BismiAllahiArRahmaniArRaheem
"Zak, will we get to see Kinza here? Will we be staying here? Do I get to work with Kinza as well? Can she come and see us? Every day? Can I be with you when you do your job? Can I get to wear a suit also? Will Kinza be happy to see me? Will we be living with Kashif?! Are we actually staying at Kashif's place? Are w—"
"Shut up, Isa!" Zakariyya growled and Isa landed back on the ground from his jumping in the air. His goofy smile stayed put nonetheless. Zakariyya shut the trunk of the car after pulling their bags out and heaved them towards their accommodation.
Isa carried his bag pack in his shoulder and watched the huge villa at the side with wide, curios eyes. "Woah! I can't believe we're going to live here, Zak."
"Press the bell, Isa." Zakariyya instructed his brother, while his hands carried the luggage in them. Isa instantly bounced to the door and dinged the bell. Some shuffling later, a bald man opened the door and his lips stretched to the corners of the world with a huge grin.
"Assalam alaikum, my lad! I see that you've arrived. How was your journey?" He chirpily questioned and Isa would've been skeptic of him it was any other circumstances but at the moment, his excitement got the better of him.
"Walaikum assalam. It was no problem, at all. I'm Isa Hashim, Zakariyya's brother. You could call me his father, though. He's still a kid." Isa snickered, giggling with his mouth covered by his tiny palm and Ali's amusement reached the skies.
"Nice introductions. Now can we please? I'm carrying around 5 kgs in my hands, if no one's noticed." Zakariyya announced of his ignored presence and Ali nodded eagerly in apprehension.
"I'm Ali, by the way. I'm their team leader, but we could be partners in crime if you want. Just don't let them know." Ali's voice reduced to a hushed whisper as Zakariyya hollered with the bags to the hall with struggles. Isa's blue eyes widened in mischief at the bald man's claims and he couldn't stop the gigantic smile from plastering on his handsome face.
"What say? Deal?" Ali bent down and brought his hand forward and Isa avidly shook it, some of his hair falling on his face with the movement.
"I'm awesome at making deals." Isa piped in and both the guys evilly sniggered watching Zakariyya wipe his sweat with the back of his forearm.
"Come, Isa. Let me show you around the house." Ali clutched the excited boy's hand and walked around leaving Zakariyya to wonder if he was ignored on purpose. Nevertheless, he followed them around as they animatedly talked to each other.
"Woah! I'm going to live here? I don't believe this. This is crazy!" Isa mused with sparkly eyes as he took in their bedroom, which was much more spacious than there previous apartment. Zakariyya smiled at his brother's smile and gave Ali a nod.
"This is your closet and that's your will-be-all-time-favorite uniform. Ta da!" Ali slid the cream door and a number of black suits came in view. Isa pounced in front of the cupboard and let out another 'Woah'.
"Stitched to perfection, embedded with my very own GPS and my all other cool safety gadgets. This is moi mamma–mia!" Ali kissed his thumb and forefinger in a Spanish delight style and Isa touched the fabric with an amazed look. Ali then pulled a three-piece out and placed it on Zakariyya's chest, as if analyzing the fitment of it's size and Zakariyya's body.
"Wear it, Zakariyya!" Isa enunciated his order and Zak held the suit in his hands.
"Oh, he will be. He will be wearing it for the rest of his life." Ali exaggeratedly voiced out with a malicious glint in his eyes.
"Do I have to tie the tie as well?" Zakariyya asked with a sour face, eyeing the black ties that neatly hung at the door.
"What's a suit without a tie?" Isa gave his brother a poker face an Ali smirked at him.
"I'm not wearing it. Why do bodyguards even need a tie?" Zakariyya deadpanned with a straight face, flinging the tie off of his suit. Ali ran towards it like a mad man, picking it up and dusting as if a diamond just rolled out in the dirt.
"What are you doing, you dirty boy? This is my handmade, designer piece!" Ali screeched, burning fire at Zakariyya's face with his eyes and Zak shrugged nonchalantly.
"If I work here, I'm not putting that choker on. Remember, that you begged me to come here, okay?" Zakariyya now crossed the limits of exaggeration and Ali gasped in offence. Isa fell down in cackles at their exchange, his bag falling to his side.
"Beg? Oh boy, you don't angry Ali Pasha. You just got on ma bad side!" Ali waved his finger at Zakariyya, flaring his nose and he looked almost like a cartoon character to Isa, which multiplied his laughs to a fit.
"Do I look like a girl who'd care about getting in your bad side?" Zakariyya replied with the same sass, placing his fists on his waist, narrowing his blue orbs down to slits. Isa rolled a few tears out of the corners of his eyes and Zakariyya passed him a 'Cut that' look.
"I'm the boss here and you gotta obey the boss! Uh-hun!" Ali hummed like an African American at the end, doing a swift slide of his neck with it.
"I don't obey no one!" Zakariyya barked back a growl.
Ali thought better and moved back, straightening his suit and making Zakariyya have a double-take. Ali wasn't going to play with words, he'd use his actions.
For something big.
Against Zakariyya.
Isa gasped for air and shot his hand up for Zakariyya to hold him. "I can't. This is crazy. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Zakariyya scolded his with his eyes but picked him up nevertheless, lightly placing him on his new, single bed.
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"Zacky....get me my eeeeeeegggs....!" Ali sang like an opera singer, hitting all the wrong notes and Kashif slumped face first on the sofa, tightly clutching the cushion to his ears.
Zakariyya almost threw the eggs at the bald man's head but settled with simply putting them on the counter.
"Kashif, get the pastaaaaa...."
Another horrible pitch resounded, and Kashif prayed that the baldy just left their house already. Why did Kinza have to torture them like that?
"All the single men eat a Pasta!"
"All the single men eat a Pasta."
"Cuz we....cuz we...cuz we go hasta la vista!"
"All the single men eat a Pasta!" Ali sang while swaying his waist to the sides animatedly and stirred in the saucepan after dropping the Pasta Kashif begrudgingly brought.
"Ali, you're also single?" Isa asked, plopping his elbows on the counter and dipping his chin to his palms as he entertained himself with the abnormal men around him.
"My wife threw me out for the time being so I guess that counts as me being single?" Ali questioned more to himself and Isa shook his head in dejection. Zakariyya rolled his eyes. Obviously, who would want a dancing, bald, old man in their house?
"You should make up with him, Ali. If you leave girls alone, they take it as you don't care." Isa wisely instructed appearing to be a sudden saint and Zakariyya unknowingly paid rapt attention to him.
Ali pursed his lips inwards. "Well, it's not like I didn't try. After getting hit with a frying pan and the half-done omelette in it, and a dustbin thrown at my nobly uncovered head, I had to use my defences." Ali spoke as a matter of fact. Isa nodded his head for the old man to continue.
"I mustered courage one another time and the outcome was rather interesting, I would say. She sat me down with love and I undoubtedly felt like I won the world. Then she keenly and politely smeared my again, nobly uncovered head with strawberry jam and it didn't stop there. A fresh container of cream also soiled my handsome head and face with a kind warning of 'If you come in front of my face for the next two weeks, I'll fry you along with the Chicken 65 you love. Get out, baby?' and I then understood that my life was at stake. The next day, I swam across the ocean to land here with my bags. That's my story." Ali sighed with his lips wobbling in tears while Isa took in all the tiny details with precise attention.
Kashif and Zakariyya on the other hand clutched each other as they lay sprawled on the floor, tickling each other's face in an attempt of gaining control over their laughter. Ali's wife seemed like she deserved an award for treating Ali that way and they mentally saluted her with respect.
"I can't believe that someone actually banged a frying p–pan....on his shiny...shiny...head!" Zakariyya choked while laughing and Kashif broke into another fit when Zakariyya restated it.
"And the jam...oh my God! The jam and cream on his bald...I would have poured a little bit of hazel syrup on his pink bald...bald.....bald.....I can't say it...bald...." Kashif slapped Zakariyya's chest while trying to get the words out and Zakariyya rolled over to the side clutching his ribs, feeling the strawberries flying around him.
They then breathed in air to calm down and burst again when they took in each other's disheveled forms. Isa and Ali glared at them from behind the kitchen and the burning smell of the Pasta alerted Isa.
"Ali, let's talk about it later at night. I'll tell you how to make up to your wife. For now, let's cook this pasta." Isa diverted Ali's glaring session to the sizzling brown container and the bald man angrily scraped the surface of it, murdering the two boys mentally.
"That was one good laugh I had in a while." Kashif laughingly announced, wiping the corners of his eyes with a red face. Zakariyya supported himself off the ground with his palms and dusted himself while chuckling. "Who disagrees, man?"
"That's why I tell you that he's a kid. A six year old has to take care of a hunk." Isa plainly spoke, giving the flushed boys a pointed look while Ali frowningly slurped the contents into a bowl. Zakariyya simply grinned at Isa in return.
"OH MY GOD! WATER!" Zakariyya shouted, frantically looking for something to calm his tongue that caught fire a few minutes later into Ali's gracious serving. Ali smirked at him and plopped a fork into his own mouth.
"Relaksh, bro. Itsh jusht a pash—" Kashif stopped mid-way in his mouthful speech and blinked his eyes to register the fact. He slowly placed his fork back on the plate and shot up from his seat, the chair falling back with a screech.
"MY TONGUE! M–MY TO–TONGUE! ALI, YOU RETARDED BALD SICK MAN! MY TONGUE!" Kashif fanned his tongue, hanging it outside like a dog and Isa recovered from the shock, snickering at their unregistered reactions.
"WATER! I WANT WATER! WHERE IS THE SUGAR? AHHH!" Zakariyya ran around like a mad man, searching for something that'd stop this crazy burning while Kashif stumbled upon the chair that fell and rushed to the fridge.
"YA RABB! MY MOUTH IS....MY MOUTH....FIRE....SPICY....BALD....PASTA......ALLAH....YA ALLAH!" Kashif blabbered while pouring honey into his wide mouth and Zakariyya ran upto him to snatch the container.
"I also need..." Zakariyya took in breaths to talk properly, swirling the cold, hazel liquid down on his tongue. "...this."
"Don't worry, kid. Your's is safe." Ali whispered to Isa and the kid knowingly smirked at the old man.
"Well, I'm honored, dear sire." Isa bowed down like the archaic times and Ali chuckled at him, having the most fun of his life watching the two men pant like breathless rats.
"Jacob and Damon, I want you inside and guard my premises. Make sure that these gentlemen do not cross." Ali calmly ordered into his watch while Isa watched him with curiosity glimmering in his blue eyes.
A few moments later, Ali's infamous bulky but loyal men showed up while Kashif and Zakariyya glared at Ali's shiny bald head with bloodshot eyes. Not to mention the desperate intakes of air twice every second.
"Ah! This is for your own good health? You're smart." Isa nodded in acknowledgement and Ali bumped his shoulder with Isa's and then hurried to stop the boy from falling down the chair due to it's impact.
"Well, I'm the boss for a reason." Ali shrugged and headed his room after savoring his cooked dish to its full. "C'mon boy! You promised of teaching how to make up with my wife. That's why you're sleeping with me."
Isa nodded professionally, wiping his mouth with the napkin and gave a short glimpse to the angry men who were banned from crossing the bridge known as Jacob and Damon. "Yes, let's go."
That night the old man learnt quite a few lessons from the charming Isa Hashim on how to get his girl.
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Zakariyya yawned loudly as he stretched his arms in his bed, watching the sun rays peek in through the off white curtains. Kashif slept on his stomach on the other bed, a little bit of drool sliding from the side of his mouth to his white pillow.
"Oh man! That's gross. The first thing I see in the morning is his drool." Zakariyya grimaced and threw the duvet off, waking up to prepare for his first day. They'd slept in for some time after Fajr and now it was time for work.
Zakariyya ran a hand through his dense brown hair but stopped mid way.
Brown hair?
Why did his head feel light? And what was the spiky feeling that his palms felt?
"Oh no, no, no! This can't be happening. This can't b—" Zakariyya halted his ramble the moment his roughly trimmed head came into view. He stared into the mirror in absolute horror, his hand scrambling over his head that was once a ground for lush, brown hair.
"Ali, you cursed piece of flesh." He growled in a low voice and stomped out of the washroom to assault Kashif instead.
His hand paused before it snatched the duvet away from the baby like man. Kashif's almost bald head set on display for a raging Zakariyya. Zakariyya pulled the duvet off anyway and Kashif abruptly sat up. "What happened? Wha—Kinza, is everything...whaaa?"
"We're bald." Zakariyya stated, barely containing his hands from strangling Ali's throat.
"What're you talking about? It's probably a dream. Go back to sleep." Kashif sleepily mumbled, rubbing his eyes and Zakariyya angrily pointed at his gone hair.
"Ali shaved our heads." Zakariyya stated even more clearly and Kashif confusedly looked up. His light brown eyes almost popped out of his sockets when he saw Zakariyya's spiky remnants sitting on his head and frighteningly moved his hand upwards.
He shrieked in panic and ran towards the mirror to franticly check his hair and when he found the light black pointy cover instead, he dropped his hands to the side. His hair were already short and Ali did the honors of reducing them to millimeters.
"I will kill him." Zakariyya roared while marching out and Kashif got rid of his sleep. Kashif wasn't affected by the loss to a great extent but he shouldn't have touched his hair without his permission. Zakariyya however, was a cracked skull in anger.
"Good morning, boys! Hope you had a good sleep. How do you feel?" Ali began in his horrible opera voice again and Zakariyya stopped by his door, glaring at him. He pointed at his head and barked at him. "Exlplain this."
Isa's eyes widened in surprise and he bobbed his sleepy gaze between a fuming Zakariyya and a pissed Kashif.
"Your baldness?" Ali shot with a cocky of his brow and Isa shut his mouth with his palm at the loud laugh that escaped. Zakariyya glared at the man and Ali resumed. "Now, I feel satisfied of being your boss. Don't we look like one perfect team?"
"YOU BALDY!" Zakariyya pounced on Ali and Kashif immediately ran to prevent any mishaps, pulling Zakariyya by his waist. Jacob and Damon had been dismissed after Fajr hence, Ali's life could be at stake.
Suddenly, Ali did some swift dialing finger movement on Zakariyya's chest and Zakariyya fell on his knees with a thud, almost numb. Kashif and Isa watched it all with wide eyes while Ali satisfactorily smiled at them.
"Who's the boss again?" Ali sang out and Zakariyya slowly lifted his head, taking deep breaths through his mouth. He didn't know what just happened to him. He unaccountedly lost control over his body for a moment. The bald man indeed was shrewd.
That's how Kashif, Isa and Zakariyya were left gaping at the shiny, bald head with shocked expressions while Ali enjoyed the attention to the fullest. "I am."
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My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine, you're crazy and I'm out of my mind...." Kinza shuffled her damp hair as she strolled outside her master bedroom, giving a lazy 'Good Morning' to Yasmin who was busy in the kitchen.
Yasmin's lower lip jutted out in thought as she pondered over Kinza's messy mental state. Kinza was dressed to go outside but since a few days, her mood has been constantly running down. And the sappy songs! That was one torture Yasmin had to go through.
"Cuz all of me, loves all of you...." Kinza flunked her coat on the armrest of the couch while she went in the room in her crisp black shirt and applied some perfume.
Kinza then poured herself some milk in a bowl and had her cereal, munching on it mindlessly. They heard a knock on the door and Kinza raised her palm. "I'll get it. Don't make the baby work out so much."
"CUZ ALL OF ME, LOVES ALL OF YO—" She halted her high pitched singing as the door creaked open and Zakariyya's blue eyes stared down at her. To say she was shocked, would not even be an understatement.
She did not expect him. At all. Nor did she want to see him. Her hand stilled at the doorknob and his studying orbs made her want to hide under her duvet and cry. But, he didn't matter anymore. He shouldn't.
His lips were between his teeth as he juggled with the car keys. He had to drop Kinza to her office today and when she revealed herself, his breath knocked out of his lungs. Her wet hair and the carefree look did something to him.
Kinza immediately masked her expression and quirked a perfect brow. "Who are you?"
That stung.
Bad.
Horribly bad.
"Uh....Zakariyya? He mused as if that was supposed to click something but she shook her head.
"Am I telepathically supposed to know who's a 'Zakariyya'?" She spat at him and he felt that pang of guilt again. Oh man! He felt a whole sea of guilt thrashing in his chest.
"I work under Ali." He firmly spoke and Kinza couldn't care any lesser. He tried to gauge her reaction and the indifference creeped up his sleeve like a snake. She then swiveled on her feet and leisurely walked inside, while he stood at the door waiting for her.
"Was that Zakariyya?" He heard Yasmin's voice from inside and immediately his mood brightened. He might not be in love with her, but she still was a dear friend to him.
"Who Zakariyya?" Kinza almost snapped at Yasmin and the lady pinched her brows. She watched Kinza act nonchalant and walk away. Yasmin then put on her scarf over her head and headed towards Zakariyya who shot a cheery smile at her.
She smiled back. "Assalam alaikum, Zakariyya. What are you doing here?"
"Uh...things happened and I got a job here." He explained with a clipped smile. Her questioning gaze compelled him to elaborate.
"This was better for Isa, so here I am! Standing in front of you." He then exclaimed with a grin and Yasmin nodded her head, extremely happy for him.
"How're you, Yasmin? Are you okay?" He asked almost in a pained note and Yasmin very well understood the hidden message. She rubbed her thumb on the scar on her left wrist, as the torturous memories hit her but she managed to crack a smile.
"We're divorced." She stated and Zakariyya didn't know what to feel. He felt astonished, surprised, happy, concerned, overwhelmed, guilty and extreme sympathy for the broken girl. He didn't know what to say or do and shut his mouth like a fish.
"Are you happy?" He choked out and this time she gave him a smile that assured him.
"I'm free. I don't have anything to do with him and that makes me happy." She strongly verbalized and Zakariyya felt his heart swell with pride for her. She was brave. Really brave.
"Kinza stood for me like a backbone." Yasmin stated with a far-off smile etching itself over her lips.
His brows creased. Did the spoiled brat play with Yasmin's life for fun as well?
"Zakariyya, don't assume things. Kinza loves you. And you, you don't love me. That was all because you're a good person. You pitied me a–and that's why you w–were..." She cleared her throat and directly looked into his eyes. "Zakariyya, my life is over. You should not ruin yourself for me. You have a whole life ahead of you. We're not meant to be. Your feelings back then, were only an illusion. Let go of them."
Zakariyya took all of this in with a heavy heart and he knew that Yasmin spoke the truth. Sure, he wanted Yasmin to be happy and safe but he could be fine if she was not by his side. However Kinza, his heart didn't want just that for her.
Yasmin gave him a tight smile upon recognizing that he understood her words and moved back.
"Yasmin, you are still a dear friend to me. You are valuable. Very valuable. That prick didn't know your worth, so don't degrade yourself with what he said or did. You are priceless. You're life is not over! Don't ever think that. You've fought bravely all this time and I know that you'll continue to do the same. Besides, I'm there for you, whenever and however you need me." He conveyed with all his emotions swirling in the blue sky of his orbs and a small assuring smile at his lips. The calming clouds in them assured that he was a shoulder she could rely on and she trusted him.
"Nice pep talk. You sure look like a slouch on your first day of work." Kinza clicked her tongue, with her blow-dried, shortened hair glistening under the sunlight. Yasmin chuckled at her words, knowing fully well that she didn't mean to taunt. She was cranky like that. And perhaps, the blue eyed man had to do something with her crankiness.
Zakariyya felt a wave of amusement surge through him with a tiny crash of anger as well, and he slid to the side to make way for her.
She arrogantly put on her dark shades and strode down the doorsteps, her hair bouncing with every movement as she aced on her nonchalant act. He noticed that her locks didn't reach her back as they did previously. That showed him that she had a thing of playing with her hair.
"KASHIF, I HATE YOUR CHOICE!" Kinza yelled at Kashif who was busy talking to a group of men in black suits, with his red tie blowing with the wind as she referred to the man who followed her.
He smirked at that, seeing the animosity oozing from within her at Zakariyya and satisfied himself with his frown.
"Ali's pet, not mine." He yelled while he jogged towards her and shut the door of their BMW. Zakariyya gaped at his back. Kinza rolled her eyes snobbishly and crossed one leg over the other, busying herself with the notifications on her phone.
"Do I look like a dog to be a pet?" Zakariyya exclaimed while Kashif dusted the angry man's shoulders, almost as if riling him up.
"You don't have to look like one to be one. I already know who's who." Kashif's lips tugged from the side in malice and Zakariyya wanted to punch his face. Why did he feel like the whole world was planning against him?
"Why do you have a red tie?" Zakariyya differentiated between his black one and Kashif looked down at his tie. Kashif then shrugged simply while Kinza's patience treaded on the last thread.
"Ever heard of an Alpha? No? Well, just know that you're a Beta." Kashif winked with a smirk at the blue eyed man who's eyes gathered all the dark clouds in the world and roared with thunder.
And Kashif was out of there, before they knew it.
"Do you get paid for talking? What nonsense is this!" Kinza rolled her window and screeched loudly. Zakariyya looked heavenwards to ask Allah for patience and ran around the car to instantly speed away.
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Salam 'alaikum, folks!
Ali bey has come in..and shaved some heads as well. I like Ali bey! 😁
P.S. Kashif clarifying some roles here. Alpha, Beta...hmm?
Stay tuned for more. Let me know which part you liked the most.
Until next time, 亲爱的 🍡
Ma'assalamah!