JASMINE FOLLOWED Maya Khan into the mansion. Shayan trailed behind, sandwiched between his two teasing sisters with a scowl twisting his lips.
"Shayan, there's no need to turn red," Shraddha, his twenty-year-old sister, crooned. "Everyone has a crush at some point."
"And don't worry, she has to like you back. Her name is Jasmine and you look like Aladdin. It's meant to be," Sadia explained as if it was obvious.
Jasmine wanted to laugh at Sadia's giggles but was preoccupied with the parallel she described. The relationship between her and Shayan couldn't be meant to be and even if it was, they weren't really from two different worlds. She shook her head to herself for letting a child's baseless observation make its way into her psyche. Shayan would never be her prince and her life would never be a fairytale.
That was her reality. She had to accept it.
"How could it be more obvious?" Shraddha said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. "I mean, you're quite the charismatic prince."
"Shut up," he muttered under his breath.
Sadia took in a deep breath, about to tease him some more, when Shayan picked her up by the legs with an overdramatic, evil laugh. He held her upside down, trying to stop the smile from reaching his lips when his little sister broke into a fit of giggles.
"You were wrong, Sadia. I'm not Aladdin, but Jafar, the worst villain of them all."
"Stop it, Shayan!" she screamed, punching his chest as her cheeks turned red with anger.
Maya turned on her heel and raised her eyebrow at the three. "Girls, stop tormenting your brother." When Shraddha opened her mouth to protest, Maya continued with a raised hand. "And Shayan. Stop tickling my baby."
"As you wish." He grinned and dropped Sadia onto the carpet, making sure her head was protected and that she'd fall inches from the ground.
"Shayan!" Maya exclaimed.
Sadia glared and flashed him an impish smirk, one that their mother couldn't see. She let out a cry of despair, crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks.
Maya placed her hands on her hips. "Apologize to your sister and put your phone on my desk. You're cut off from the rest of the world for one week. Hope you survive."
Shayan's jaw dropped and Jasmine placed her palm against her lips to stifle her laughter. Shraddha nodded towards the kitchen, pulling a grinning Sadia to her feet. He took the hint and walked after them with a sulky look on his face.
Maya turned back to Jasmine. "Honey, I think we may have to talk," she whispered, her voice chilly enough to send an avalanche through San Diego. Shayan's mother took a right turn into the guest bedroom, beckoning Jasmine to sit on the couch in the corner. She leaned against the door, analyzing her every move.
"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked, her spine straightening as she felt Maya's eyes on her.
"You know me, Jas. I don't beat around the bush. I've seen you and my son together when you were kids and I've seen you together now. I've seen the love you have for each other, but I know you're going to hurt him," Maya said.
When Jasmine only stared at her, she continued.
"I know your parents, Jasmine. I know about their horrendous rules and I know you love them too much to stand up for what you want," she sighed. "What you're doing to Shayan is wrong. There have been so many times when I've seen him heartbroken over you, but he still hopes that your feelings will change. You're hurting him, Jasmine."
The younger woman shook her head, her eyes darkening. "What do you want me to do?"
Shayan's mother crossed her arms over her chest. "You need to choose. Either you tell him the truth or you tell your parents they're wrong and be with him."
Jasmine's face paled. "I'm sorry."
She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. Perhaps it was because she didn't think she could ever choose, or maybe it was because of how much she had hurt Shayan. Regardless, she knew that everything Maya said was true. She couldn't keep doing this to him.
She placed her face in her hands and she cried, not caring for the woman watching her. She cried as if she were a victim, as if she were a little girl who didn't know better.
And at that moment, Jasmine hated herself more than she ever believed she could
"Oh, Jas," Maya murmured. "I know you've been through a lot. I apologize for adding this onto you as well. It's important you choose, but you need to know you have a home with us. Even if you turn Shayan down, you will always have a family in us."
Jasmine buried her face into her shoulder, crying even harder when she thought about Shayan and how disgusted he'd be to see her turn into a blubbering mess.
Maya wiped away her tears. "There's no need to keep crying. Why don't you shower, get those colors out of your hair, and take some time to calm down? I'll leave some of Shraddha's clothes out for you. And I don't care what you say, but you will be staying for dinner. I think you deserve one night away from your parents, don't you?"
"Thank you for everything, Auntie."
"I think after all this, you might as well call me Maya." A small smile played on her lips as she placed another kiss on Jasmine's forehead. "I'll see you at dinner, alright?"
Jasmine looked at the bathroom connected to the room she was in. A hot shower sounded amazing. "I'll be there."
"That's my girl," the older woman said and left the room.
Jasmine heard a yelp from outside but was much too drained to investigate. She dragged herself into the shower, letting the hot water wash away her fears, doubts, and hate. She'd only leave behind her hope that this night would be the escape she needed all along.
⇣⇣⇣
"WHAT GAVE you the right to interfere in my life, Mom?" Shayan snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. His younger sister stood behind him with an identically cold stance.
Maya's eyes flashed. "Were you eavesdropping on my private conversation? A closed door means it does not concern you in any way."
"But it does!" Shayan exclaimed. "You never thought to tell me I was wasting my time on a girl who cannot be with me, no matter how much she wants to? You didn't think I would want to know that I shouldn't be angry with her for blowing me off, but with her parents for enforcing their racist ideas on her?"
Sadia placed her hands over her mouth, hissing at Shayan, "Why would you say that?"
His mother let out a tired sigh. "Sadia, find your sister. I think she wants to speak to you."
The little girl tried to protest, but one firm look from her mother sent her running in the opposite direction. Maya swiftly grabbed her son's arm and pulled him into her office, "We have guests in the house. Watch your tone before anyone hears."
He ripped himself away from his mother, a sense of betrayal rumbling across his face. "I love her. I've loved her since I was old enough to know what the word meant. And to think, she's loved me back all along. She was just too scared to lose her parents," Shayan paused, "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped her stand up to them. Everything could've changed for the better."
"You don't know that. If anything, you would've come to resent her for always choosing others above you. I was trying to protect you." Maya placed her hand against Shayan's cheek. "Why would you put yourself through this heartache when you can move on? This girl has had you by the collar for years. She's not healthy."
Shayan leaned into his mother's hand and closed his eyes. "She's the one."
"Maybe. We won't ever know for sure, but sometimes, when you've tried your hardest, it may be time to surrender the wheel to destiny."
"You're a walking cliche, Mom."
"I'm a firm believer in God helping us in the form of destiny," she said seriously, before cracking a smile. "But yes, I am also quite the cliche."
Not a minute passed until a door on the opposite end of the hall opened and Jasmine walked out, her hair tossed to one side in a tornado of wet curls. She wore Shraddha's leggings and her UC Berkeley sweatshirt, a smile plastered on her face.
She approached Shayan and his mother, leaving an ample amount of distance between them. Her expression was not radiant, her smile was just above emotionless, and her body language was achingly neutral. She was treating him like they were barely friends as if their years of back and forth flirting had never existed. As if his heart didn't explode into fireworks when he saw her. As if the sound of her laugh didn't haunt him for nights.
She was just a friend.
"Thank you so much for the clothes, Maya. I'll make sure to return them soon," Jasmine said, running her fingers through her hair. He knew she only did that when her fingers were trembling and he ignored the urge to soothe her anxiety in any way he could.
"Anytime, Jas." With a pointed look to Shayan, Maya threw her dupatta over her shoulder with a laugh. "I'll check up on dinner. God only knows what my daughters have done to my kitchen."
Jasmine waved before she turned to Shayan, clearing her throat like she was trying not to break down in front of him. "What were you up to while I was gone?" she asked.
"I had a little talk with Mom." His eyes lost its familiar lively spark. "I think we need to have a talk too. I need to tell you something and so do you. After all, friends don't keep secrets, right?" He sounded challenging and cold, but he couldn't stop. He wanted to hurt her. So, when her shoulders sagged and her eyes averted to the floor, a sick feeling of satisfaction crept up his spine.
"Of course not," she whispered.
"Perfect. I'll meet you in my room after dinner. I doubt we'd even be able to find a place to eat together with all these people running around, anyway. Go upstairs whenever you'd like and I'll find a way over. Are we clear?"
Shayan wanted her to understand what it was like to depend on someone, only for them to turn their back on her.
And yet, his heart broke when her fingers clenched into fists as if he were a threat to her safety. It broke when Jasmine Karesh held back her tears to spit out her next three words, sharper than the blade he had stabbed in her back.
"It's crystal clear."
Don't you just love me trying to break the Jayan Ship? (feel free to comment other ship names, mine sucks) I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, nevertheless! Please make sure to vote and comment your thoughts— I'm always looking out for them!
Also, my updating schedule has been destroyed because of school and I am so sorry for not updating in a week! It'll go back to normal soon (I hope)!
Thank you guys SO much for 5,000 reads by the way! This story has only been up for three months so that's INSANE!
See you next time!
Much love, Ana