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Zayn, who had been unaware of Salma presence, looked up from his phone to give his order to the man behind the counter. He saw a movement in his periphery and involuntarily threw a hasty glance to his right. His eyes did a double take upon seeing her. The golden brown eyes that had haunted her dreams, widened. Salma saw his lips part in surprise.
"Bee?!" He exclaimed.
An intense pain shot through Salma's heart at the sound of his voice. She felt the pressure build behind her eyes and her chest constricted. Hot, boiling rage, like that of a surging volcano erupted inside her, blinding her, making her see red everywhere.
The monster!
This was the man who had deliberately made her shame herself, ridicule her own beliefs and violate the sanctity of her emotions, forever tainting them impure by forcing a declaration out of her that should never have happened. This was the man who tried to bring her down by striking at her most treasured gifts; her modesty and emotional purity. This was the man who tried to snatch away the respect she had for herself, to watch her snap, to see break but she would never give him the satisfaction of seeing her crumble. He would not see her crack. That much was quite clear in Salma's head.
Taking in a deep breath, she swallowed her anger and forced a smile that she made sure would show in her eyes.
"Wait – it's Zayn, isn't it?!" Salma faked a cheerful surprise, "Zayn Harris, right?"
Zayn stared at her, bewildered. He was clearly caught off guard. Of all the things that could have happened, he had not expected her to acknowledge him. She did not seem angry, or upset, or in any way bothered that he was there. While his guilt filled heart clenched painfully, Zayn found her nonchalance more painful than if she were to yell at him.
"How've you been?" Salma continued, "I just presented my research. It went perfectly well. Your visuals were appreciated. I'm really grateful -"
"I – Bee, I'm –"
There was so much he wanted to tell this girl. There was so much to say, but when he opened his mouth, he found himself lost for words. His lips moved wordlessly, not sure what to say or how to say it.
"Ma'am, your order," the man behind the counter spoke up.
Salma turned away to receive her ice cream.
"Thank you!" She smiled at the man, before turning back to Zayn. "Well, I got to go now."
Shrugging slightly, she slipped away. Zayn watched her walking away without sparing him another glance. He clenched his fists as the ache in his chest magnified manifold and spread to the rest of his body in waves. Closing his eyes, Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
He just had his chance! Why couldn't he just -
"Sir?" He heard the man. Zayn looked up to see the cashier eyeing him with concern, "Are you alright, sir?"
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Zayn nodded. He turned around to scan the room but the girl he was searching for was gone.
"Your order, sir?" the man asked again.
Zayn took in deep breath. He wasn't hungry anymore.
"Nevermind," he muttered, walking away from a confused cashier, with a heavier heart than when he entered the joint.
***
Salma returned her tray to the air hostess and settled back in her seat. Her brother was sitting next to her, scrolling through his phone. The two siblings were flying back home without their father. He made a last minutes plan fly to LA with his client. By the looks of it, Salma suspected LA was not the only city he was planning on visiting. She heard him say something about his project in Atlanta that was getting largely ignored.
"You kids go alone. I'll be there in a few days, I promise," he had said. "I've called Dawood. He and Anne will be there if you need anything in my absence."
Salma stared out of the window at the clear skyscape, feeling conflicted. She had been mentally debating about confiding in her brother since the previous day. However, every time the opportunity presented itself, Salma lost the courage to do so.
"I hope mum is alright," Asim said out of blue.
Salma sighed, feeling her gut twist with anxiety. Her mother barely called, and when they tried to contact her, they found that her phone had been powered off. Although her mother tried to play it off citing bad service as an excuse, the siblings – and perhaps their father too – suspected her phone has been confiscated. It appeared that she was only allowed to make certain supervised calls, because everyone else in the valley seemed to be able to use cellular service just fine.
She had also extended her vacation – which Salma called a 'prison sentence' – unexpectedly. Her mother was only supposed to spend a week in the valley and then fly back home. The siblings feared she was forced to stay longer. Like her phone, her passport was most probably seized by her conspiring uncle too. Or, the sly old man was demanding something of her and her mother was using delaying tactics to figure a way out of her pinch. However, the two siblings could not figure out what his demands might be.
"I don't understand why Mum and Aunt Farhiya are so terrified of that old aristocrat," Asim continued. "Their social and political position is a lot stronger than him. They should stand their ground at him more often."
Salma turned to her brother.
"Easier said than done," Salma replied, "After their mother was poisoned, it's understandable why they're scared. Especially Aunt Farhiya who happens to live with those devils,"
A young kid with jet black hair passed by, reminding Salma of a certain dark haired boy she had crossed paths with only yesterday.
"Anyway, I had to tell you something," Salma said, making up her mind suddenly.
"Nothing bad, hopefully," Asim joked.
Salma did not smile.
"I met Zayn yesterday," she confided.
Her brother stilled, all traces of humor evaporating from his face.
"When?!"
"At the eatery," Salma said. "When I was getting my ice cream, he was there."
Her brother looked deeply troubled.
"Did he say anything?" Asim frowned, "He didn't bother you, did he?"
Salma sighed.
"No," she replied, quickly telling him how she had dealt with him. Asim stayed silent through her tale, listening attentively.
"I don't know," he said, once Salma asked him if she had done right by mocking indifference. "I think you should've just ignored him."
Salma said nothing as she turned back to the window. She was not sure why but she had a feeling ignoring Zayn would mean she was on the defensive. It could potentially have emboldened him to follow her around. By faking nonchalance, Salma caught him off guard, giving her the opportunity to walk away unharmed.
"Do you think he's stalking you?" Asim asked after a while.
Salma turned to her brother with her eyebrows raised.
"Out of the state?!" she asked in disbelief. "Seriously Asim, I think following me to the gym would have been a little more convenient than catching a plane to follow me into a burger joint in NYC."
"Oh, yeah," Asim frowned adorably making Salma pinch his cheeks, much to his annoyance.
It was almost dark when they landed. Getting a cab, the two siblings drove home. Salma mentally enlisted the things she had to take care of before going to sleep. She was exhausted and it was Monday the next day. The sky was a deep shade of purple when they got home. Hoping to catch up on Maghrib, Salma and Asim hastened out of the car and pulled their bags out.
"Can you open the door? My hands are --"
Asim cut short abruptly. Salma turned to him with a confused frown only to see him staring at someone standing next to their door. Her mouth went dry when she recognized who the boy was.
"Fahad?" Asim exclaimed in surprise, "Assalamo'Alaykum. What're you doing here?"
Salma saw him throwing her a quick glance before turning to Asim.
"Wa'Alaykum Assalam," he muttered, nodding slightly at Salma. "I came to talk to you about your mum."
The two siblings froze with fear.
"Mum?" Asim echoed. "Why? -- What happened to her? Is she --?"
"Fine." Fahad waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. "She's fine. At least for now . . ."
Salma swallowed, wrapping her arms around herself. Her brother placed the bags on the floor, his expression mirroring hers - a mixture of concern, fear and confusion.
"Look, I don't have much time. There are eyes and ears everywhere. I came here to warn you. Your mother is being cornered. " Fahad continued, confirming their fears. "She's being blackmailed for certain . . . goals that Agha Gul has in mind. Only this time, it's not just my mum they're using against her as leverage."
"Why?!" Asim asked. "What is happening? And what do you mean not just about your m --?"
Fahad's eyes flitted to Salma.
"It's about you."
Salma's blood ran cold. The two siblings shared a panicked look.
"What?" Salma whispered. "What about me?"
"Agha Gul has his mind set on bringing you under his . . . care, if you will," Fahad replied. "He thought your mother would agree to the previous settlement because she would not suspect her sister's son but of course that did not go as planned. Your father intervened giving me a window to shoot the idea down."
"So what's he doing now?" Asim asked.
Fahad hesitated, eyeing Salma sympathetically.
"He's set you up with Ghamey."
All breath was knocked out of Salma's system as if she'd been punched. She stared at her cousin wide eyed. Her throat constricted painfully - a telltale sign of panicked tears about to choke her.
"That's not happening!" Salma denied in alarm, her voice higher than usual, "That's never ever happening. I –"
"You don't have a choice," Fahad muttered, looking at her apologetically. "You never did."
"Yes she does!" Asim said angrily, "Just like the last time –"
"Last time it worked because I rejected her!" Fahad replied, "Had I not spoken up, Agha Gul would have gone through with it with or without your father's consent, just like he's doing it now!"
Salma blinked back tears. No, that's not what happened. Her father would never let that happen.
"Oh, you think dad would have agreed in the end even if Salma rejected?" Asim scoffed.
Fahad stared at him as if it was obvious.
"Of course." He shrugged. When Asim shook his head at him in disbelief, he continued. "He'd never find out Salma was not willing. Not when Salma herself would tell him she was willing to go for it."
Despite her overwhelming panic and frustration with the situation, Salma looked at him, disgusted.
"Why would I ever do that?!" she said harshly. "And for your jerk of a brother?!"
Fahad pursed his lips, shrugging.
"You'd do it for your mum," Fahad said. "You have no choice but to marry Ghamey."
"What're you talking about?!" Asim snapped.
Fahad looked between the two siblings, letting out a slow breath. He knew he had little choice but to tell them what was going on if he wanted them to help him protect his mother.
"How much do you know about Sulaiman, the last, unanimously accepted Grand Chief of the Grand Council?"
***
Salma squeezed the pillow she was clutching to her chest. She felt like her heart would burst. She gritted her teeth as the agony overwhelmed her, making her eyes water again. How? Just how was she to fight this war where saving herself would mean sacrificing the people around her, and protecting them would mean sacrificing herself. How in the world was she expected to either live with the guilt of hurting her family or walk herself to a life of imprisonment?
Letting out a strangled sound, she threw the pillow across the room. As the desire to start screaming overwhelmed her, Salma clenched her fist against her mouth to stifle any cries of pain. After a moment it became too much. She was seconds away from trashing her room. She wanted to yell her heart out. She suddenly felt like Zayn and it frightened her. The fact that she was just a few moments away from losing her mind like him jolted her straight in her bed.
Is this what it felt like to be Zayn? To be hounded by pain and distress, to be pushed so far into a dark corner that one feels like they would lose their mind by sheer enormity of the agony?
She felt a faint emotion budding in her heart. It was the foreign sentiment. A feeling she thought she had long lost for the dark haired boy. It was feeling of empathy . . . for Zayn?
Shocked by the crazy pace her thoughts were going haywire, Salma jumped out of her bed. Before another form of guilt could take over her, the guilt not of shaming herself or walking all over on her dignity, but the guilt of having judged someone harshly with the tunnel vision that focused only on her own pain, she pulled her abaya over her head.
This was not a fight she could fight alone. She always walked into a dead end, no matter how closely she explored her options to walk away from Agha Gul's trap without hurting her family. Knowing full well she was being reckless and irrational, Salma wiped her eyes dry and wrapped her scarf around her head and face. Yes, what she was thinking of doing was dangerous, but so was sitting around, crying and doing nothing.
Salma hastened down the steps, before she could second guess her decision. Having heard her, Asim hurried out of the kitchen, his eyes anxious. She had locked herself in her room hours ago and Asim was worried sick. He was scared for her doing something stupid locked up with her mind, but he was not sure if he should force her out. Salma was a very private person. She, like his father hated people butting into her personal matters and he did not know what to do.
Asim panicked further when he saw his sister reaching for her shoes.
"Sally, are you going somewhere?" Asim asked tentatively as he watched her stomped her feet into her shoes.
With her throat too clogged to talk, Salma nodded. Asim's heart ache catching a glimpse of her blood shot eyes.
"But it's dark and Alex said not to!" Asim pointed out. "Where're you going at this hour --"
"Gym," Salma muttered.
Snatching the car keys, Salma hurried outside and slammed the door shut behind her. Bewildered, Asim threw a hasty glance at the clock. It was half past nine. The gym closed at seven. Where exactly was his sister headed all alone at night?
He dashed towards the door and wrenched it open. Salma had already pulled out of driveway.
"Salma! Salma wait --"
Asim cut short abruptly as she shot down the street, leaving him standing barefooted in front of his house. The car rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. He sighed miserably and turned around. Feeling a heavy weight settling in his gut, Asim hurried back inside to get her on the phone or try getting in touch with Sarah to look out of his sister.
Author's Note:
1) Y'all are awesome
2) There's about 7 or 8 chapters left in the story. I've laid out most of it. Just a few scenes remain to be written. Unless I add or remove anything during edition, the number of chapters left probably would not change.
3) Chapter 90: "Heartbreaking Realities" is already up on Patreon + a patron exclusive scene between William and Ghamey. Become a patron to enjoy it.
4) Suck up and comment if you want a chapter, if you don't, oh well, I kind of know where Lost stands, anyway :P
Lots of Love.
J.