Suspicious Phone Calls

Gauhar's POV

As soon I stepped out of the sterile building of white marble and lifesaving equipment, a strong gust of cool wind rushed past me, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked ahead, a small smile placing itself on my lips, although I didn't know the reason for its appearance I let it stay there.

The leaden feeling of dread that had been coiling within my gut seemed to ease and although the chilly air made my nose cold, I couldn't help but relish the feeling of freedom. Though I wasn't sure what this feeling meant and what I had been freed from.

The sky appeared darker than usual, heavy clouds promising rain hiding the moon and stars from view. The constant breeze was like a whisper against my ears, maybe nature was trying to warn me against its violent grief. But I wanted it to drown all my thoughts so being the stubborn idiot that I was I ignored it. Enjoying the violent rustling of the trees.

The hospital grounds were empty save for a few figures loitering at the gate, most probably waiting for the transportation that would aid their escape from the melancholy of this place. Or maybe they were also dumbasses like me who wished to drown their pain in the thrill that the angry whispers of a storm brought.  

The silence and sheer emptiness of my surroundings should have dampened my mood, but on the contrary it seemed to make me feel better.

Maybe because for once, I felt one with the nature around me. Equally as empty inside as the world appeared to be around me. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, taking in the cool and humid air tinged with the smell of burnt tyres and residual smoke from cars.

I felt my body jolt to attention as a familiar lilting tune reached my ears, my eyes flew open as I scanned the place around me, frantically searching for the source of the sound. I let my legs guide me towards the direction the sound seemed to be coming from, my heart beating wildly in my chest as my eye flitted around in every direction.

I was barely able to muffle the gasp that left my mouth as my eyes landed on a familiar vehicle standing at the curb, the warm yellow street lights reflecting off the sparkly white of the car and making it glow in an otherworldly sort of way.

My mind directly went to the last time I had been in the car, a strange warmth filling me as the memory invaded my mind.

What in the heavens was wrong with me? I'd never felt as weirdly elated upon seeing a completely normal looking car as I was right now and that meant that I had some serious problems with my head.

I growled, irritated that my brain was still acting weirdly although it had been more than a week since that fateful encounter. I should be irritated, pissed or at the very least displeased but here I was, having difficulty with processing all the fluttering thoughts running through my head.

I shook my head, fervently hoping that the action would repair the malfunction that seemed to be happening in my cerebral wiring.

I briskly walked towards the car, realising that the melody had stopped flowing into my ears. Although there was no sound coming from the car, I was pretty sure that what I was searching for was there in it.

The question that riddled my mind was why, and maybe more importantly how it came to be there. I knew that there was only one person who could answer that for me, and he seemed to be absent. 

Well all the better for me I guess. 

My ears perked as a low yet strong  voice travelled towards me from the other side of the car, making me start. it was as if my thoughts had manifested over here causing him to appear out of the blue and I hated myself for it.

I ignored the strange creature within my brain that seemed to actually look forward to seeing the owner of the voice again. I was quite sure the only reason that I felt that way was because I wanted to breathe in the amazing musky yet warm and a bit spicy scent that seemed to emanate from his car, and his sweatshirt as well, which I had definitely not smelled when I had worn it.

Yes that was the only logical explanation for it, I was apparently a connoisseur of scents now, a trait about myself that I wasn't aware of. But hey, you keep discovering something new about yourself throughout the course of life…right?

Maybe i wanted to understand what sort of pepper and cedar and ashwood went into that expensive smelling stuff that made him smell the way he did.

"What do you mean by 'why are you answering this phone?'" the appealing voice asked, bewilderment clearly apparent in his tone as he continued "how the bloody hell did you even get the number for this phone? Did you by any chance demonstrate your amazing powers of forgetting the most random things and leave the phone of one of your conquests behind?"

I furrowed my brows as I walked towards the owner of the voice who was clad in a crisp shirt the colour the moon, white but not really truly white just a smidgen tainted by something darker. The darkness of the black coat he wore over it provided a contrast that seemed to bring out his bright honey brown eyes. And the warm golden glow of the street lamp didn't help, it made them appear even more ethereal. 

Eyes which were now trained upon the dark clouds hovering in the sky, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he continued to have what seemed like an argument with the person on the other side of the phone.

Why on earth was he having an argument with someone on MY phone?

The bright yellow abomination of a cover that Wilhelmina had gifted me was clear indication that it was mine. I was pretty sure nobody else was dumb enough to go around flaunting their phone in colours ugly enough  that threatened to blind any onlooker.

I focused my gaze upon the man who was leaning against his gleaming car, his free hand moving in animatedly as his conversation grew more heated, his eyes narrowed into slits as he enthusiastically articulated his displeasure.

I smiled at him, a smile that could very well be described as one which a murderer bestows upon his victims before divesting them of their glorious innards. I watched the man's eyes widen in recognition as his gaze fell upon me, his mouth opening slightly in what I assumed to be surprise…

Or fear depending on your point of view. 

He seemed to have caught on to the murderous glint in my eyes because he had stopped screaming down the line at the person on the other side of the phone. His mouth had gone slack which made me smile to myself as I walked closer to him, enjoying the thought that I was able to intimidate a man like him without even lifting a finger.

As I stood in front of him he ran his eyes up and down my body, as if making sure I was actually the person who he believed I was. I felt the child in my head giggle to itself as it enjoyed the response that our presence seemed to elicit in him, but there seemed to be a problem in this scenario, the man we were trying to intimidate had a smile on his face.

"Hello there" he greeted, the smile on his face widening into a full blown grin and his eyes twinkling in the streetlight "Fancy meeting you here."

I snatched the phone in his hand away from his hand which seemed to have loosened its hold on the device as he attempted to engage in conversation with me. I felt my heart jump in happiness as I held the little device which I had thought I had lost.

It was belatedly that I realised that my behaviour was most probably very rude and I should have at least returned his greeting before taking away my rightful belonging. But i was too happy to care.

"Hey!" he called out, lunging to take it away from me.

I swifty stepped away from his reach, making him lose his balance and stumble on his feet. I put the phone to my ear, in attempt to check if the person whose ears this psycho was trying to put out of service was still on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey you son of a bachelor get back on the line, why the-" the angered monologue stopped, my eyes widened in recognition as I realised who it was

"Brother?" I asked, my voice sounding faint.

"Gauhar! Praise the Lord" he screamed down the line, his relief causing his voice to increase by several painful decibels "I'm glad you found your phone but-"

He seemed to have suddenly gotten lost in his thoughts "Why are you with that man?" he asked, his voice laced with panic now.

"With that man?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, before my eyes landed on the man standing across me with his hands in the pockets of his black slacks, his eyes watching me apprehensively "Ah you meant this man." I chuckled to myself.

"Yes that man, why are you with him, and how on earth did he get a hold of your phone?"

"I have no idea about that, I don't even know who this dude is in all honesty." My words seemed to have offended him as he opened his moth to protest but I diligently ignored him as I continued "but why did you call me? Did something happen?" I felt worry build up within me as I waited for his response.

And most importantly didn't the twit know that I'd lost my phone more than a week ago?

"Well I had forgotten that your phone was lost and I had called to ask you to bring me coffee, but imagine my horror when this-" he seemed to be struggling for a word vile enough to describe the man standing in front of me, which was surprising considering brother's extensive vocabulary for these special words "-this… man answered the phone."

Well that was disappointing. But it was interesting that he found this person in front of me despicable enough to be at a loss of words to describe him.

"Ah I see, your brotherly exploitation has helped me find my phone, I had no idea that the saying that even the worst things have a silver lining was true."

"There is no saying like that you idiot." He lovingly reminded me in the reprimanding tones of a concerned big brother.

"Well there is one now, and it is said by me. Anyway, although the thought of having a long conversation with you over the phone greatly appeals to me, I will have to go because I have some investigating to do. Sayonara!" and before brother could say anything else I ended the call. 

Turning my attention towards more interesting matters.