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Salma's P.O.V.
Salma said nothing as an extremely powerful emotion started to break free of its shackles. The blind fury that she have been trying to suppress, was slowly making its way out, taking everything she had in her to not explode right in his face.
"Bee, are you okay?" He frowned, taking a small step towards her.
That movement snapped Salma out of her trance. Swallowing the burning rage inside her, she force herself to look away from the eyes that were causing explosions in her head and made her way to the steps, as if he never existed.
"Bee! Bee, wait!" Zayn cried, quickly moving ahead to block her path.
Biting the inside of her cheek and fisting her hands, Salma shoved past him roughly but he got around her again, his quick movement reminding her of a skilled dribbler for some reason.
"Wait, hear me out!" He tried again. "Let me explain."
Still not looking at him, Salma tried to force her way past him, but he kept stepping in front of her.
"Bee!"
Salma stopped, feeling overwhelmed. She could not quite put a finger on what the feeling was, but it made her chest tighten painfully and her eyes well up. The only tangible thought she could formulate from it was the raw desire to slap Zayn.
"Move!" Salma forced the word, avoiding his gaze to keep her temper in check.
"Bee, I -"
Salma glared at him.
"You what?!"
Salma saw his eyes widening slightly, but he was quick to recover.
"I understand that you are angry," Zayn began, "but, can we talk?"
"No."
Before he could catch up, Salma pushed past him towards the stairs. She felt his fingers circling her arm, making her snap.
"Don't touch me!" Salma yanked her arm away.
"Will you just hear me out?! Or do you have a thing for jumping conclusions?"
Salma turned around to face him fully, dropping all attempts to avoid a confrontation.
"Hear you out?!" she seethed. "Hear you out on what, exactly?"
"On everything!" Zayn shot back. "You don't even know what happened!"
Salma gaped at him.
"Seriously?" She laughed dryly, astounded by Zayn's bold attempts to fool her. "What do you take me for?"
"Bee –"
"No, hold on a second," she cut him, feeling tears pricking her eyes, "I don't even know what happened, you say? I –"
"I didn't say –"
"Exactly, what part of the events do I not know of, Mr. Harris? Care to clarify?" Salma continued. "Is it the part where the fever knocked me out and you had your way with me back in the forest?"
Zayn's eyes widened as if he was not expecting that.
"Or the part where I was trapped inside my own body and you had fun throwing it all in my face and repeating your adventure just to prove a point?"
"That's not true!" Zayn denied, looking pale but furious at the same time.
"Oh really, it's not?" Salma mocked, doing her best not to give in to her emotions. "Why? Because there is no evidence, right? Too bad, Harris! I'm not convinced. I remember everything. Every. Damn. Detail! Every second of the time when I was dying and you were having -"
"That's not true!" Zayn raised his voice.
"I was in a coma, Harris! Not dead!" Salma spat.
"I lied, Bee!" Zayn cried. "I did not do any of what I told you when you were in a coma. I lied. If you would just let me explain –"
"Let you explain or let you lie again?" Salma cut him sharply. "Your explanations can work for what happened in the forest because I was unconscious, but hell, if you can work your way out of what you did in the hospital!"
Salma saw a muscle in Zayn's jaw twitch and his hands balled up again. He stayed silent for a second, glaring at her angrily. Salma thought he was going to lie to her face again.
"Do you really enjoy playing the victim?" Zayn asked, keeping his voice collected.
Salma felt as if she had been punched in the gut. Her throat constricted painfully at the insensitivity of his words but she was not ready to lose to him. Not now, not ever!
"And do you, Mr. Harris, really enjoy chasing and harassing girls for no reason?" Salma replied, equally coldly.
Zayn's eyes flashed and his nostrils flared. Salma could see his fists shaking with rage, but when he spoke, he kept his voice as cold and heartless as ever.
"Me? Chasing girls?" He scoffed, "Take a good look at your surroundings, love. It's my house you're standing in. Are you sure the chase is not the other way around?"
Salma felt a searing pain in her chest as if someone had clenched her heart in a strong grasp, squeezing it, making it burst. Her vision blurred with tears but she refused to give in.
"Hey!" someone shouted from downstairs, making Salma whip around. "Asim, is waiting for you." A blond guy, with kind blue eyes smiled.
Blinking to ease the prickling in her eyes, Salma swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at him.
"I'm coming," she replied, going down the steps without sparing another glance at the heartless boy, who made her feel dead with just a few words.
"Are you okay?" The blond smiled again.
Salma could still feel Zayn's eyes on her. There was no way she was going to let him have the satisfaction of his words having such an effect on her.
"I'm cool." Salma squeezed her eyes, in what she was hoping would appear to be a smile.
Salma noticed his eyes roam all over her scarf and abaya, but he was polite enough to attempt to stop himself and act normal.
"You sure are." The boy laughed as Salma joined him on the landing. "I'm Niall Flintoff, by the way. You're the infamous Bee, am I right?"
Salma felt a stabbing pain in her heart when he said 'Bee' but she ignored it. Forcing a smile and cheerful tone, she joked back.
"And you're the Irish Brownie, no?"
Niall's eyes widened with amusement before he burst out laughing.
"You're good at this," he chortled, "You're really good."
"It's Salma." Salma smiled genuinely. Niall's cheerfulness was contagious.
"Nice to have finally met you, Salma." Niall returned the smile, offering his hand. "Oh." He bit his lip, promptly retracting his hand. "You guys don't shake hands. right?"
"Right. And no hugs."
Laughing with amusement Niall led the way out.
"Salma," Niall called as she came out of the house where Asim was waiting for her by the car.
"Yes?" Salma asked.
Niall opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again. Salma frowned in confusion, watching him scratch his neck awkwardly, not saying a word.
"Thank you," he said finally. "For everything."
"It's nothing," Salma replied. "Claire would have done the same."
"Not just that," Niall struggled, "Not just for today, but for everything else . . . I know he can be a real pain sometimes. . ."
Niall trailed off again, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. Now that she realized what he was talking about, Salma did not know what to say. She just clasped her hands together, watching as Asim walked up to them, an irritated expression on his face. Salma could tell Niall understood. Unlike his best friend, he seemed thoughtful and considerate. Salma had a feeling he was trying to say more than just convey his gratitude. He was trying to apologize for what she had to put up with, because of Zayn.
"Well . . . thanks for everything," Niall said after a long pause, giving her an understanding smile.
Salma nodded in reply.
"Can we go now?" Asim asked, scowling at her.
"Yeah," Salma replied. "Did you get Claire's things?"
"I got them. He gave them to me earlier." Niall replied.
"Okay," Salma nodded again. "Bye."
Turning around, she followed Asim to his car, feeling an insanely heavy amount of weight crushing down on her.
***
"You were angry at me because I held you close to me all night, weren't you?" he whispered.
"Stop!" she attempted to scream. "Zayn, stop it!"
"Guess what, that wasn't all. I didn't just hold you all night."
"No! No, you didn't!"
Salma tried squirmed away but she remained frozen to where she was. She could feel her palm pressed flat to his collar bones but she could neither pull it away nor push him off.
"I kissed you," he continued.
Salma felt her heart stop. It seared with such an intense pain that it made her gasp.
"And I hugged you tight."
"No!"
"I felt the smoothness of your skin and I didn't regret it."
"Zayn, stop-"
"Don't you want to blame me for that?"
"Get away from me!" Salma screamed.
"I'm not going to deny it, Bee. Don't you want to drag my ass to court?"
"Zay-"
"I'm not even going say I'm sorry because I still don't regret it."
"You lowlife!" Salma yelled.
She attempted to slap him, but her hand refused to move and her voice would not cooperate.
"Think about it," Zayn continued, unfazed by her screaming that he never heard, "what if I'll do it again and maybe that's why I'm here."
"Don't!" Salma started crying.
"I am doing it all over again."
"Zayn, Please don't!"
"Don't you want to stop me?"
Salma cringed away, and yet she did not move an inch. He was close to her, so much so that she could feel his breath fan her face. Salma did all she could to back off, forced all of her muscles to move, used every ounce of her energy to push him away, and yet nothing happened. He was still rooted to where he was, one of his hands holding onto hers, and the other cupping her cheek. Her chest congested as she kept screaming at him inaudibly.
"If you won't wake up," he murmured, "I will kiss you."
"Don't! Don't! Back off!"
Salma became more frantic, desperately trying to push him off. She could feel her throat searing with pain from all the pressure but it just won't form a word.
"Back off, Zay-"
"I know you can hear me, Bee and I'm not bluffing," Zayn warned.
"Leave me a-alone," Salma cried pathetically, trying to shove him with the hand still pressed to his neck, "J-just let me be."
"Either you at least try to snap out of it, or I'll go through with the kissing."
Panicking, Salma did all she could to break past the invisible binds that held her captive. Her chest constricted and her lungs felt sore. She desperately attempted to protest audibly. She could feel him waiting, still sitting by her side, close to her, watching as she struggled to move her own body that had turned against her.
Salma heard him sigh and felt the air around him change. She could feel his resolution. He was going to do it.
"No! Zayn, don't!" Salma panicked.
She felt him getting close. Her lungs burned and they refused to fill with enough air. She felt cramps in her neck as she strained her muscles to move away from him. Her whole body tensed when she felt the soft caress on the tip of her nose. Her head seared with pain. Hot, blind fury took over her mind. Even if her body was immobile, she could feel every cell in her being shaking, unable to contain the anger she felt for this lowlife.
If she could move, if only she could move . . .
"You are so frustrating, Bee, did you know that?"
"I will kill you!"
Her shrill voice reverberated in her ears. Salma could hear her unsteady heart hammering against her chest. She could feel her lungs laboriously trying to keep up with it, but she did not feel what she wanted to feel. She did not feel Zayn moving away.
She felt him pause, however. He was not moving and not saying anything. For an instant, Salma thought he heard her, but that thought soon vanished, when he spoke up again.
"Have it your way," he whispered.
Salma gasped.
Have it your way . . .
His choice of words echoed against her mind. She felt him drawing close as flashes of another memory kept barging in.
"Don't you dare! Zayn, don't you –"
Have it your way. . .
Salma pushed him with all her might. She tried to scream in protest.
"Zayn! Zayn, please –"
Have it your way. . .
Salma felt a soft contact close to her mouth. It triggered her worst nightmare making her head explode with an intense pain. An earsplitting scream pierced her ears as she felt the skin near her eye sear when he tore it. . .
Salma's eyes jerked opened. She was drenched in sweat and shaking all over. It took her a while to realize she was having a nightmare. Her heart was still racing and her throat ached. Sitting up, Salma swallowed to dislodge the lump in her throat but it didn't help.
Impure.
Her eyes welled up as the word echoed through her mind.
You are impure.
Putting her head in her hands, Salma started crying.
***
"Salma?"
Salma felt a gentle shake.
"Salma, kiddo wake up," Alley said. "You fell asleep on the prayer mat."
Salma forced her eyes open. Having laid at an awkward position, her neck seared when she lifted her head off of the floor.
"Are you okay?" Her mother frowned in concern.
Too exhausted to work out an audible reply, Salma resorted to nodding. Her eyelids drooped with sleep again.
"Have you prayed fajr?" Alley asked, helping her up.
Salma nodded again. Alley's cross voice went in and out of tune as she lectured her daughter for not taking care of herself. The cramped muscles in Salma's body welcomed the feeling of the soft bed. She sighed in content, snuggling into her pillow as sleep took her under its wing again.
What seemed like a minute later, an irritating shrill voice woke her up with a jolt, and then she was blinded by a bright light. Groaning, Salma slapped her hands on her eyes.
"What is going on," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Let me sleep."
Still groaning and complaining underbreath, she relaxed back against her pillows.
"Sorry, it was my phone," she heard her mum. "Go back to sleep. The boys won't mind."
Frowning in confusion, Salma opened an eye a wink. Her mother was sitting on the prayer mat next to her bed. Her frown deepened. What was she doing in her room so early in the morning?
After a moment of thought, Salma gasped and sat up straight. She turned around to see the sun already high up in the sky.
"Mum! What time is it?!"
Without waiting for Alley's response, Salma grabbed her phone from the side-table.
"Oh Snap!" she cried. "Mum, it's ten! Why didn't you wake me up! They'll be here any minute!"
"You were in no condition to leave your bed," Alley replied crossly. "Don't give me that look, it's all thanks to your own foolishness. Barely out of the hospital and you went out running the length of the super market!"
Salma looked away. Her mother's words reminded her of how horrible last night was.
When they got back home, Salma forced a calm face, but the ache within her refused to let her fake a smile. Asim kept throwing worried glances her way throughout the ride back home. He kept his silence, though, and for that, Salma was grateful. Alley and Anne noticed too, but Salma dodged their suspicions by claiming to be really exhausted.
Salma retired to her room early. Thinking she would just go to bed and everything would be fine, She busied herself by texting James and Dean, anticipating their arrival the next day. The two kept her occupied till she drifted off to sleep, only to get haunted by her anxiety in her dreams.
A cold shiver ran down her spine when she remembered her nightmare.
"I wanted to go to the airport to get James and Dean," Salma complained, trying to shrug away the horrible images of her nightmare.
"It would have been wise to rest then, wouldn't it?" Alley replied. "Asim and your dad went to the airport."
Pulling the duvet away, Salma caught her mother scowling at her when she got out of her bed.
"I'm fine, mum," Salma mumbled, padding towards her.
"You don't look fine," Alley pecked her on the cheek. "Give yourself time to heal. Your body has rights on you. Don't transgress against it."
Salma bit her tongue and nodded. She could not just tell her mum why she was so exhausted. It was not because she exerted herself too much by going out shopping. It was because after the nightmare, Salma could not fake it anymore. She could not bottle her emotions. She needed an outlet.
Standing before Allah was the only way she could strengthened herself without concealing her pain. It was the only way she could toughen up by breaking down. It was not long before she was a crying mess, letting out every ounce of frustration she felt, from the night she was attack to the day Zayn confessed to his crimes in the hospital, up until she confronted him last night. Salma had stayed in prostration, allowing the tears and silent whispers to ease the searing pain in her chest till she had passed out on the prayer mat.
After a quick shower, Salma went down to the kitchen. Alley had already made her a huge breakfast.
"Have they arrived yet?" she asked her mother.
"Yes, I just got a call from Asim," her mother replied. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
Nodding, Salma pulled the plate of scrambled eggs towards herself.
"Thanks for the breakfast, mum."
"Of course." Her mother smiled in return. "Eat loads and regain what you've lost. Allah knows how you survived in that forest. You've lost a lot weight down there."
Salma swallowed uncomfortably. A sinking feeling made her stomach churn with unease. Her mother's words reminded her of how badly they were starved in the forest, and how horrible Zayn used to get when he was hungry.
Salma forked some more egg in her mouth but it was hard to chew on. Her mind wasted no time going back to when she was assaulted, and everything Zayn had done. Losing her appetite, Salma got to her feet to wait outside for Dean and James.
"You're not going anywhere unless you've finished your food," Alley's stern voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Mum!" Salma protested.
"Not a word, young lady. Finish your breakfast!"
Salma's stomach made a rather obnoxious sound agreeing with her mother. She looked up to find Alley eyeing her smugly. Yes, she was hungry, but she could not eat when her anxiety kicked in.
"I understand you're too excited to sit still." Alley smiled. "but the boys won't like it if you look like a zombie."
Salma forced a smile at her. Slumping back on the chair, she decided it was best to act normal, not just for her mother, but for James and Dean too. Alley was right, Salma could not spoil this much anticipated reunion of theirs.
Forcing herself to completely shut out Zayn and everything related to him, Salma picked up her fork again.
"Why didn't you go to the airport?" she asked in an attempt to distract herself.
Fifteen minutes later, Salma heard the door blast open. Putting the dishes away, she rushed to front door closely followed by her mother. She saw Karen's face and ran towards her.
"Karen!"
Salma threw her arms around the middle aged woman with shoulder length brown hair.
"Oh sweetheart!" Karen cooed, hugging her back. "Have I missed this?"
Salma laughed. Karen backed away a little to take a good look at her . One minute, Salma was smiling to her and the next -
"SALLY!"
- she was tackled into a hug -
"Oh my God, Sally!"
By Dean.
"It's so good to see finally you!" he screamed excitedly.
Salma awkwardly stood there, extremely happy to finally see him, but still uncomfortable in his embrace. She could never get used to getting hugged by males her age. James and Dean, however, chose to ignore that. They attacked her every time they saw each other.
"It's great to see you again too, Dee!"
Dean laughed, squeezing her so tight that Salma gasped for air.
"Oi!" She heard a high pitched voice. Dean was suddenly pulled away from her. "You'll end up killing her. She only just got out of the hospital, you beast!"
"James!" Salma exclaimed.
"Hi Sallabae!" James smiled, stretching his arms out, but then his smile vanished. "You sure look horrible."
"James!" Karen scolded.
He ignored his mother, pulling Salma into a hug.
"Oh God!" The muslim girl groaned. "Again with the hugs!"
Salma braced herself for his usual bone crushing squeeze and twirl, but James just chuckled quietly. Salma frowned at his strange behavior.
"I sure am happy to see you again." She grinned. "And that's saying something, considering I'm still mad at you."
Again, she heard him chuckle softly. Salma stood there feeling awkward. Something was off about him, but she could not place a finger on it. Not until she thought she heard him sniff.
"James?" Salma frowned. He did not reply. His arms just grew a little tighter. Salma felt her heart sinking. Was he really crying? "James, you okay?"
Everyone in the room fell silent and turned to the two of them. In the quiet that followed, Salma felt even more uncomfortable.
"I – I just . . ." James tried to cover it up with a laugh. "I'm glad you're okay. I've missed you."
Salma saw everyone faces turning serious.
"Come on!" She grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm totally fine!" Reaching up, she awkwardly hugged him back a bit. "And you're still not forgiven," she reminded him, smacking his head lightly.
It cracked everyone up, including James. He pulled away slowly, still keeping on arm around her shoulders.
"It's good to see you." He smiled. "Zombie!"
Salma felt her throat constrict seeing his moist eyes. Swallowing the lump, she smiled.
"So good that it made you cry?" Salma stuck her tongue out.
James groaned and pulled away to greet Alley.
"Now you're going to rub this in my face, aren't you?" he said, embarrassed.
"Till it's sore, yes." Salma smirked. "What are you going to do about it?"
She gasped when a pillow smacked her square in the face.
"This," James replied, his eyes shining with mischief.
"Why, you!"
Salma picked up the decorative pillow and aimed it at him but she missed and hit Dean instead.
"What the –"
James was running away from Salma. Thinking he was the one who had hit him, Dean aimed the pillow at him instead of Salma.
"It wasn't me!" James shouted. "It was her!"
"He started it!"
"She hit you!"
"Sally!"
"No -"
"Watch out!"
A full blown chase started between the three of them within minutes.
"And they are back at it again!" Alley and Karen groaned as Salma dived behind them to dodge an attack from James.
***
"Time out!" Salma gasped for breath, crashing on the couch. "I have to pray."
Two pillows hit her in the face.
"I said I have to pray!"
Another pillow came flying towards her.
"James!"
"That's enough, James!" Karen intervened.
Making faces at him over Karen's shoulder, Salma ran up the stairs to her room before he could catch up.
"Yes!" Salma celebrated, pumping the air with her fist when she reached the landing. However, her smile quickly dropped.
"Asim?"
Salma had turned around to see a somber looking Asim standing by the long window. Seeing his serious face, Salma felt a sudden pang of guilt. She was so overwhelmed by the brothers, she did not even notice Asim has been missing downstairs. He was probably trying to avoid a confrontation with James, considering how thick the tension between them was.
"What's up?" Salma smiled, feeling bad for leaving him out.
"Nothing much." He returned the smile. "Do you happen to have a minute? I wanted to talk to you."
Salma paused at her door, dreading an interrogation. He had seen enough last night to get curious. The person that went into Zayn's house was not the same as the one who came out.
"Sure." She held the door open, trying to mask her unease. "Come in."
Author's Note:
James and Dean are finally here ^^ Who likes them?
Vote, Comment and Share!
Much Love to whoever is rounding up new readers! Thanks a lot ^^ I'm over the moon lol!
Lots of Love.
J.