TWENTY-FOUR
The first thing I heard as I opened the door to the apartment, the groceries in my arms, was a sharp shriek followed by uncontrollable sobbing. I ran inside the living room to see Zaki in a tussle on the floor with Raian, who was fighting him off, kicking and swatting at him. His face was bathed in sweat.
“What is going on?” I demanded.
“Raian, that’s enough,” Zaki said breathlessly as he caught Raian’s hand in mid-air and then addressed me. “He was banging his fist on the wall. When I tried to stop him, he got upset and started scratching my face and wouldn’t stop.”
Oh, no.
I put the groceries down on the floor and looked at Raian in absolute calm.
“Please stop,” I signed, slowly. “I love you. Please come here.”
Raian struggled for a few minutes to release his hands fro
