HIS (YOU series #1)

29

3 MONTHS LATER

Ailah

"What happened to no man can keep you away from me," I said, scowling at Hudayya.

"I would love more than anything to go to the party with you, but it's late at night, and a lot of men will be there", she replies, pouting.

"Then ask Hud to come with", I suggest.

She gave me an amused look, "that's the craziest thing you've ever said", she responded, laughing hysterically.

"You know that's something that will never be possible", she adds, and I sigh.

"Fuck you for getting married," I say, scowling at her.

"Baby" Jafar yells, entering the living room.

"Hi", I respond, giving him a sad smile.

"what's wrong? Did Hudayya do something to you?" he asks, cupping my cheeks gently.

"If she did, what are you going to do about it," Hud asked, sitting next to Hudayya,

"I'll fight you to the death", Jafar replies, rolling up his sleeves.

"One phone call, and it's over for you," Hud says, waving his phone mockingly at Jafar.

He huffs and plops down onto a loveseat, I giggle at his childishness.

"OMG, we have only 30 minutes to get to the club," I say, jumping off the couch.

"It's like 8 minutes away. We have time", Jafar responds whilst checking his watch.

I rushed to the standing mirror in the corner to check my appearance, I looked great, but my lips were a bit dry, so I quickly applied some gloss.

"How do I look," I ask, turning to face them.

"you look so cute", Huddaya squeals.

"Breathtaking", Jafar chimes in, gazing at me with the purest expression on his face.

I grinned from ear to ear at the words of my two biggest fans.

"Okay, let's go," I say, grabbing Jafar's hand and pulling him up.

"Have fun for the both of us!" Hudayya says with a sad expression on her face.

I give her a quick hug and flash my middle finger at Hud.

He sticks his tongue out at me and hugs Huddaya, squeezing her to him. I grimace at the sight and walk out of the living room.

"Stupid Hud", my subconscious yells, mad at him for stealing our best friend.

Amira

"Finally", I sigh, placing Aadil in his crib.

I've been trying to put him to bed for the past 2 hours. He's been cranky all day because he got some shots this morning. Watching him go through that much pain was hard, but he needs his vaccinations.

Akram had cared for him all day while I napped, so I offered to put him to bed, which proved extremely difficult. Sometimes I wonder how he's so good at taking care of him, he's even better than I am, and it makes me upset.

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in gender roles, I think the dad should be just as involved and nurturing towards his child, but it makes me feel incompetent as a mom. Children are supposed to be attached to their moms, but he prefers Akram.

"I should stop thinking about this," I say, wiping a few tears that escaped.

I get something to eat, and I'll be okay in no time, I think, collecting myself and making my way to the living room. I was about to walk in when I overheard something, "if I tell her, she'll want to go home immediately".

I paused, "It wasn't easy keeping it from her for months, but it's for the best," Akram said into the phone.

"What is he keeping from us," my subconscious asks eagerly to find out.

"I know he's been convicted, but I still want to make sure he's in there for good," he says.

I've heard enough, I thought, anger threatening to cloud my thoughts and emotions.

I stepped into the room and glared at the back of his head, he whipped around and stared at me in a way that suggested he was trying to figure out if I heard him. I glare harshly at him, tears cascading down my face.

"Amira," he says, ending the call and chucking the phone onto the couch.

"I'm going to go back into the room, I'll pack my stuff and go to bed, when I wake up, I expect you to have a plane ready to take me back home, until then, do not attempt to speak or touch me," I say with anger lacing my tone.

I turn and exit the room leaving no room for arguments.

Arriving I'm the room, the tears I desperately tried to hold back began falling rapidly, I've been hurting these past three months, having no one but Akram to lean on. Dumping all my anxiety, stress, fears, and dark thoughts on him alone made me feel like a burden.

I've been feeling bad for him having to deal with my constant breakdowns alone, but he's been hindering me from returning to my place of comfort, lying to my face. I gathered myself and made my way into the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror, I was disgusted by my state.

I hadn't cried this way in so long, everything was coming back to me now, I was crumbling and falling apart again. I was never strong, it was all just a persona I put up to give the image of a strong girl with an active mind of her own, goals and ambitions and the drive to achieve them, but that's not who I am.

I washed my face and changed my clothes before throwing on an oversized shirt and then began packing my stuff. It distracted me for a while, but once I was done, I couldn't help but feel sadness and anger again. I quickly climbed into bed and closed my eyes, desperate to flush out these thoughts and emotions.

I cried until my ducts were empty, but sleep was yet to come, that was how I stayed the whole night, dark thoughts overtaking my mind and triggering a fresh set of tears every time.

MORNING

The chauffeur loaded the last of my boxes into the trunk, I opened the door and placed Aadil in the car seat and strapped him in then got in beside him. Akram didn't pack up, and he certainly was not dressed in a way that suggested he was coming along.

I wanted to ask why but my anger and pride wouldn't concede to the part of me that was still soft for him. He stood in front of the open car door.

"I have a few things to settle, so I'll be staying back for a few days, and please stay with my parents or yours until I get back," he says in one breath.

I didn't look at him as he spoke, a few seconds went by, and I concluded he was done, I was about to shut the door when he placed a kiss on the side of my face and said: "I love you".

Ignoring the gesture, I pulled the door handle slamming the door shut. He went round to the other side and opened the door, he placed a kiss on Aadil's cheek and said "I love you" into his ear.

I watched as Aadil smiled at him, and my heart soared. He closes the door and then exchanges a few words with the chauffeur and bodyguard, they both get in, and we begin the drive to the airport. Getting to the airport, I was ushered to the private terminal, I went through the immigration check, and the boxes were loaded into the plane, in no time, I was on my way back home.

~