BismiAllahiArRahmaniArRaheem
Kinza walked in with a goofy grin but in an instant, her brows crunched into a frown when the backyard gate opened on it's own. Uncle John wasn't present and her guts told her that Kashif knew she was gone.
Yasmin peeked from the balcony and sighed in relief when she confirmed that it was actually Kinza who entered.
Kinza was surrounded by the hundreds of guards the next moment as she walked to the main entrance and Ali stood there shaking his head at her. She didn't do anything wrong.
Kashif barged in through the gate, barking orders at someone on his gadgetic watch, his angry gaze drilling holes in Kinza's head. His long strides approached her while he pointed his finger at Uncle John. "You're fired."
"No, he's not!" Kinza cried out in incredulity and Kashif's stance told her that he questioned her audacity to command people around. Uncle John guiltily hung his head and Kinza snapped her glare at Kashif.
"He is not to be fired." She firmly stated and Kashif folded his arms across his broad chest, clad in his infamous black suit once again. He seemed a little better than yesterday, with his eyes a lighter shade of red and his straight form definitely gave a good impression of his health.
He raised his brows at her. "And you are grounded." Kinza's amusements knew no bounds. What, she was grounded? What two year old kid was she?
"Father, thank you for your concern. I'll be an obedient kid from now on." Kinza scoffed and sarcastically answered with a nod while Kashif smirked.
"Mr. Ibraheem, your Dad said so. Not me." He shot back with his smirk growing bigger by the second and Kinza stood straight at the new piece of information.
"You had to announce it to the whole world when I was out for just one night?" She angrily gritted out, throwing her daggers at his red nose and he unfolded his arms.
"And in that one night, you could be successfully kidnapped while your prized organs travelled all around the world." He replied with the same zeal pointing a finger at her and Kinza clenched her teeth, grinding them hard.
"I don't care." She growled lowly. She then swiveled on her feet, stomping her way to the villa. She wasn't a kid for God's sake! Kashif disassembled the patrols and followed her inside to open the door for her while she gave him a sour look.
He quirked a brow at her while holding the large, wooden door as if asserting that she was indeed at fault. She was important to every single soul around her and so her safety mattered. A lot.
"You should be fired." She muttered her all time famous statement, reserved for this particular bodyguard of hers and he shrugged his shoulders. "I work under your father's orders."
She groaned and glared at him while he lowered his gaze and held the door in place for a tensed Yasmin to enter. The lady watched the entire fiasco with widened eyes and when she understood that Kinza was a huge possession in the outside world, she couldn't help but chew her lip in worry.
"I fall ill for one day and this is how she takes advantage of that." Kashif accused Kinza while going through the entire house, his keen gaze scrolling over the stove, the carpets, the appliances, the electricity boards, making sure that nothing was out of place or potentially harmful.
"You're always hovering over me! Can I not enjoy for one day?!" She yelled from the couch, humphing as she clutched the cushion to herself. Yasmin smiled at her warmly and Kinza scowled. "Why're you siding with him as well?"
"He's looking out for you, Kinza. It wasn't right for you to just run away in the middle of the night." She calmly tried to make her understand and Kinza inhaled sharply at the return of the same old topic.
"Alright! Hand me a feeder as well. I'll suck on it while I'm being babysit." She threw back at no one in particular, but both the other persons knew that she was mad. Childishly mad. Yasmin however chuckled at her choice of words and Kashif sighed in relief that Kinza had at least someone sensible beside her.
"Yasmin, do you like Zakariyya?" Kinza questioned out of the blue, a pretty frown still sitting on her brows. Yasmin couldn't decipher the sudden change and blinked at the other lady.
"Why're you asking this?" Yasmin cautiously counter-questioned and Kashif mentally prayed that this wasn't another blow to his heart. He was already dealing with a lot.
"Just answer. It's clear that he's head over heels for you and I want to know if you reciprocate his feelings." Kinza stressed while unintentionally glaring at Yasmin and Yasmin nodded her head in understanding.
"No, I don't."
Kashif let oxygen flow back to his lungs at that plain statement of hers and ran a hand through his set hair. He grumbled under his breath when he realized that ruined his hairstyle and hesitantly glanced at Yasmin. She was ruining a lot of things recently, for him. For instance, his peace of mind.
Kinza pulled her lips to the side as if giving it a thought and then grinned. Yasmin was taken aback by the change of attitude again but Kinza was a bag full of surprises.
"Okay, that's good then. At least, I can use this trump card against him now." Kinza smirked in triumph and slouched on the sofa ordering Kashif to get out with her fingers.
"I'm on night duty today." He threatened her with the slits or his eyes and she narrowed her own, hanging her neck upside down from the sofa. Yasmin twirled around as well to watch Kashif's reaction and laughed out loud at their kiddish glaring competition.
"Twerp." Kinza mouthed at him while he increased the glare of his by a notch.
He then swiftly pulled shades over his light brown eyes, exiting the villa with long, powerful strides not before yelling in a cheerful tone that followed Kinza's loud groan.
"Enjoy a week of grounding!"
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Zakariyya studied the two men in front of him with apprehensive eyes, as they stared down at him from across the table. He leaned back in his seat, waiting for them to speak and the bald man quirked a brow at that, as if appraising Zakariyya for doing so.
"So..?" Zakariyya shook his head in question and the man in a suit, with a muffler wound around his neck nodded.
"We're offering you a job at our place in return of your protection of Mr. Ibraheem's daughter, Ms. Kinza Ibraheem. Two nights ago, you risked to your life to save her and so we want to pay you back." The other man informed Zakariyya, while keenly watching every act of his.
Zakariyya blinked his eyes in confusion. "Are you her father?"
The man on the left, who looked awfully relatable to Kinza, solemnly answered. "Yes, I am. I am grateful to you for protecting my daughter. Consider this as a token of appreciation from us."
On his words, the other man forwarded a neat, white envelope towards Zakariyya. Zakariyya watched it in contempt and racked his brain to come up with a good reason to reject this offer.
"What kind of offer?" Zakariyya questioned and the man on the right, tried to resist his smile.
"Ali, go ahead and tell the young man." Ibraheem apprised and Ali leant forward in his seat, placing his elbows on the wooden table.
"We want you to join our security forces. We've come to know of your excellence in martial arts and boxing from your University days and would like you to team with us. You will be given accommodation, medical insurance, tuition fees for your brother who is currently a student and not to mention, a decent pay." He spoke with a serious face and Zakariyya couldn't call this a bad deal at all.
Ali knew that Zakariyya was a man with intelligence. However, his malicious mind was only coming up with ways of torturing him and Kashif together. What fun would that be! He controlled his evil laugh at Zakariyya's thoughtful expression as Ibraheem watched the young man with interest.
"I need some time to think over it." Zakariyya honestly answered and Ibraheem dejectedly dropped his face. To Zakariyya, Ibraheem seemed like a virtuous man who didn't like keeping favours, returning them to the best of his abilities.
"Oh! Take your time. You have complete two minutes." Ali seriously voiced out and Zakariyya felt puzzled. Ibraheem rolled his old, hazel eyes at his mate and Ali finally let out a chuckle.
He thought of Isa and his further studies. Maybe, he could stabilize Isa's future, if not his own if he took up on this opportunity that came knocking on his door. His brain ran with a dozen of thoughts and he felt a gut feeling that he should accept the offer.
Zakariyya's mind went over the fact that Yasmin was with Kinza at the moment and if he worked at their place, he'd be able to see Yasmin. He hadn't had a good talk with her in a very long time.
He pursed his lips as the burly man stared at him with an unwavering gaze that made him uncomfortable and glanced at Mr. Ibraheem.
"Did you come to a conclusion, my boy?" Ibraheem composedly asked Zakariyya. The young man darted his eyes to the Cafe's cashier and the time he spent working there. If Allah opened a door for him, he shouldn't shut it back. Maybe this was for the better.
"When do I begin?" He questioned with a determined smile and Ali broke out into a wide grin. Ibraheem smiled along at the fact that the boy didn't make a decision for himself, but for the people around him.
"I say this Sunday!" Ali chirped out and Ibraheem rolled his eyes yet again. Zakariyya eyed Ali with a wary gaze while neatly opening the envelope.
"Then, Sunday it will be."
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"God! I'm so frustrated! You locked me up for a while week! Ugh!" Kinza rambled the same thing again and again while Kashif patiently listened as they strolled down the street, the wind swiftly ruffling their hairs.
"If you'd worn that suit of your tonight, I'd have come to visit your grave tomorrow morning." Kinza grumbled, running a hand through her brown and blonde highlights, which were the courtesy of her being grounded. Kashif chuckled freely as he stuffed a hand in his jeans and gave a bewildered face to Kinza.
She batted her eyelashes sweetly. "I mean it."
"I believe in you." He agreed in a smile, with truth adorning his words. Indeed, he trusted Kinza with everything of his. Kinza inhaled the fresh air and grinned in contentment when the night sky twinkled down upon her, people passing her admiring looks for how dazzling she looked.
They heard a squish sound and immediately Kashif's eyes snapped to the scene. They saw an ice cream cone smeared on the floor with the one who was holding it stare at the duo with enraged eyes.
"You just dropped your ice cream? Who actually is the kid among us, tell me today." Isa annoyingly grumbled, craning his neck towards Zakariyya, tightly holding his treat in his hand. Zakariyya threw daggers at Kinza, his hands curling into fists.
Kashif quirked a brow as he bobbed his gaze between a flushed Kinza and a self-restrained Zakariyya. Kinza's mouth remained in an O–shape because of Zakariyya's unexpected presence and she couldn't stutter any words out.
Zakariyya's mind swirled with images of her hair flying, every time she popped out of nowhere in front of him, annoying him to no end. And now, she was into someone else? Was he just a play?
"Zak, are you there? Hello?" Isa tried to get Zakariyya's attention by jumping in front of him while Kinza rolled her pink lips inside. She mustered courage and straightforwardly walked towards him.
"H–Hi! I didn't expect that you'd be here." She managed to word out, contorting her flaring cheeks into a smile. Kashif passed Zakariyya a polite smile as well and Zakariyya's blue eyes flurried with storms and rains. The green hid behind the thundering clouds and the silver flickered with a warning of a increasingly tempestuous downpour.
"Kinza?! I'm so happy that I met you!" Isa exclaimed with a full blown grin and Kinza forgot the tall guy for a moment. She crouched down on one of her knees. "I missed you, Isa. Can I get a hug?"
"YES!" Isa happily jumped in her arms and Kinza wrapped her arms around his tummy, hugging him to herself. Kashif watched the heart-warming scene with a smile playing on his lips.
"Let's go, Isa." Zakariyya gritted out when Kinza rose back up and Kinza's inside churned with excitement. Kashif waited for her to respond, making a small talk with a bubbly Isa.
"Hey, young guy! I can tell that you'll grow up to be a gentleman." Kashif voiced out sweetly and Isa chuckled heartily at his comment, zoning his brother's order out.
"Well, a man's got to be nothing but gentle. I was taught to be charming with ladies." Isa playfully remarked and Kashif let out a laugh at the young kid, fist bumping with him.
"Kashif, I'll make my kid be under Isa's surveillance. He's already making my heart flutter." Kinza gauged the temperament of her man, and played along Isa and Kashif with an internal smirk. She batted her eye lashes at Isa, giving a dreamy girl impression and Isa unintentionally colored with a warm smile.
"Sorry, but my brother's not for sale." Zakariyya barked out and Kinza pretended of being gravely offended.
"I wasn't buying Isa. I was talking about my son and his bonding! Wasn't I, Kashif?" She loudly protested, getting a tad bit closer to Kashif and the man at hand felt a burst of amusement course through him.
Zakariyya shook with anger at how she indirectly related herself to the aggravating guy and grabbed Isa's hand. "Well, is he your husband that you talk to him like that?!"
Kinza freely let a chuckle fly past her pink lips and Kashif's entertainment just began. Isa however, looked distressed at how he was being pulled away from the pretty woman.
"Why don't you tell him, babe?" Kinza placed a hand on Kashif's bicep and before Kashif shoved her away, she motioned him to go with the flow, with her big, hazel-brown orbs.
Zakariyya eyed the exchange with fury rushing in his veins and even though Kashif hadn't spoken to him before ever in his life, he felt like choking his throat.
"Uhm, your kids. I don't mind whatever you do with them." Kashif stammered, feeling extremely out of place with Zakariyya's eerily hot glares. Kinza overly grinned at his response and before she pinched his cheeks, Kashif bent back leaving her hand hanging.
"Then why were you on a nagging spree with me?! You literally materialized everywhere I went!" Zakariyya loudly burst out, digging his blue, electric eyes into hers and she felt satisfied. Satisfied that he got to taste his own medicine. How agonizing was it to see him even throw a glance at Yasmin?
"Because I liked you." She defended herself, sliding her hand down to Kashif's forearm and now Kashif felt like running away from there. Firstly because he and Kinza never shared a physical touchy relationship and secondly, Zakariyya's eyes zeroed and transformed into laser beams at their place of contact.
Zakariyya's head spun at the past tense she used and his mind screamed in confirmation that he was nothing but a game to a rich brat.
"Are you done liking now?" Zakariyya humorlessly chuckled, studying her fair cheeks intently while Isa's eyes bounced towards every person that spoke.
"I don't chase things that don't want me. And you've proved so since the very beginning." Kinza heatedly spat the truth at him, her grip tightening around Kashif. Kashif felt her shake with anger but let them do the talking.
However, Kinza Ibraheem couldn't help but fall for the exception – Zakariyya Hashim.
Zakariyya's eyes hardened to stones at her statement. He wanted to rewind time and start everything on a fresh note. But if she actually stopped annoying him, he could have a chance with Yasmin, right?
Did she really get over him?
"More like afraid of not getting what you want." Zakariyya announced fiercely and Kinza snatched her hand from Kashif's. Her bearings fell with a clank and she marched a step towards Zakariyya. Zakariyya seemed triumphant that he affected her and got rid of holding the imbecile's hand.
"You know what?" Kinza began in a low tone, warning those around her of a disastrous storm. Her hazel turned a shade darker, while the brown intensified with the strong emotions in them. Zakariyya however, couldn't have been more careless.
"I'm done with you trampling all over me. I've stooped low enough that you now feel that I'm supposed to be the dirt on your shoe." She paused for letting the works sink in his brain and it did.
"As of now, I regard you as a no one in my life and you, taste that with pleasure. Know that, I don't pay heed to nobodies." Kinza honestly but furiously conveyed to him with her fists shaking by her sides in anger. A moment ago, she was almost hanging on the cliff of falling in love but she was glad that she saved herself in time. "Also know that, I'm a princess and won't let my crown fall."
Kashif felt proud of her taking a stand for herself while Isa ruefully understood that he wouldn't be able to be around her anymore.
Zakariyya hadn't ever felt this restless in his whole life. When his parents passed away, it was because he knew that it was destined as such by the Creator for them. But this case, he felt like he was somewhere at fault and it killed him from the inside.
His stomach churned as he saw her light orbs glistening with tears. How did he somehow end up making her cry? Why on earth did he want her to crash into his arms in this jinxed moment?! Why did he want to let go of Yasmin's pains and think about himself, selfishly pulling Kinza towards his ruined self? Why did he want her so close that no distance remained between them? And finally, why did he want to punch Kashif's face?
Kinza recollected herself and turned to Kashif for reassurance. He nodded his head at her, with his lips curving into a proud smile at her as he mouthed. "It's okay."
Kinza almost tripped and fell down when she tried to take a step back, but Kashif balanced her in time. Isa's eyes gathered tears at Kinza's form and he rushed to her knees.
"Kinza, I'm sorry." Isa muttered amongst his cries and Kinza's hands wound themselves around the wise kid, who somehow apologized for the pain they caused. Isa never gave her pain though, it was always Zakariyya who acted like she never mattered. What was the point of chasing someone if you didn't matter to them?
"Isa, you are smart. You are wise and brave. I wish you a good life. I'm always there for you, whenever and however you need me. I love you, baby." Kinza cooed while stroking his back and Isa's arms tightened around her neck when she claimed her love for him. Zakariyya's heart felt on edge with him watching her beautiful face with an unsettling look. Zakariyya wanted her to say the same things to him as well.
But, with what right? He messed up real bad.
Kinza then tearfully bore her eyes into his one last time and he shut out his breathing. He wanted the world to stop while she gazed at him, before leaving him. He then realized. And it hit him like a harsh blow in the gut.
He couldn't see her leave. Because he fell in love with her.
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Salam 'alaikum!
Revelations, revelations...
So, how did you like the chapter? *grins*
Now, now. There's no escape from Kashif, is there?
Until next time, ma coeur ♥
Ma'assalamah!