This chapter gave me so much feels I don't know how to handle it, *smashes window*...uh I mean *bakes cupcakes* :D
"Tell me Milah, how?" Nefertiti asked her eyes narrowed in a glare, he could not believe that this was his friend, the person he had spent the last seven years with.
"Khal gave it to me, Titi, I swear," he replied pleadingly, "How come I did not know about it till now, Milah?" she asked as she shook her head.
"Because you did not need to know" he lamented moving again to take the necklace, "Why do you lie Milah?" she said in a hushed tone, "I do not lie, I tell the truth Nefertiti, please" he replied taking the piece of jewelry out of her hands.
"I will get to the bottom of this Milah" she spoke softly before she left the room, banging the door behind her.
"There is no bottom," he murmured to the empty room, his words having no meaning.
Sitting on his bed, he placed his head into his hands with a sigh.
"What is this?"
"My mother's necklace"
"Why?"
"For my beloved, for you"
His Khal was not a thief; Khal was honest and would have told him the truth.
Groaning he fell back on his bed with a huff. The drama was getting too much for him to handle, he wished so badly that Khal was here, here to hold him when everything went wrong, there to whisper sweet nothings in his ear, there to cheer him up. There to love him.
He felt Khal's presence but did not understand why he felt it; to his body it was as if Khal was just a few feet away.
He wished so much that that was the case.
Feeling hungry, he got off the bed and made his way to the slave dining quarters. He still hadn't seen Thabit anywhere so he went to get his bowl of soup.
"Milah, where have you been?" he heard Jumoke's voice say turning in her direction he replied, "I went to visit my family". "Oh, how is my darling Anai?" she gushed with a bright smile.
Milah always wondered if Jumoke had something for Kasim, she was always sneaky when she asked about Anai. When you mentioned Anai, you had to mention Kasim.
"Anai is alright, Kasim is fine too" he replied with a fond smile when Jumoke blushed at Kasim's name and because he was always a bight ray of sunshine, he added "The children are alright too".
"Oh, get out you" Jumoke said as she thrust his bowl of soup in his hands. "Ask for bread from Chuma" she added waving him off with a playful glare.
"Jumoke asked me to get bread here," he said as he stood in front of Chuma's stall. "Good morning to you too" Chuma replied with a not so playful glare, smiling sheepishly Milah greeted "Good morning Chuma".
"You are in trouble" Chuma replied, the hairs at the back of Milah's head stood at an alert, "What do you mean?" he asked a tad bit scared.
"Three of prince Khaldun's men were looking for you, Milah what did you do this time?" Chuma asked with a sigh, "I haven't done anything Chuma, I swear".
Rolling his eyes Chuma replied, "Take your bread and move out of the way, you're holding the line" chuckling nervously Milah moved to find a sit, his eyes on the lookout.
He didn't understand what he did wrong, he had just went to see his family.
His appetite lost, he left for his room, eyes trained on the ground, "Milah, good morning" he heard Thabit say, looking up he glared.
"Good morning sir" he replied and was about to walk around him when Thabit asked, "Where were you for the past two days?" .
"I went to see family" he replied bluntly, he decided he was not going to be the one to bring up the subject.
If Thabit was 'man enough' to go to his family he should also be confident to talk to Milah, "How is Kasim?" he heard Thabit ask, sighing he raised his head and replied "He is alright" and made to leave when Thabit held hand in a grip.
"What did you talk about?" Thabit asked and Milah could not help but notice how his voice quivered, "Nothing important" Milah replied, because truly Thabit want for a marriage was not important to him.
Thabit released the hand he was holding and left with a stiff nod, exhaling in relief Milah left for his room, with a string of guilt following him.
Milah didn't understand how love worked most times, but he knew for a fact however that most times, it did not work in your favor.
He understood how Thabit must have been feeling but he also knew you could not force the burden of love on someone; it was a self-acquired type of jail sentence. Milah would know.
Running his hands through his hair, he lay on his bed and looked to the ceiling. He wished Khal would return before the year ran out, he wished Khal still wanted him when he returned, he wished for a lot of things but only a tiny portion of those wishes ever come true.
The things he wishes for the most were never given to him.
Love worked in ways he did not understand, he wished he understood it, he wished so bad that the prospect of love did not confuse him.
Love had always confused him, from the moment he had his first encounter with love with his father who abandoned him, with Khal who left him, with Nefertiti who he didn't know who she was anymore.
He hated love as much as love seemed to hate him.
He recalls Khal reading him poems, remembers the words used to describe him, he couldn't believe how beautiful he looked in Khal's eyes, how so flawed, and at the same time so flawless Khal made him feel with each word.
"Like the waters of the Niles"
"Your eyes enchant me"
He smiled remembering how honest Khal sounded, his eyes dazed as he recited the poem he wrote.
How much love and care was put into the lines, Milah sometimes felt like he was not the person Khal was referring to.
He couldn't be that beautiful, he couldn't be that perfect, he couldn't be that loved, could he?
"Eyes so bright"
"I am willing to get lost in them"
He blushed every time Khal would read him poems, a dazed smile on his face as he stared at Khal.
Wanting so badly to have this beautiful person all to himself. The way he would stare at his eyes, so focused and attentive on Milah, like if he blinked Milah would disappear.
The way he would hold onto Milah when it was time to leave the gardens where they always met.
He yearned so much for his Khal to return, maybe if he went to the gardens on a Friday in the coming week as he did annually like Khal asked him to.
He would go after he placed offerings in the temple of Ra as he did every year and wish that maybe this year was the year his beloved would return.
"Will you do this for me?"
"Anything Khal, anything"
His mind wondering back to what had happened in the morning time, what did the prince's men want to do with him?
If it was about the necklace, he would defend his Khal, as he knew Khal would do for him.
Why had Nefertiti his closest friend changed in such a short time, he really wished she had not been the one to tell the prince about the necklace.
However, he knew his wish would not come to past, he just knew. As all his wishes never did.
Perhaps this year was his year; his Khal would return this year.
"How will I know when you return?"
"I'll find you"
"Like you always do"
He hated having to rely on someone for his happiness; he despised hoping on someone to bring him joy. However, he would wait, as he always did because he knows what he would do for love. Anything.
Her Royal Awesomeness: So I wanted everyone's opinion on how they wanted Milah and Khal to meet. In the garden or where... Ah I just remembered, if Milah and Khal ever do the 'do' lol Nigerian slang for 'sexing someone up', do you guys want intense details or should I just fast forward it.
I vote details ;D. In addition, guys we need a pairing name for Milah and Khal, so if you have any suggestions tell me.
If you liked this chapter enough to press the VOTE button then please leave a nice or criticizing COMMENT and maybe if you feel generous enough SHARE! I'd really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!