Salaam.
I'm so excited to start this book. ✨✨
Here goes nothing.
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'Where is she?' Karim thought.
They were going to be late and it would be her fault... again. Shamsiya had a knack for forgetting time.
He walked outside their house. Maybe she was waiting for him there? Not possible.
The second he stepped outside, he heard the nickname he hated the most.
"Rimi!" Shamsiya shouted from her balcony.
Karim turned towards her. There she was. Ever relaxed. On her balcony swing. With a big bowl of ice-cream in her hands.
"What do you think you are doing?" Karim eyed her.
"Eating ice-cream? I thought you were smart, Rimi?" She giggled.
"I know. But did you forget we have something to do today?"
"We do? What? I don't remember." She said, her mouth full with ice-cream.
"Jummah? Dear Allah. How do you forget things so easily?"
"I didn't forget. I'm just not going anymore." She shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Ask mother nature."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Karim rubbed his face.
"If I'd known, I would have told you, your majesty." She bowed a little to tease him.
She knew he hated it when she called him that. She never did. Even from the first time he met her 9 years ago.
When they first met, she obviously hated his guts, if her scowl was of any reference.
That was only because he didn't reply to her Salaam when she entered his room with her mother. It wasn't his fault that he was irritated about leaving his friends behind.
She had caught his attention there and then. Shamsiya was the only person so far who wasn't afraid to confront him...and he loved that about her.
He remembered how he made her come and live with them in their home when he realized that they didn't have enough time to play.
*9 years ago*
"We are here now. Why did you want to see us?" Tawfiq asked him.
"Yes. I wanted to see you guys to ask for something very important." Karim explained.
"And what's that?" Naima wondered.
"Do you know the Chief maid?"
"I don't really know her directly. Do you know her, babe?" Tawfiq asked Naima.
"Is it Rahma?" Naima wondered.
"Yes. Her."
"What do you need from her?"
"I just realized that she wastes so much money and time getting to and from the palace..." Tawfiq interrupted him.
"I don't exactly know Rahma but I do know all the maids and servants live in the Eastern part of the palace." Tawfiq didn't get what he was trying to get at.
"Since when?!" Karim asked with a shocked expression.
"Since the palace was built. Stop beating about the bush and get to the point."
"Fine. You know her daughter? Shamsiya?"
"Isn't that the little girl you have been playing with nowadays? Rahma is her mother?" Tawfiq had no idea.
"Yes."
Naima sighed.
"Karim, honey. Tell us what you really want."
"Iwanthertocomeandliveherewithus." Karim said all at once.
"Um...okay. Now break it down for us in layman's terms." Naima insisted again.
"I want them to come and live with us." Karim said, slowly this time.
Tawfiq shook his head in disagreement.
"You should know that I really can't do that, Karim. They'd think I have favorites. When it's you who has a favorite." Tawfiq explained to him.
When you were king, you had to make the toughest decisions... like breaking your first born's heart.
"I think we can find a way to fix this. Let's see, why don't we let Shamsiya stay here instead." Naima suggested and it brought a hopeful smile on Karim's face.
"Why Shamsiya though?" Tawfiq wondered.
He had a lot of cousins his age.
He was one to talk. He didn't even socialize with his own half siblings.
"She's the only person who is not my sibling who treats me like an equal and not someone greater than her." Karim answered.
Tawfiq looked at Naima who held pleading eyes.
He sighed. Why did she have to side with him?
"Fine. She can come and stay here. That is only if her mother agrees and I don't expect you to be visiting her in her room or vice versa. I'm serious, Karim." Tawfiq warned.
Naima kissed his cheek. He should be granting more favors if it earn him gifts like that.
"I won't. Thanks a lot, dad. Mama, you are the best!"
"You know what? Why don't we let her go to TRS with you?" Naima exclaimed excitedly.
Tawfiq's eyes widened. What was she thinking now?
"TRS? The Royal School?"
"Yes. Isn't that what TRS stands for?" Naima wondered, oblivious of Tawfiq's blatant disagreement.
"But TRS is for... you know..." Tawfiq gestured to Karim. Naima frowned slightly.
"For who?"
"Royals?" Tawfiq wasn't sure that was the best answer because it earned him a scowl.
"So Habiba and I can't go to TRS if we wanted?" Naima fought back.
"I mean... you can. We are married, so yeah?" Tawfiq arched a brow. "And Habiba is my daughter officially... I will send her to the best private school we have around." Tawfiq tried to fix the situation before it sent him to hell.
Even if he was king, TRS wasn't really in his full jurisdiction. They had other directors on board and he wasn't even the board chairman.
He couldn't just make them break their rules for him?
"Sure, babe. Let Habiba and I also move to the best private hotel too." Naima shrugged.
Tawfiq hated this. He didn't like it when she got angry at him because of things he had to do because he was king. Those were some of the reasons he didn't want to be king in the first place.
Honestly, he wouldn't have taken over if Naima was with him at the time. But it was all in the past now. He was king now and he also had Naima. And their children too of course. Full stop.
He had broken so many rules for her already. The funny thing was, he'd continue breaking them without hesitation.
"I'm sorry." Tawfiq apologized. "She can go to TRS with the kids." He gave in with a single nod.
"Really?" Karim and Naima said simultaneously.
"Yes." Tawfiq would have to use all his contacts in the school and contribute a lot of money to the school too.
Naima would be the death of him... Literally.
Yet he still loved her.
*Present*
That's how come she lived in their home with them and not with her mother, who could visit her at any time.
"But can't you just go with me there?" Karim frowned.
"Go with the twins or Jamal?" Jamal was Uncle Salim's son with his wife Saida.
"They already left."
"So go with Daneen?"
"She has too many friends who are in love with me." Karim nonchalantly added.
"An average normal person would be happy or shy about that." Shamsiya smiled teasingly.
Karim just chuckled lightly and smirked up at her.
"You should know by now that I'm not an average normal person, Shams."
"Touché. Though, I expect you are old enough now to go out on your own, Rimi."
"I can go on my own. I just don't want to go by myself. I don't like everyone praising me for things I never did but my dad did." Karim explained.
It was a normal scene for a bunch of strangers to gather around him to thank him for doing things he never did for them. He looked too much like his father... One. Without the beard and also the height difference.
Two. It was more difficult to get closer to his dad than him. So why not pass their gratitude through him?
"You should be grateful that they are showing their appreciation." Shamsiya insisted.
"Are you going to go with me or not?"
~
Let's say she ended up going with him nonetheless. She just waited for him outside, awkwardly. Why didn't he just go to the mosque inside the palace like a normal person... royal... would?
~
"First crush?" She smiled weirdly.
"No one." Karim shrugged.
"How old are you? And you still don't have a crush?!"
"I'm not a teenager anymore. I don't crush. First crush?" Karim wondered.
"Oh that's easy. Chris Hemsworth. He's the epitome of handsomeness." She cooed.
"My dad was rated the most handsome man alive. Hemsworth was like 5th or so." Karim included.
It was true. It was Daneen who found it. Top 100 most handsome men... and there his dad was at the top... As usual. He had been in the first 5 for about 6 years now.
"Well you don't expect me to crush on your dad, do you? That'd be so weird. And have you seen your mom? I've got nothing on her." She cackled. "I'm just so in love with how they look at each other when they think no one is watching."
"You are in love with everything they do." Karim eye rolled.
"Of course. They're my role models in marriage. King Tawfiq has been able to stay married to just your mother. Even with all the pressure and proposals from other monarchs. The first King in history to do something like that, Rimi. I say that's true love. Your mother looks at him like water from Jannah. I want something like that. "
"You should be a poetess. You've got words up your sleeves. " Karim chuckled lightly.
Shamsiya didn't know the whole story. That's why she was saying that. She just knew everything that happened after the heartbreak. After the pain. She only knew the good times.
Luckily, for his parents everything turned out great afterwards but what if it didn't?
In 5 years, his mom and dad had separated 4 major times. The longest being when he thought his dad was dead. That was for about 3 and a half years. Then there was when they separated for 3 months after his mother found out that his dad was a prince. Then there was the one where his dad left to fix things.
Without them realizing, he remembered most of this. Everything really. He had a photogenic memory... and he hated it. Because it wouldn't make him forget. His parents obviously thought he was too young to remember anything but he remembered too clearly for his own good. He remembered being kidnapped with Nick. He remembered as far as when he started speaking.
He just wished he could forget. Maybe if he didn't remember he'd not be so scarred by it so as to try not to ever fall in love.
"You are so not romantic. I feel sorry for whoever is going to marry you." Shamsiya shook her head sadly.
As far as he was concerned, he might end up being the first king to never get married. He wasn't ready to take the risk of heartbreak with anyone.
Not even with Shams.
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How was it? It's short but I'm a little rusty. It's been so long since I last wrote anything ✨
Now I hope you enjoyed this chapter as usual
#VCS
CIAO✔️✨