Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 103 - Khaleel

Since I didn't have access to my phone anymore, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a new one. My four-hour nap with Arisa made us both nocturnal for the evening. So, she came with me to the shopping district, and offered to give me all the mutual contacts we shared.

We wore dark clothes and black hats to hide our faces as a precaution. Maybe it was a little overboard, or maybe it was the right call to make. I was wary about all the city cameras since I got behind the wheel at Jackheights. I knew firsthand if push came to shove, my dad could easily find a way to track me down using the licence plate. His resources and connections were limitless; it would be naive to think I could cross the pond undetected.

My right hand held Arisa firmly when we walked out of the electronic store. The other carried a shopping bag. We allowed the city lights to guide us deep into the populated street ways, where we anxiously kept an eye out for any suspicious activities. Kumar said he would contact me when it was safe to cross the pond but I hadn't heard from him yet. His silence worried me; I wanted to make sure he was okay but I didn't know how to do that without purchasing a new phone.

"Hey," I looked at Arisa. "When your mom comes to pick you up tomorrow, you know that I'll have to stay behind. Right?"

"No," came the quick reply. "You're coming home with me. I'm going to hide you in my basement and we're going to live happily ever after."

"Babe."

"Don't babe me," Arisa retorted. "I'm not leaving you out here by yourself. I said I was going to protect you and I meant it. I know you don't want me fighting anymore. I don't want that either, but I'm not about to sit back and let you hurt yourself just to appease your dad."

"You don't know what he's capable of."

"Yeah," Arisa drawled. "And an hour ago, you didn't know what my mom was capable of. So, we're heading back together. End of discussion."

My grip on her hand loosened.

"Look at me, Khaleel," she said, stopping in her tracks. I watched her reach for my face. I stood still as she held it in her small hands and butted my head against hers. "You said if they touched me, you would really kill them. They're gone now. They're not here to hurt you or me. The only one left is your dad, and if you can't face him alone then you shouldn't have to. I'll go with you. I'll be your courage. And mom can be your strength. Please stop thinking that you're alone. You're not."

The shopping bag dangled around my elbow as I passionately kissed my girlfriend. Pedestrians walked by, some gawked, while others minded their own business, but I didn't let them distract me from showing Arisa how much I loved her. I released her just in time to see her flustered and breathless expression.

"I'm one lucky guy," I said, pecking her cheeks. My lips found her nose next and then her ear. I took a bite of her cartilage and licked her inner lobe.

Arisa squealed and sent a soft kick to my shin. "You crazy pervert—"

I couldn't help but laugh at her. I took her arm and ran with her down the busy pathways, searching for a secluded alleyway I could properly seduce her in. We hurried across a busy intersection and were about to turn left when I heard a loud voice call out for me. I looked over my shoulder and stared ahead at my cousin Sumaya, who was strolling the shopping district with her friends.

Arisa looked relieved to see her. I didn't understand why? It wasn't like we could fill her in our little situation and expect her to help. Sumaya caught me glaring and raised her brow. I scoffed just as Arisa dropped my hand and raced into my cousin's arms. Then she greeted the other two girls. How the hell did she know them? Were they at my old man's wedding? Fucking hell. I really wasn't in the mood to make pleasantries. I wanted to get back to finding that alleyway.

"Hey Farha!" Arisa beamed at the shorter girl. She wore baggy jeans, a full-sleeved shirt that barely covered her stomach, and had white sneakers on. She hadn't taken her eyes off me since the bump-in and it was starting to make me just a little uncomfortable.

"Hi Arisa," she said, and she spoke to me with more enthusiasm. "Hi Khaleel."

"This is Kiran," Sumaya said, pointing to the taller girl. Her outfit was a lot more watered down than the other girl; she wore black pants, a floral shirt, and a pair of pointy boots.

"She's Farha's big sister," Sumaya told Arisa. "And Kiran, you remember my cousin, Khaleel."

Kiran gave me a lazy smile. "Yeah," she said, judging mine and Arisa's undercover outfit. "The kid who stole my bicycle and then drove it into the pond."

"Oh yeah!" Sumaya laughed. "Wasn't that because he was trying to chase after an ice cream truck?"

"Yeah," Kiran rolled her eyes. "Pretty hard to forget."

I vaguely remembered doing that. I had to be at least five or six years old at the time though. Why was this girl holding grudges from such a long time ago? So petty. "Right, well what's up?" I replied, indifferently. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Hanging out," Sumaya replied. "The better question is what are you two doing? Isn't it a school night? Doesn't the academy frown upon bad attendance?"

She wasn't wrong. Sumaya attended Jackheights back in the days, so she knew all about the strict guidelines and expectations it set for its attendees. Although there were some public schools across the pond, the majority were constructed closer to the shopping district. Hanging out on a school night was a lot easier for a student like Farha than for students like us.

"We were actually headed to the train station now," Arisa lied on my behalf. I reclaimed her hand to prove her point. "Date night kind of got out of control."

"D-Date night?" Farha asked, flabbergasted. "So, you two are like together-together? Does your dad know about this, Khaleel?"

Well, that was a fucking triggering question. Arisa nudged me to behave. It was like she knew what I was going to say before I said it. Still, these sisters were really irking me. If I couldn't say what I really wanted to, then I was least going to discourage them from asking stupid questions.

"How is that any of your business?" I snarled.