Chapter Ten: Eating burnt pancakes
The shout from the kitchen barely faded before two small bodies came charging back around the corner.
Malik reached the door first, his feet slapping the tiles. He grabbed Zahid's wrist with both hands, trying to pull him forward with all his little strength.
"Handsome uncle, come inside," he insisted breathlessly. "We're eating pancakes, you have to taste it, don't hate it because,it's a little burnt, just a tiny bit, and Mummy said you can break the burnt part off,!"
Mara squeezed her way between her brother and Zahid, looping her tiny fingers around Zahid's other hand like she owned him. Her eyes were wide with excitement.
"And you have to sit beside me," she commanded confidently. "Not Malik. He always steals syrup. You're sitting with me today."
Zahid laughed softly. The way he let them tug and direct him made it obvious he wasn't just tolerating them. He genuinely enjoyed it.
Angel stood in the doorway for a heartbeat longer, her hand still resting on the handle, her pulse trying to find a steady rhythm after the quiet tension between her and Zahid.
Mara glanced up at her. "Mummy, close the door. You're letting out the cold air."
Angel blinked, startled into motion. "Right… sorry."
She shut the door, but her gaze lingered on Zahid. He was already being escorted down the short hallway, both twins clinging to him like he had arrived bearing treasure.
It was strange seeing them like that. Strange, and at the same time, so painfully natural it made her breath catch.
She followed them into the kitchen.
The twins pulled Zahid straight to the dining table. Pancakes were stacked unevenly on plates, syrup dripping on one, a fork stabbed into another like a flag of victory.
"Sit here!" Mara said, pointing to the seat beside her.
"No, here!" Malik countered, dragging a chair out on Zahid's other side.
Zahid raised both brows in mock seriousness. "Now how do I sit in two places at once?"
"Try," Malik said simply.
Angel stifled a laugh.
"You can sit beside both of us if you sit in the middle," Mara decided, proudly solving the crisis. She pushed the chair so close that Zahid would barely be able to wiggle.
Zahid looked up at Angel for the first time since stepping inside. She was at the counter, watching but pretending not to. He offered a small smile.
"Permission to sit?" he asked quietly, half playful, half respectful. "I don't want to intrude."
Angel inhaled slowly.
"You're already in the chair," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
Zahid chuckled and lowered himself onto the seat between the twins, who immediately launched into rapid-fire chatter about which pancake he should eat first.
Angel took a step back, observing the scene.
She wasn't expecting this feeling. Something warm pressing behind her ribs. Something she didn't want but couldn't deny.
She had told herself she needed distance. But here he was in her kitchen, blending into her morning like he belonged.
And the kids…
They were so happy. Too comfortable. Too attached already.
Angel turned away quickly, reaching for the last grocery bag he dropped by the counter. Her hands shook just faintly. She told herself it was because the bag was heavier than she expected.
Zahid stood again when he noticed her unpacking, gently brushing Mara's hand aside. "Let me help you."
"You're a guest," Angel replied.
"Still."
He took a can of milk from the bag before she could stop him.
They worked side by side. Not touching. Not speaking. But moving with a rhythm that felt… familiar.
He passed items to her. She arranged them neatly. The twins' voices floated behind them, filling the silence that might have otherwise been awkward.
There was a softness in the air. A domestic warmth she wasn't sure she wanted.
She placed a carton of juice in the fridge, closing the door with a quiet thud.
"Thank you for this," she said finally. Her tone was careful but not cold.
Zahid straightened. "It's nothing."
"It's something," she corrected.
He met her eyes again. Something unreadable passed through his expression. Not gloating. Not taking credit. Something more subtle. Maybe guilt. Maybe longing. Maybe both.
"You should let me do small things," he said softly. "I owe you more than you think."
Angel's heart tightened painfully at the echo of last night. She didn't reply. Couldn't reply.
The kids saved her.
When the groceries were done, Malik tugged Zahid's shirt.
"Come taste it now."
"Yes, come!" Mara echoed. "Our mummy makes the best pancakes."
"She does," Zahid agreed instantly, without even tasting a single bite.
Angel froze for a second.
He remembered.
When they were younger, she used to sneak him pancakes through the window of her kitchen. They used to argue about whose were fluffier. He always said hers. She always said he was lying.
The memory washed over her unexpectedly.
She turned her back to them and grabbed a wet cloth to wipe the counter, trying to steady her breathing.
Behind her, Zahid sat again between the twins. They cut small pieces for him with their tiny, clumsy hands. He ate every one, exaggeratedly nodding as if tasting the best cuisine in the world.
Angel found herself smiling despite the chaos inside her chest.
"How is it?" Malik demanded.
"The best pancake I've had in years," Zahid said with a straight face.
Mara clapped. "I knew it!"
Angel swallowed hard. It shouldn't have meant anything. But it did. It sank into a quiet place in her.
She didn't want this feeling, but she couldn't push it away.
She wiped the same spot on the counter twice before realizing it was already clean.
Zahid glanced her way. Their eyes met briefly, but his expression wasn't intense or heavy. Just gentle.
The gentleness made it worse.
After breakfast, the kids ran to the living room, fighting over which cartoon to play. Angel gathered plates. Zahid rose immediately.
"I'll help," he said.
"No," she replied automatically.
He paused. "Alright."
But he didn't go far. Just stood nearby, hands in his pockets, giving her space while still being there.
When she turned to rinse plates, he leaned against the counter quietly.
"You don't have to do everything alone," he said after a moment.
She froze.
His voice wasn't judgmental. Not pitying. Just calm. Like he was stating a simple fact he finally understood.
"I'm not saying I should do it with you," he added, careful even in his softness. "But you don't have to pretend you're made of iron."
Angel's shoulders tensed.
"Zahid…" she warned gently.
He lifted both hands in surrender. "I know. I know."
He waited a moment, then lowered them slowly. "I'm not pushing. I promise."
She rinsed the plate, set it on the rack, inhaled deeply.
And she felt him watching her. Not hungrily. Not possessively. Just… quietly. As if memorizing a version of her he had forgotten existed.
She turned slightly, the distance between them both small and huge.
"Why are you being like this?" she whispered before she could stop herself.
His reply came without hesitation.
"Because I don't want to hurt you again."
The room stilled.
Her heart stopped for a second.
Zahid's eyes softened. "Not this time."
Angel gripped the edge of the sink tightly.
She wanted to believe him.
She wanted to run from him.
She wanted both.
The kids called from the living room, breaking the tension.
"Mummy! SpongeBob is starting!"
Zahid exhaled softly and stepped back.
"You should go to them," he said.
Angel wiped her hands and nodded.
She walked past him but stopped halfway, suddenly aware of the weight of their shared silence.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"For what?" he asked.
"For… today. For not making things harder."
Zahid's smile was small and tired, but it reached his eyes. "The last thing I want is to be another burden."
She looked down. "You're not."
A quiet pause followed.
Then he stepped toward the door.
The twins ran after him.
"You're going?" Malik asked, lips pushed out.
"Yes," Zahid said, kneeling so he was eye level with them. "But I'll see you later, okay?"
"Come again tomorrow," Mara demanded.
Zahid chuckled. "We'll see."
He stood and glanced at Angel again.
It wasn't a question.
It wasn't pressure.
It was simply acknowledgement.
A choice left entirely in her hands.
"Take care, Angel," he said softly.
She swallowed. "You too."
He stepped outside. The door closed gently behind him.
And the house felt different after he left.
Not empty, but it felt like something important just left.
As he walked down the steps, Zahid glanced at the window where the twins' shadows moved behind the curtains.
" As long as they're Angels kids, they belong to me too, whoever had contributed his sperm to their creation, had vanished and should stay like that "
He would not pry. Angel would talk when she was ready. But he made himself a quiet promise as he reached his car. If that man ever returned to claim what he abandoned, Zahid would not allow it. He did not need a single shared gene to know the truth forming in his heart. The children were Angel's, so they were his too. And he would protect them with everything he had.