Chronical Wounds

Chapter 7: A great guy

"Let's go, Farah! We are going straight to the bar. We're getting drinks" Norah yelled over the music. They just stepped inside and I was already shocked by how big the party was. The DJ played good music, and the bar was huge. Not exactly the kind of party I was used to. Norah took me by the arm. "Boys, we'll see you around." Norah winked at Zain and Ace. Ace smiled back with a nod, while Zain's serious face scanned the environment. Then he turned to Norah. "Don't get too crazy." he warned. She laughed and hurried away with me on her arm.

"Chill out. For once you need to let it all go. Have some fun tonight. Maybe you can get loose for once." Ace smirked. Zain answered him by giving Ace a bored look. "Let's get to the balcony. I'm only here to get you guys home safe." Zain explained. Ace scoffed and shook his head while he started walking.

The room was so crowded that I accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry," I gasped when I noticed he had spilled a little of his drink on the floor. The guy turned to face me, and after a second, his confused face lightened up when his eyes fell on mine. I gasped again. "Kyle? Is that you?!" Kyle was a beautiful young man. The sleeves of his blouse were rolled up to his elbows, and his shirt was partly unbuttoned. Sure, a lot of the guys at the party were good-looking, but Kyle was slightly more stunning. And he used to be an old friend of mine too.

"Farah, wow... I haven't seen you in years. You have changed a lot." Kyle smiled. "Well, so have you! How have you been?" I responded with the same happy energy. "Great, actually." His eyes were sparkling with actual joy, as did mine. "Who is this beautiful lady next to you?" Kyle shook Norah's hand while he smiled kindly at her. "Hi, my name is Norah. I'm her friend," Norah giggled like a teenager would've done when seeing their crush. She was obviously smitten by Kyle. "Nice to meet you. Where do you know each other from?" She asked. He started laughing, and so did I. "Farah and I were quite close in high school. I used to have the biggest crush on her." He turned to look back at me. I then shyly looked at Norah. "Can I offer you ladies a drink?" he asked. "That would be nice." I smiled. While he went to get some drinks, Nora and I whispered about how hot he actually was.

I enjoyed my time a lot with Norah and Kyle. Even though Kyle was working behind the bar tonight, we were able to talk a lot. Norah and I mainly talked and simply enjoyed the vibes around us. I have noticed how Ace and Zain have been keeping an eye out for us from their spot on the balcony above. Every time I would feel their eyes I'd catch one of them talking and looking at us. They sure seem protective of Norah and somehow also cautious of their surrounding. When my eyes would meet Zain's I'd receive a cold gaze. I tried to minimize looking up, but somehow I felt self-conscious.

After a while, Zain followed Ace downstairs. Ace immediately found what appeared to be some friends. Zain walked past the bar to get to the exit. He noticed that Norah and I were now talking with some people. We laughed and drank. I couldn't help but notice how he kept his eyes on me instead of on his cousin and he seemed slightly agitated. Suddenly he walked to me and put his hand on my back to support my now wobbling body. "Maybe you should slow down." he told me while he took the drink from my hand. "Hey! What are you doing?" I wailed. He looked at my face. My cheeks were most definitely red. It always was when I would drink. Usually, I didn't drink much, but today I was definitely drunk. He frowned at me. He turned to look at Norah who seemed to be more okay than I was. "I won't hold you two back for tonight, but slow down a bit. I can't carry all three of you to the car." Norah chuckled in response and leaned on Zain's shoulder. "We'll be fine." she assured him. "Farah usually doesn't even drink, I think she just needs it today." Zain frowned and scanned my face. I was eyeing him angrily. He turned to look at Kyle, who was now standing at my side, but he was already looking at Zain, with irritation obvious in his eyes. Zain chose to ignore it. "Mate, watch out for them, will you?" Kyle looked at us. "Sure." he answered unbothered. Zain glared at him before he turned his attention back to us. "I'll be going." He looked around the group one more time before he left.

Kyle didn't seem that happy anymore. The smile that was plastered on his face the whole night, had disappeared. "Why do you look so angry?" Norah asked. Kyle turned to me and totally ignored her question. "Farah, where do you know that guy from?" Kyle snarled. "Hey, calm down. He's my nephew. What's your problem?" Norah bit out as she pulled on his arm to get his attention. Kyle got frustrated and pushed her away. He pushed slightly too hard, and she fell over. A few people saw what happened, and some of them helped her stand back up.Kyle quickly took me by the arm and led me to a quieter place. "What is wrong with you?! Why would you push her? Let go of my arm!" I shrieked. Yet, Kyle didn't listen to me and got even angrier when I tried to pull my arm away. "What did you get yourself into?! Are you crazy, Farah?! Do you have a death wish or something? What is Zain Cain to you? Answer me!" Kyle yelled, and it took me off guard. I just froze and looked deep into his eyes, but I could see nothing but anger. The room around me began spinning. My breathing became heavier. "Answer me!" he repeated himself as he slammed my body to the wall. "Farah, he is no good. I'm warning you. He'll be the end of-".

Before me or Kyle saw it coming, Kyle's body was pulled away from mine. I was trembling so badly that I immediately slipped down the wall when Kyle let go of me. Kyle's body was now slammed into the wall, and his eyes met Zain's angry ones. Zain fumed with anger. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He yelled. Kyle was taken by surprise, but as soon as he realized what was going on, he tried to push Zain off of him. Zain was now stronger though. He slammed Kyle once more against the wall and followed it by taking him by the throat. He squeezed hard while barking: "If I ever see you near Farah or Norah again, I'll break every bone in your body! Do you understand?!" Kyle's face slowly became red and slowly turned purple. Zain let go of him. Kyle immediately gasped for air and leaned on the wall to keep himself from falling over. Zain turned to face me but realized I was sitting on the ground. My hands were next to my body. I couldn't stop them from shaking. I stared at the ground beneath my feet. My breathing had gotten uncontrollable, and my sight slowly became blurry. "Fuck" Zain whispered under his breath. He kneeled down next to me and slowly put his hand under my chin. "Hey, I'm here. You're okay" he tried to comfort me. I looked up at his face to scan his. He didn't seem angry at me. On the contrary, he was smiling at me. He never smiled at me before. I nodded to let him know I heard him. "Let's get you out of here" he suggested. I tried to get up, but it didn't go very smoothly, so he helped me. Zain led me to the car where Norah and Ace were already waiting.

"Oh my god, Farah! Are you okay?" Norah yelped. I just nodded with a small smile, hiding my absolute shock. Zain rested his hand on my back as he led me to the passenger seat and told Ace and Nora to get in too. He circled the car and got in the car. For a moment, he just sat there. Not saying a word, again. He turned to look at the two in the backseats. Ace was comforting his sister. "Are you all okay?" he asked worriedly. "Yes, she'll be fine" Ace answered for Norah. Zain nodded. "What about you?" he asked me. "I'm fine" whispered, while trying to avoid his gaze by looking straight ahead. I could feel him staring at me. He sighed and leaned over me to take my seatbelt and secure it in place. When our faces were just a few centimeters apart, he glanced at me. I was looking into his eyes with tears, but quickly looked down when he caught me. He looked one more time at me before he took off.

After a few minutes, Norah fell asleep on her brother's shoulder. It had been silent for the past 15 minutes until I whispered: "Take me to the hospital, please." Zain snapped his head towards me. "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked with a hint of worry. "No... I need to see her" I whispered back. Once more Zain looked at me, but this time it was because he didn't understand why I kept whispering. Then he noticed how I tried to keep my eyes open. He sighed as he noticed I was dozing off. "Who is she?" He asked me. "My mom" I answered matter of factly. It was now completely silent. Zain looked up in the rearview mirror to see if someone in the backseat heard our conversation. Ace met his eyes. I fell asleep, while a single tear slowly rolled down my cheek.

I felt how a blanket got put over my body. I didn't have the energy to open my eyes or question my surroundings. I just knew that I was save. I tried to thank Zain, but it seemed like a challenge. "Did you say something?" he asked. I heard him stop at the end of what seemed to be a bed. Then I repeated, "You're a great guy." My eyes were still closed when I heard him respond "If only you knew." with a big sigh. The last thing I heard was a door closing before everything turned black.