “I remember those days. It’s hard on both partners. But it’s temporary, Rahim. Once the baby comes, things will get better.”
“That’s not all,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as he clasped his hands together. “There are things… things I don’t even know how to process. About her. About what happened.”
Janina’s brow furrowed, her curiosity piqued. “What happened?”
He hesitated, his eyes darting around the bar as if searching for an escape. But there was no escape from the truth gnawing at him. “Lina… she was hurt,” he finally admitted, his voice strained. “By two men. Men I thought were my friends. They’re dead now, but… she kept it from me. For weeks.”
Janina’s eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching across the table to cover his. “Oh, Rahim. I’m so sorry. That’s… that’s unimaginable.”
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. “She didn’t tell me. She let them get away with it while I was clueless. How could she keep something like that from me?”
Janina squeezed his hand gently, her tone soft but firm. “She was probably scared, Rahim. Scared of how you’d react. Scared of what you might do. She was trying to protect you and herself.”
“Protect me?!” he snapped, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “I needed to know. I could’ve helped her, protected her. Instead, she carried it alone.”
Janina looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and understanding. “She made a mistake, Rahim. A big one. But she’s human. And now she’s carrying your child...your future. You can’t let this tear you apart.”
Rahim sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as the weight of her words settled over him. “I don’t know how to fix this,” he admitted quietly.
Janina leaned back in her seat, her hand still resting on his. “You start by talking. Really talking. Not just about what happened, but about how it made you feel for both of you.”
He glanced up at her, his eyes searching hers for answers he knew she couldn’t give. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is,” she replied with a small smile. “But it’s worth it.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the hum of the bar filling the space between them. Finally, Janina signaled to the bartender for another round of drinks. When they arrived, she pushed one toward Rahim and took a sip of her own. “You know,” she began, her tone lighter now, “you’re not the only one with problems.”
Rahim raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Oh yeah? What’s troubling you?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Where do I start? My husband works outstation most of the time. Work is overwhelming. And let’s not even talk about managing 3 kids alone.”
Rahim chuckled, the sound low and rumbling in his chest. “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full.”
“You have no idea,” she replied with a playful roll of her eyes. She leaned forward slightly, her cleavage catching the dim light as she rested her chin on her hand. “But you know what? Talking helps. Even if it’s just venting to someone who gets it.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary.
“Yeah. I guess it does.”
The conversation flowed more easily after that, Janina sharing stories about her struggles with a mix of humor and vulnerability. Rahim found himself opening up more than he had in weeks, not just about Lina, but about the shop, his doubts about fatherhood, even his occasional loneliness.
Janina listened intently, her responses thoughtful and encouraging. At one point, she reached across the table again, her fingers brushing against his hand as she laughed at something he said. The touch lingered, sending a subtle spark of warmth through him.
“You’re a good listener,” he admitted, his voice soft.
She smiled, her eyes meeting his with a quiet intensity. “So are you.”
They continued talking, their voices growing quieter as the bar emptied around them. The space between them seemed to shrink, their shared laughter and confidences creating an intimate bubble that felt miles away from the rest of the world.
Janina was about to turn away, her hips swaying gently as she prepared to leave, when Rahim suddenly reached out, his voice halting her mid-step. “Wait,” he said, the word escaping him before he could stop it. His hand hovered in the air, as if unsure whether to pull her back or let her go.
She paused, turning to face him with a curious tilt of her head. “Yes?”
Rahim hesitated, his fingers curling into a fist before he dropped his hand to the table. He stared at the half-empty beer bottle in front of him, the weight of his words pressing heavily on his chest. “It’s… Lina,” he began, his voice low and gravelly. “She’s… she’s pregnant.”
Janina’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, her playful demeanor softening. “That’s wonderful news, Rahim. Congratulations.”
He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “It’s not that simple.”
Janina slid back into the seat across from him, her expression now one of genuine concern. “What do you mean?”
Rahim exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “She’s far along now, and… well, you know how it is. The intimacy…” He trailed off, his cheeks flushing slightly. “It’s been tough. For both of us.”
Janina nodded slowly, her gaze steady and understanding. “I remember those days. It’s hard on both partners. But it’s temporary, Rahim. Once the baby comes, things will get better.”
“That’s not all,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as he clasped his hands together. “There are things… things I don’t even know how to process. About her. About what happened.”
Janina’s brow furrowed, her curiosity piqued. “What happened?”
He hesitated, his eyes darting around the bar as if searching for an escape. But there was no escape from the truth gnawing at him. “Lina… she was hurt,” he finally admitted, his voice strained. “By two men. Men I thought were my friends. They’re dead now, but… she kept it from me. For weeks.”
Janina’s eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching across the table to cover his. “Oh, Rahim. I’m so sorry. That’s… that’s unimaginable.”
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. “She didn’t tell me. She let them get away with it while I was clueless. How could she keep something like that from me?”
Janina squeezed his hand gently, her tone soft but firm. “She was probably scared, Rahim. Scared of how you’d react. Scared of what you might do. She was trying to protect you and herself.”
“Protect me?!” he snapped, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “I needed to know. I could’ve helped her, protected her. Instead, she carried it alone.”
Janina looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and understanding. “She made a mistake, Rahim. A big one. But she’s human. And now she’s carrying your child...your future. You can’t let this tear you apart.”
Rahim sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as the weight of her words settled over him. “I don’t know how to fix this,” he admitted quietly.
Janina leaned back in her seat, her hand still resting on his. “You start by talking. Really talking. Not just about what happened, but about how it made you feel for both of you.”
He glanced up at her, his eyes searching hers for answers he knew she couldn’t give. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is,” she replied with a small smile. “But it’s worth it.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the hum of the bar filling the space between them. Finally, Janina signaled to the bartender for another round of drinks. When they arrived, she pushed one toward Rahim and took a sip of her own. “You know,” she began, her tone lighter now, “you’re not the only one with problems.”
Rahim raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Oh yeah? What’s troubling you?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Where do I start? My husband works outstation most of the time. Work is overwhelming. And let’s not even talk about managing 3 kids alone.”
Rahim chuckled, the sound low and rumbling in his chest. “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full.”
“You have no idea,” she replied with a playful roll of her eyes. She leaned forward slightly, her cleavage catching the dim light as she rested her chin on her hand. “But you know what? Talking helps. Even if it’s just venting to someone who gets it.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary.
“Yeah. I guess it does.”
The conversation flowed more easily after that, Janina sharing stories about her struggles with a mix of humor and vulnerability. Rahim found himself opening up more than he had in weeks, not just about Lina, but about the shop, his doubts about fatherhood, even his occasional loneliness.
Janina listened intently, her responses thoughtful and encouraging. At one point, she reached across the table again, her fingers brushing against his hand as she laughed at something he said. The touch lingered, sending a subtle spark of warmth through him.
“You’re a good listener,” he admitted, his voice soft.
She smiled, her eyes meeting his with a quiet intensity. “So are you.”
They continued talking, their voices growing quieter as the bar emptied around them. The space between them seemed to shrink, their shared laughter and confidences creating an intimate bubble that felt miles away from the rest of the world.
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