Parking the car and killing the engine, Assaf turned to his stepsister with a curl of his lips upward, eyes curious for her reaction.
"We're here," he said with a release of breath, watching her intently.
Lamia blinked, registering herself to reality. The house before her looked nothing like the place she had been living at before.
The first thing that caught her eye was a huge chandelier of sparkling crystals above the porch. It reflected beams of light as it slowly rotated. Lamia wondered how elegant it would look at night with the yellow lamp above it turned on.
The marble porch steps were of a cream colour, the railings on either side a soft grey. There was even a small porch swing at the corner, enough space for two people to sit on it.
She even noticed the small maroon tent in the corner, knowing straight away that it was a majlis.
Green grass looked fresh on either side of the path to the porch steps. Flowers of various colours adorned the sides by the fence. The garden swing caught her eye. She knew that would be her favourite thing out of all.
"Wow," was all she said breathlessly, her eyes mesmerised. Her hands stuck to the window as her lips parted at the view in to her side.
"Come on," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, before fetching his phone and wallet from between them.
Lamia grabbed her bag and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. She walked behind her stepbrother who gestured her to follow him as he twirled the keys on his forefinger of one hand, the other buried in his pant pocket.
Twisting the key twice, he entered and called her in to which she hesitated, shifting her weight to either side of her again and again.
"Ta'ali," he said with a million-dollar smile, his pearl white teeth lustrous. He must've had some dental work done, Lamia thought once she noticed his teeth were perfectly aligned, unlike her one canine which was slightly crooked.
Nonetheless, she took the first step in, followed by another as her stormy eyes drank in the view in front of her.
The place looked modern and homey, a faint Arab touch to the decor. A Persian carpet was laid in the lounge, the maroon patterns urging her to trace them with her fingers. A mahogany wood table was at the center, four beige two-seater sofas by the walls; two by one and the other two by the wall next to it. Each set of sofas had a mahogany side table between them with a lantern-shaped lamp on them.
And then the same large chandelier hung by the ceiling right above the center table.
"Like it?" he voiced eagerly, a hopeful look in his eyes as he looked down to the side at her.
"Yeah," she said with a small sigh, her gaze still lingering around.
They walked further until the only thing seen wasn't the lounge. A kitchen was joined to it as well.
And Marwah was sat on the counter, her forehead against Mohammad's who stood in front of her and caressed her hands with his fingers, their eyes closed.
Assaf could've cleared his throat, but the sound of their footsteps getting louder was enough for the newlyweds to pull away.
Why do their lovey-dovey moments bother me? Is it because I still can't get over abi with ummi? Or am I just not used to this?
He couldn't help but suppress down the selfish part of him resurfacing. His father was finally happy after years of pain, and the least he could do was adjust to the woman who brought some light into his life again.
Mohammad stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while looking down, Marwah stepping down the counter and exhaling a forced breath.
"Assalamu Alaiykum," the grey-eyed girl spoke diffidently, gaze lowered to the tips of her shoes as her bangs shielded part of one side of her face.
Assaf voiced out his salam too, taking a step away from Lamia as Marwah approached them.
The girl expected her mother to acknowledge her first, but to her surprise, she went to her stepbrother and ruffled his hair with the biggest grin plastered on her lips. "Walaikum Assalam to you two," she said as her gaze darted between both of them, finally settling her eyes to Assaf in the end.
Lamia couldn't name the burning feeling in her core. Was it jealousy? Rage? Vengeance? Why did it feel so suffocating and unbearable for me all of a sudden?
"Tum theek ho?" the woman said as she came to Lamia's side in an instant, enveloping her in a tight hug which felt a little too foreign for her. "Are you feeling better now?"
Lamia felt tears well up in her eyes even when they were closed. Was it because of how hard she was squeezing? Or maybe she was hugging me just right... I'm just not used to getting a hug.
The girl focused her vision ahead to see Mohammad looking at them with an endearing smile. Oh that's why she's nice to me...
"Jee mama," she voiced quietly with a hum, their eye contact fragile. "I feel a bit better now."
"That's good you went back for rest last night," Marwah said, barely moving her lips. Lamia noticed Mohammad greet his son before saying some words in Arabic and place a kiss on his forehead, the gesture tugging at her heartstrings.
"Walaikum Assalam, Lamia," Mohammad stood in front of her the next moment, bending down a little to get to her level, even though he was still taller than her with his back bent ahead, hands on his knees. It looked like he was talking to a little kid, afraid to scare her away.
Lamia forced herself to look up and meet his eyes with a shaky smile, nodding nonetheless.
A lazy smile graced her stepfather's lips. "Kayfa haluki? You weren't well last night. I was really worried for you, Lamia," he said sincerely, remembering the amount of times he made sure from Marwah if they had to drop off soup for her.
"Ana tamaam," she replied meekly, watching him widen his eyes in pleasant surprise at her response. Even Assaf let out a faint woah to which she mentally rolled her eyes. Come on, I should know basic Arabic if I have to live here.
The man before her let out a little chuckle, eyes crinkling. "Looks like we'll get along really well then," he said with a hearty grin. Lamia didn't want to think about it much further. Was there a double meaning behind that sentence?
Assaf was too busy opening each and every cabinet in search of something specific she had no idea of, and Marwah was focused on probing for some sort of whipped cream in the fridge. Mohammad spoke up again.
"I actually wanted us to drop off soup for you, you know," he said wholeheartedly, concern washing over his features. "You were already sleepy when your mother called you. She said it was best if we let you rest."
Lamia was genuinely perplexed. I wasn't sleepy until I changed and prepared my hot water bottle. Why was he saying that?
And then it hit her. The last thing mama wanted was for someone to be concerned for me... even when I wasn't sure it was genuine in the first place.
"Oh yeah," she said mindlessly. "Right."
In the meantime, Assaf placed a mug on the counter, fetching a spoon from the drawer as he eyed Lamia when the tone of her voice changed.
"Come on," he spoke as he turned around the edge of the counter, standing in front of her before walking past her. "I'll show you around."
Lamia hummed halfheartedly, turning around and walking in his direction as he took the lead.
Once they passed the storeroom and their prayer room, he took her to a bedroom which looked too good to be true.
"Sorry," he said with a small frown, looking down. "Your furniture hasn't been reassembled yet. It might take a day or two," he scratched the back of his ear, avoiding eye contact. "I hope the guest room isn't so bad for now..."
Lamia was almost blinded by the modern touch of furniture. The grey, white and dark brown blended effortlessly, the colours having a voice of their own.
Her eyes landed on the grey satin sheets on the bed before her, and she wanted to run her fingers along the material, maybe to soothe her emotions for the change she was about to be succumbed to.
"It's good," she said with a tight-lipped smile as she placed her bag on the bed.
The sound of a squeak interrupted their talk as Assaf breathed a sigh of relief.
"You umm... want to see the rest of the place?" he asked hesitantly to which she nodded with a shrug.
She followed him upstairs until he stopped in front of a door where the squeaks seemed clearer. A skull logo was pasted on the door. Typical.
Lamia stood to the side as Assaf opened the door just wide enough for a tiny kitten to run up to him and jump on his feet, climbing up till his knees until he himself held it and placed it on his shoulder.
"Sabah al-khayr," he chuckled as the tiny furball climbed and sat on his head before making a sound which was a mix of a meow and a squeak.
"You want to hold her?" Assaf held the kitten in his hands and brought her to Lamia as she held her own hands up in defense, shaking her head.
"N-No thank you," she said as she looked around at the paintings in the hallway. "I'm good."
He nodded before holding the kitten back to him and pressing a kiss to its forehead.
"What's its name?" she asked to divert her attention from the awkwardness she was feeling. Maybe she was the only one who could sense it.
"Pooky," he said with a smile before stroking its back. "She's adorable, isn't she?"
The tiny kitten's fur was all white, almost like a pearl out of the sea. Her eyes were grey like a moonstone. Lamia was mesmerised to say the least.
"Yeah," she said as she stared at the kitten held between them in his hands. "She's beautiful."
Assaf noticed his kitten's eyes were of the same shade of grey as Lamia's. His own eyes darted between them until they settled on getting lost in the winter grey and cloudy skies of the girl stood in front him, his mouth letting out the next words on its own, breathlessly.
"She sure is."
★ ★ ★
Her legs were hidden underneath the satin sheets, her hands holding a book above her as grey eyes drank in every word that came in their line of vision.
Lamia had checked out the room which was supposed to be hers in a few days. Her shelf was the only piece of furniture assembled as of yet, her bed, side tables and vanity almost halfway done.
The sun had set a long time ago, darkness overtaking the night as the bedside lamp glowed right next to her.
A knock on the door stopped her from turning the page ahead. She placed the bookmark in the middle of her book and closed it, lifting her head up to see her stepfather peek his head in after she let out a meek 'come in'.
Lamia froze, the trickle of fear nipping at her, taking control of every inch of her bit by bit until she was left with almost no power over herself.
"Hey," he breathed out as he stepped in, turning his head back to make sure he kept the door slightly ajar. "I hope I didn't disturb you."
The girl had the blanket fisted and held up till it covered her mouth. With widened eyes, she looked up at him before averting her gaze timidly.
He's going to come beat me. We're alone. It's his best chance to-
"N-No," she stuttered out, gulping afterwords. God, why did he have to be here right now?
"That's good," was all he said before taking a few steps in her direction where she was sat up on the bed. Lamia noticed his left hand hiding something behind his back.
What if it's a shoe? What if–
She gasped as she brought the blanket up till her nose as well, keeping her eyes well aware. She didn't know why her vision became blurry all of a sudden.
Mohammad sat down on the bed and turned to her as she pushed herself away from him more and more.
A tear fell from her eye and she wiped it immediately, making sure to not make it seem like she was specifically wiping a tear, but rather that side of her face.
"Lamia?"
She waited for a good few moments before humming in response, eyes looking down at the blanket to avoid any sort of interaction, though she knew that was not possible in any away.
"I brought you something..." he said with the softest voice ever, as if she would break like a porcelain doll if he would speak to her in any other way.
He moved his hand from behind him to reveal a blue velvet box. Its rectangular shape gave the hint that there was a bracelet inside it.
"Remember I told you yesterday that I had a gift for you?" he said with an endearing smile. "Well, I was talking about this."
He placed the box on the bed and pushed it to her gently, waiting for her to grab it and open it.
Lamia didn't know if she had to breath a sigh of relief at the item. It wasn't like anything she had expected at the moment.
Grabbing the box, she opened it to see a dainty bracelet placed delicately. It was silver, a moon charm held in the middle. The moon was a crescent, tiny diamonds on it sparkling even with the slightest movement.
"You like it?" he said with a tone of enthusiasm. "It's mainly from both of us, though this was Assaf's choice," he said with a full-blown grin. "His choice in gifts is pretty good."
Lamia knew she didn't own anything as elegant as this. She looked up and nodded at Mohammad before holding the piece of jewellery in her hand and running her thumb across the chain.
"Thank you umm... u-uncle—"
"Abi," he corrected her with a laugh. Her innocence made him want to give her a hug.
"Thank you, abi," she said wholeheartedly.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it," he said before placing his hand on her head and getting up, bidding her goodnight and leaving the room.
The smile of gratitude never left her face as she slept.
★ ★ ★
It was the next day.
The family of four had finished their breakfast, now ready to clean up the table.
Right now, Lamia was doing the dishes while Assaf put the food back and cleared the dish rack for her. The newlyweds were seated and watching the television.
Pooky was too busy licking the milk off her bowl.
Marwah and Mohammad each held a cup of green tea in their hands, Marwah's left hand held the remote as she switched between the channels and Mohammad's right hand went around her waist.
She stopped pressing any buttons further, settling for watching ABC News for the time-being before placing the remote between them. Good Morning America was live as the crowd behind the screen cheered.
"Our next guest is one of the most talented in the industry. Starting from a small business in California which grew immensely in the past sixteen years, and now a brilliant actor we enjoyed in his first movie, 'Lessons of Life', please welcome— Zahid Shah!"
The crowd roared even louder as the camera turned to focus on the man who emerged in view, waving his hand at the crowd with the widest grin.
Marwah knew his grin was anything but real.
Her face drained off all colour. She gripped her mug a little too tightly, eyes wide before she blinked again and again, hoping for the man on the screen to disappear.
Of course, Marwah hadn't mentioned the name of her ex-husband to Mohammad. When it came down to the talk of their pasts, Marwah had told him it was better for her to not speak about him, only mentioning that he hadn't treated her right and had passed away after her divorce. Mohammad understood that it was a sensitive topic for her, and he would never judge her for her past.
Zahid was clad in a grey blazer over a white undershirt. Beige khakis covered his long legs as he strode to the host and greeted him before taking a seat.
Marwah's instincts kicked in and she changed the channel and started switching between them, knowing she couldn't bear to see the man's face again. Had she closed her eyes on him completely that she didn't even know he was famous now?
"Can you put that back on, please?" he said pleadingly. "I was watching that."
"I'm looking for something better to watch–"
"Please?" he said again, turning to her as she held the remote up high for the television to sense any presses of the buttons. "You know I love anything business-related."
The look he gave her made her insides melt into a puddle. She hated to give in, but she knew she had to. Maybe to not expose her past a little too much.
"O-Okay."
Switching back to the same show, she felt uneasy as she stared at the screen with gritted teeth and flushed cheeks.
In the meantime, Lamia had finished doing the dishes and dried her hands before taking a seat on the chair behind the sofas, choosing to pass her time by watching the screen with them.
"So Zahid," the host spoke with a wide smile. "Your business took a good sixteen years to grow enough to make you one of California's most successful businessmen. How has the journey been for you? And how did you decide to pursue acting alongside it?"
There was one thing which was true. The crowd felt it and even the audience behind the screens did.
Zahid Shah was charming and classy, and there was no denying that.
Brown hair was swept back and looked soft to the touch. His eyes were a deep grey, the same shade as Lamia's. Zahid's pink lips were always pulled in a smile he had mastered faking for the past eighteen years.
"I'd say pretty tough," he let out a chuckle. "Of course, the gains and losses fluctuated. It takes determination, and I'm glad I was because hard work always pays off."
"And that's a lesson of life you learn right there!" the host looked straight at the camera and said enthusiastically to which Zahid laughed, followed by the crowd.
"And speaking of acting," he leant his elbow on the armrest. "I didn't even know I was going to take that on. I was surprised when I was offered the role. Acting was something which was way off the list for a very long time. It's now my passion as well, though business will always be my first."
"That's amazing," the host said before moving on to other questions. Some were hinting on his personal life which Zahid had dodged effortlessly.
Marwah was seething. She wanted to scream and break anything that she could grab. How dare he become famous after our divorce!
"We're going to close this off with one final question," the host said cheerily. "Zahid, even though your movie showed many lessons of life, what's one you would want to share with us? One that gave you a new perspective to everything?"
For a moment, Lamia noticed pain flash before his eyes as he gulped, though covered it up rapidly with a full-blown smile. He was breaking on the inside as he answered the question.
"Sometimes, letting go causes more pain," he breathed out. "You're not letting go because it's not worth it. You're letting go because the odds are against you at that moment. That doesn't mean that you should lose hope. What's gone was best to let go at that time, but maybe you'll get better another time, or you'll get what you let go at a better time. In the end, it'll be worth it."
The crowd was quiet and listened attentively to each and every word he said, and after he finished, they erupted in applause as the man smiled shakily, surprised with himself for still oozing confidence.
Marwah sighed and got up, placing her cup in the sink before pouring herself a glass of water.
After Zahid's words, everyone watching seemed to notice a sense of determination in his eyes.
Some had assumed for it to be determination to grow his business even further. Others thought it was because he was going to make a bigger name for himself in Hollywood. Nobody but Marwah knew the truth.
Zahid Shah was determined to find his daughter, no matter what.
★ ★ ★
hey there y'all!
how was the chapter? what was your favourite part? and what do you think of Zahid? :)
i actually wanted to try something different from other books. instead of making the male lead the rich CEO, i decided to make it someone else, so i had to go by and choose the female lead's father as that. but don't worry, it's not a CEO romance of course :') the story will still focus on lamia and assaf, and it'll be a very different and refreshing story insha'Allah :)
may Allah bless you all!
till then, take care.
- sana