Kace

Chapter Thrity - Nine

~Sayd~

I felt terrible for not telling Kace about Zaynab and it was all I could think about for the past two days. It wasn't that I wanted to go with him, I knew he couldn't be trusted, but at the same time, I felt conflicted. When Kace came over today, he talked so passionately about his pack, and I was honest when I said I couldn't stand the thought of losing him. I hadn't been together for long but he already meant so much to me. It was getting too much to keep myself, I had to tell someone, for all I know was putting everyone at risk the longer I kept it.

"Sayd, the chicken is burning," Mera said getting up from her seat in the living room and rushing over to the kitchen.

It was only then that I realised that the kitchen was full of smoke. She opened the oven and a thicker cloud of smoke filled the room. Both Mera and I rushed to the windows to allow the smoke to move outside.

" I'm so sorry," I said. I went to check the chicken in the oven and most of it was burnt to a crisp. I took it out and placed it on the counter to allow it to cool down and burnt my fingers while at it.

" What's the matter with you? " Mera asked while watching me as I opened the oven door wider.

" I said I'm sorry, " I tried to defend
myself.

" No, I mean what's really wrong with you? You haven't been yourself for the past few days. You seem absent from everything. "

Was I that noticeable? Of course I was, I had been tripping over everything for the past few days. I let out a breath while closing my eyes then I opened them.

"You might want to sit down for this," I said to her deciding I had to tell someone and not try to figure this out on my own. She looked at me quizzically before she pulled out one of the counter stools and sat down.

I gave myself a few seconds to plan out the conversation in my head before I spoke.

"You remember that day on the beach when my phone kept ringing?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered. " We were hanging out with Bailey. "

" Yes, that day. " I confirmed. " When I left I wasn't going to meet the head librarian, or whatever excuse I made up. "

"Okay," She said looking at me suspiciously. " Where did you go?"

"I-," I paused. " I went to meet Zaynab..... at the coffee shop. "

Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest simultaneously. I waited for her to say something or react
but she stayed silent as though waiting for me to tell her I was joking.

"Look I-," When I established she wasn't going to say anything I began to speak but she cut me off.

" I'm sorry, I think my ears must be tripping, " She said. " You went to meet who? "

" I can explain, " I said before I got any other reaction from her. " He had been calling my phone for days and I successfully ignored him until he called me using your phone that day."

" That was him?" she sounded outraged.

" Yes, it was. "

" Ho-how? " she stammered. " It was a woman's voice on the other end."

" Somehow it was Zaynab when I answered it."

Something I came to know about Zaynab in the past few weeks is that he would go to any length to get what he wants, even the ones you wouldn't expect.

"And you met him?"

" Yes, he ummh-," I paused and swallowed down my throat. " I choose an open area to meet him. He proposed a way in which all of this could be over without anyone getting hurt. "