hEy shishterz im having a bad day so thats why im updating again 🤠 like writing is so cathartic for me!! that was irrelevant but anyway i hope u enjoy
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chapter thirty five - phoenix
song of the chapter ; hostage - billie eilish
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"ARE YOU SURE you're going to be okay?" Israfil asked, staring down at Farah with concern. He couldn't help it. Although he knew he was only leaving for a few short days and she would be in good hands, he still worried. What if she needed him when he was gone? What if she had another nightmare? He wouldn't be there to help her. His dark eyebrows were furrowed as his arms rested carefully on her shoulders.
Farah nodded, nearly smiling. This had been the third time he had asked her this question. To some, it would've come off as annoying, but she knew his intentions were only pure and that he was just wary. "I will, I promise."
"Did you make the Doctor appointment?" He asked.
She nodded, "Yeah, it's on Wednesday."
"Okay," He said slowly, still sounding unsure. He pulled her into a hug and felt content when he felt her arms wrap around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head for a moment, savouring the moment while it still lasted. It was only a few days, it wasn't that long, yet he still found himself forcing his brain to memorize the feeling of her skin and embrace.
She tilted her head up to look at him and Israfil could've sworn he felt the air leave his lungs. He inhaled sharply when her dark eyes scanned over him, and he cautiously inched his face towards her. He could hear her pull in a tight breath through her teeth before their lips met. The kiss was slow and warmed him right down to his bones, goosebumps raising against his body.
"I..." He trailed off when they pulled away. ...Love you, He wanted to say but didn't. "I'll miss you." Israfil opted, not missing the strange way his chest felt when he saw her smile. It was faint, but he didn't miss the corners of her lips tilting upwards with delight, dimples imprinting in the sides of her cheeks as a light blush began to show.
"I'll miss you too," Farah said afterward, pressing her weight onto the balls of her foot, tiptoeing to reach up and press a shy kiss on the side of his cheek. "Bye." She bit her teeth into her lip upon seeing him smile contently as he pulled away. Her legs felt shaky and her stomach giddy, tying in knots, her hands shaking with anxiousness.
"Bye," He offered her a parting grin before he turned away and she watched his figure retreated down the driveway, long legs clad in black jeans and torso in a hoodie as he walked away. Farah found herself still smiling and watching him until he climbed into his car and sped off with a final wave.
"Oh, sweetie, you got it bad for him." She turned her head at the sudden sound of a familiar female voice. Farah's eyes met the recognizable face of Lacey, her green irises with something along the lines of mirth. Dark raven tresses framed her oval-shaped face while thin, high arched brows were raised with amusement, a smirk splitting her full lips.
Farah's face burned despite the chilly air, "Oh." She paused, "Hi, Lacey. How long were you there for?" She felt embarrassment nipping at her skin as she tucked a curly tendril behind her ear, adjusting her grip on her bag, shifting her balance from one foot to another.
Lacey laughed, tugging her into an unexpected hug, "Well, I just got here, but I was watching you guys from the window." She bit her cheek as she pulled away, "I just realized how weird that sounded."
Farah laughed slightly and followed Lacey as she guided her up the steps towards their huge house. She was now accustomed to the size of the home she shared with Israfil, but still, it astonished her. She had grown up in a small, run-down area in Louisiana with her mother, and then in a modest black community in a suburban neighbourhood in Seattle. High ceilings and beautiful, modern furniture made Farah's mouth part in awe.
"So," Lacey clapped her hands, "What do you want to do first?"
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"Damn, did you go to a makeup school or some shit? You've got talent." Lacey looked at her done-up reflection.
Farah felt her face flush again with the compliment. "No, but thank you."
"Kennedy, come to look at this!" Lacey ushered over her friend that was applying eyeliner in the mirror. Farah felt insecure hanging around these girls. They were so pretty... and, well, interesting. They were funny and swore a lot, but it suited them- they were constantly talking about clothes and hair, something Farah wasn't exactly experienced in. Kennedy was confident and tall, she walked with purpose and confidence, seemed smart and was overall extremely nice and fun to be around.
Farah found herself fiddling with her fingers as Kennedy looked up and approached to look at the makeup Farah had applied to her face. Her face was intimidatingly beautiful, but her attitude differed far from what she looked like. "Shit, Mami." Kennedy's mouth fell open as she turned to Farah. "You did this?"
Farah nodded meekly.
"Have you ever considered doing this professionally?" Kennedy asked, still gawking.
Farah felt shy again with their praises. "Yes. No. I don't know, maybe." She found herself tripping to find her words.
"You're so cute," Kennedy gushed, picking up a tendril of Farah's dark, silky hair. "Is this real?"
Again, Farah nodded with modesty. "Yeah."
"Lucky," Kennedy scowled, "I wish I had hair like that."
"I'm sure yours is very pretty," Farah complimented, wanting to return their kindness. She tucked an inky piece of hair behind her ear nervously. She shifted on her feet again, walking over to her bag she had dumped on the bed of the spare guest room she had been lent. She looked through it, checking her phone for a message while Kennedy complained about stabbing herself in the eye with the eyeliner brush. When she saw Israfil's name on her screen her lips parted with a smile.
Just landed, how are things over there?
Farah's fingers hovered over the keyboard as she thought of a reply.
Great. I miss you.
Farah scowled at the message she had typed in the text bubble, waiting for her to press send. To her, it sounded too desperate. She erased it and replaced it with something more simple, 'Great, how was your flight?' While Farah awaited a reply, she turned back to Kennedy and Lacey who were both engaged in a conversation.
"How'd you talk him out of it?" Kennedy asked.
Just as Lacey sighed, Farah furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
They both turned their heads towards her, and Farah felt shaky. Their sudden alertness to her wasn't something she was used to. She had never grown up with many friends due to her timid personality, so to have everyone suddenly pay attention to her was almost odd, in a way. Unnerving, but Farah found that she liked it, as long as it wasn't a large group of people watching her. She nervously bit the inside of her cheek with anxiousness, swallowing hard.
"Oh, the fight." Lacey shrugged.
Farah frowned slightly, "What fight?"
"The one between Alpha Alexander and Alpha Israfil...?" Kennedy trailed off, biting her lip awkwardly as she looked between Farah and Lacey. Farah was clearly clueless about the whole situation, and Kennedy knew that once it had been explained, the air would be uncomfortable after. "I'm going to get a drink." She muttered, throwing a pointed look at Lacey.
Farah's frown only deepened when she saw Kennedy close the door behind him. "They were going to fight? When and why?"
"When we found you." Lacey shifted on her seat, "I jokingly suggested it because they're always so hostile towards each other. I wasn't serious, but they thought I was. I barely managed to talk Alexander out of it."
"Why do they hate each other?" Farah asked, sitting down on the bed. She crossed her legs over and placed her hands on her lap, watching as Lacey's mouth parted and eyes widened slightly. A churning feeling settled in her stomach. Something was wrong, there was something being hidden from her, and that made her feel uneasy.
Lacey placed the mascara wand that was in her hand back in the tube. "He didn't tell you?"
"No...?" Farah felt dumb. What was she missing?
Lacey pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply through her teeth. "I shouldn't. You should Israfil yourself."
"Please tell me," Farah didn't want to wait to know, there was too much apprehension picking at her to ignore it. Besides, it would be embarrassing if she asked Israfil, she didn't want to come off as jealous or interrogative.
She leaned back in her seat, twirling a piece of her black hair between her thumb and index. "Okay, but you have to promise that it won't be weird between us. It was more than six months ago."
Farah lifted an eyebrow, "Okay, I promise."
"Back when Alexander and I were going through some issues, I had left him. I went off on my own and left his territory, and I ended up in some diner right between Israfil's and Alexander's territory. That's where I had met Israfil. The fact that I had been the only other lycan in the diner caught his attention and we began talking. I had explained to him my situation with Alexander and so he offered me a place in his pack." Farah didn't know why her heart was beating so damn fast. Lacey hadn't said anything bad about Israfil, yet, at least.
"That's how we know each other. But because I was so hurt by Alexander's unfaithfulness, I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me."
Farah swallowed, "So you guys used to have sex?" She choked on her words, her chest tightening. It felt as if her stomach had fallen into her shoes.
"Goddess, no," Lacey said, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "We kissed a few times, that's it. No feelings attached, we're just friends now."
Farah felt relief wash over her. But she was still mad. Not because he had a history with someone else- that was okay, it was understandable and she had no right to be angry at him for being with someone else before she came along. She was aggravated because he hadn't told her about it, especially when she was going to stay with Lacey. Farah had explained her past to him, how hard could it have been to explain what happened between them briefly before she was left alone with Lacey? Farah thought that she deserved that much, but he had made her seem stupid. She didn't like things being hidden from her.
"Thank you for telling me, I really appreciate it. It won't be awkward, I promise."
Farah's phone buzzed beside her. She glanced at the screen, seeing his name and text displayed on it.
It was good. I miss you, though, the message read.
Farah unlocked the home screen and looked at the message, knowing her read receipts were on, before she closed it. She knew it was petty, ignoring his text and making it known, but in the moment, she was too irritated to respond.
"Was that him?" Lacey's voice was soft.
Farah nodded, "Yeah."
"You're not going to reply?"
Farah looked at her phone laying idle beside her once more, "Nope."
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uh this was rlly boring wow 🤠🤩
anywayz i hope yall enjoyed it !! lmk what yall think in the comments (((((((: