Palestwinians.

Dragged.

"Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself." - Anonymous

Dedicated to @SkyCastles - if you guys haven't checked out her book 'Nazim' you absolutely must do so! Infact before you even start reading this chapter, go add it to your reading list! And thank you for your amazing support! ❤

~ Have been quite sick lately so I ask you all to keep me in your dua/prayers. JazakAllah khair and thanks!

Chapter 19 - Dragged.

I cracked one eye open, my head spinning. I felt like I was floating, the cool air swiping at my face every now and then. I could faintly see trees and people passing me by but they were…upside down? Finally, I managed to open both my eyes and it didn’t take me long to realise that I was being carried. 

By Zach.

“Wha-?” Slowly, I became aware of his strong arms, one under my head, supporting my neck and the other under my knees. He was holding me against his chest and looking up at his face, it was obvious he hadn’t seen me awaken. His face was blank, staring ahead but I didn’t miss the slight crinkle in between his eyebrows, which I learned to mean he was worried. 

I couldn’t help feeling extremely safe and warm in his arms almost like I was invincible. Zach’s always made you feel that way, my annoying subconscious voice whispered to me. I couldn’t disagree. 

A few seconds later and I fully comprehended the situation.

“Oh my god!” I squealed, attempting to wiggle myself out of his arms. Startled, Zach looked down at me, shooting me an alarmed look. 

“What’s wrong? Is something hurting?” 

“Zach,” I said, looking straight into his eyes. “Put. Me. Down!” I couldn’t believe he was casually carrying me around uni, the guy was asking for a death sentence!

He relaxed slightly before he began analysing my red face as I became increasingly frustrated and not to mention, embarrassed. 

“Why? So you can just faint again?” 

“Put me down!” I seethed. I felt his grip on me tighten, all the while he looked into my eyes challengingly. 

“I’m going to kill you Zach. Kill. You.” He shook his head at me, a faint smile on his face. 

“Most people would just say thank you for saving them. You could've cracked your head open on the concrete floor.” I felt like strangling him around the neck but our current appearance was already compromising enough. I remained quiet, brooding at his stubbornness.

“Relax. I’ll put you down in a minute.” 

True to his word, only a minute later we walked into the admin office area that had a tiny room attached to it known as the ‘sick bay,’ despite it only having one small rectangular bed, a freezer and a few draws filled with antiseptics and other medicines. Passing the staff, who all had raised eyebrows, Zach immediately took me into the room and lay me down on the bed. 

I watched him pull away, the crinkle still apparent between his eyes. Was I too harsh?

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“No worries.” I expected him to leave straight away, especially after his confession last night, but he stayed rooted to his spot. I didn’t want to look into his eyes so I occupied myself with fixing my hijab. 

Just when I thought I would explode from the tension, he spoke up. 

“You haven’t been eating have you?”