Arranged or love?

Chapter 2

Focus Adam, focus, she’s his sister for crying out loud! His subconscious warned him, he check to see if he had drooled at all- this was so unlike him, and she was 6 or 7 years younger than him! Thankfully Lyba chose that moment to walk in, she walked over to where Zubaida was sat and sat down next to her and placed her arm tenderly around her shoulders. Zubaida didn’t react. Lyba looked up at Adam and then at Adnan and Rahim. She looked at Adam for encouragement and who nodded and then tried again, “Zubaida here you go have some water” she said gently and placed the glass next to her mouth so she could drink, yet again she didn’t respond. Adam could see her brothers were beginning to panic, from what he could remember, Zubaida had never been so quiet. It was as if she had suffered some sort of trauma and because of that she had gone into shock.

 He walked to Adnan and whispered, “I need to talk to you outside”, Adam nodded and followed him outside with Rahim close behind. They went into the kitchen and Adnan slumped against the kitchen cabinets, he looked shattered. Rahim collapsed on a chair and put his head in his hands. “Can you guys tell me what’s going on, I’m kind of getting worried now?” he asked, looking from one to the other. Rahim sighed and broke the silence.

“Our nutcase of a dad wants to get Zubaida married, even though he promise our dying mother that he would never pressurise her. Zubaida typically refused, their both stubborn and neither would give in, I was hoping dad would listen but he completely lost it. He grabbed her by the hair!” he whispered his voice cracking, his despair was obvious. He glanced at Adnan who nodded. Oh boy he thought, he had a feeling that he only heard the start of it.

Adam slumped in the chair besides Rahim after he finished telling him what happened between Zubaida and her dad, he felt a headache coming on. He hadn’t slept for 48 hours straight, surviving on coffee and other caffeine induced drinks and although he needed another boost he didn’t think he could stomach it. “So let me get this straight, you’re father tried to kill her damn it!” he said incredulously, both brothers nodded in union, “you guys do know you’re talking to a freaking CID officer, don’t you?” He couldn’t believe it, their dad was one of the most respected men in the area, he didn’t have a record, had never been arrested and was seen as a community representative. Yet he didn’t think twice before he went for his daughter with a god -damn knife it was unbelievable! He could hear Lyba in the living room trying to get a response out of Zubaida, from the sound of it she wasn’t getting anywhere, he needed to help bring her out of this shock. He stood up and walked into the living room as Lyba looked up at him in despair his sensitive sister was on the verge of tears, her lips were trembling and she too looked traumatised. Adnan and Rahim also walked in their shoulders slumped he knew their whole world revolved around making their sister happy and they didn’t know what to do seeing her this way.

He walked up to her and crouched down in front of her remembering to keep some distance from her so he didn’t invade her personal space. He smiled at gently, looking straight into her eyes- she had such unbelievably beautiful eyes. He could see the colour of her large eyes, it was a fusion of colour, hazel eyes with streaks of chocolate brown and the eyelashes that framed them were long and thick- and wet from the tears she had shed. “How are you Zubaida, are you okay?” he asked her, she didn’t reply, “do you remember me?” yet again she didn’t respond. Adam racked his brain trying to think of a way to get her to speak. He smiled secretly, he just remembered how feisty she got when he challenged her or mocked her for being a scared little girl.

“Oh dear Zubaida you look like a lost little lamb” he said mockingly keeping his eyes trained on her facial expressions she didn’t respond but for some reason he felt as if she had acknowledged him. “Adnan weren’t you telling me she was all grown up and brave and strong and independent?” he asked looking up at Adnan, who stood there staring at him as if he had gone mad. His friend trusted him with his life but his tactics to provoke Zubaida into talking were confusing him. He looked at his sister and thankfully clicked onto what Adam was trying to do. He was trying to make her talk! A small smile crossed his lips but then he put on his best poker face, “yes she is Adam so will you leave her alone I think she’s had enough interaction with nutcases” he said with all seriousness. Rahim look at Adam and then at Adnan and glared at them both, he didn’t like Adam in Zubaida’s personal space. Adnan reached out and grabbed his arm signalling for him to be patient.

“I think he’s lying, I bet you’re trembling like a leaf on the inside after seeing a knife,” he laughed, he could have punched the air when he saw her eyes blink faster and her mouth opening slightly. Phew she’s finally responding!  '" Oh dear poor ZUbaida is a chicken, she's afraid of a kinfe you know what I think women should do what they've been instructed to" he said mockingly "to look after the house".  Zubaida closed her eyes, and breathed deeply and then opened her eyes again and then looked at him. Adam mentally sighed with relief as he lookedinto her eyes, he could see her fiery spirit had returned and for some unkown reason he felt as if he was going to be at the receiving end of it! "Damn I think Zubaida's going to go crying to the big brothers, I forgot she can't fight her own battles, she's too weak, too scared and too delicate," he whispered to her. 

The numbness Zubaida had felt was beginning to leave her and the cause of it was the man sat bang opposite her. Seeing the knife and the coldness on her dad’s face frightened her. She had only been afraid like this once before and Zubaida only knew one way to forget all the pain, she blocked it out. But the guy sat in front of her was provoking her, taunting her he was mocking her damn it! How dare he! Zubaida thought, he didn’t just call me Bambi, did he? He was watching her carefully, but for some reason his close scrutiny didn't make Zubaida afraid. It was like he was the bright sun on a cold, winter’s day he for some reason made her feel warm and safe-safer than she was a few hours ago. Even though he was mocking her, his tone and words and the concern underneath the taunts showed his concern not spite or cruelty. “You should lock her up Adnan, in a glass cage, she’s a delicate little thing isn’t she one huff and maybe a puff and she’ll fall down- she doesn’t have the strength” he retorted grinning from ear to ear. He then reached out and snapped his fingers in front of her face and sniggered. Zubaida saw red.

She pushed him as hard as she could and the impact of her push as well as the fact that he wasn't prepared sent Adnan flying onto his back. Zubaida smirked. Lyba and Rahim gasped. Adnan roared with laughter. “Listen up, I don’t know who or what your are but you don’t insult me like that ever!” she hissed at him, the anger brought the colour back into her face, her cheeks were a bright pink her eyes glittered as she glared at the man laying on the floor desperately trying to get his breath back. He sat up as Adnan stopped laughing, he cocked his head to a side and examined her, his hands were by his side palms flat on the floor and he leaned back as his eyes swept from her head to toe. “Oh, she speaks” he laughed as he winked at her “it’s nice to know your mouth is functioning properly and is in synch with your brain chicken.”

Zubaida narrowed her eyes at him and glared, “well if you still want your mouth to function at all, I suggest that you give it a rest or I promise you by the time I’m done the whole geography of your face will be rearranged” she said to him sweetly as she looked at him from head to toe. “Touché” he muttered as he stood up “Adnan as much as I care about you, next time you want me to help bring your sister out of shock, please give me the right protection, I think she dislocated my hip when she pushed me” he said while he rubbed his lower back. That made Zubaida feel really guilty, she didn’t know he was trying to help her, she thought he was an obnoxious guy. She stood up and cleared her throat, everyone, including him, looked at her. “I’m sorry, what I did was bang out of order and I shouldn’t have pushed you like that I really didn’t know that you were trying to help,” she whispered, lifting her face to look at him “I’m sorry if I hurt you”. He smiled, a heart melting, heart warming, soothing smile and nodded.

“If it’s okay with you guys I’m going to go upstairs and have a shower and get some rest- I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day” she laughed, her brothers smiled at her and Lyba nodded her head while the abnormal man watched her carefully. They knew she was pretending only to reassure them and they also knew her heart was shattered into a million pieces. She swept past them and headed upstairs not wanting anyone to see her confront the pain and anguish that was shattering her heart.