Desert Heat

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: FEELINGS

"You would do anything for attention?" Lily's eyes shot wide open, only for her to come face-to-face with her husband, whose lips were only a few centimeters away from hers. Chills ran down Lily's spine as the scent of her husband's spicy aroma filled her.

"Excuse me, my king—I am so sorry." Both Lily and King Aziz turned their attention to the door, only to see the young maiden run away; clearly, the young woman had walked in and caught them in that compromising situation. Lily turned her attention back to her husband, and he smiled down at her.

"Let go of me!" She yelled at King Aziz, whose smile grew wider, and he let go of her so fast that Lily landed on the floor, hurting her back in the process.

"Ouch!"

"What? You clearly told me to let you go, and for once I actually listened," King Aziz told his wife as he moved away from her and focused his attention on his reflection in the mirror.

"Well, you could have at least warned me! What happened to being a gentleman?" she questioned, King Aziz paused for a bit and turned, facing his wife, who was still on the floor, her face turning red with frustration. He walked towards his wife and lowered himself so much that he was at eye level with her.

"Gentleman? Forgive me, my queen, but according to you, I am nothing but a self-absorbed, cruel, vile, and rapist." King Aziz spat those words at her, and Lily could not understand what it was about what he had said that made her feel guilty.

"I—" she tried to explain, but King Aziz was quick to cut her off by raising his hand in a gesture that indicated that it was best that she stops speaking. Nothing she could say now could fix matters between them. He stood up from the floor, walked towards the closet, and pulled out his clothes, the entire time Lily sat on the floor.

She watched as King Aziz dressed in his blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and sandals. He walked towards their exit and stopped.

"The maid probably came to call us for lunch; don't keep me waiting; no one keeps the king waiting," He informed her before walking away from her. Slowly, Lily stood up from the floor and sat on the bed. She could not explain how quickly things had escalated between Aziz and herself. She walked over to her closet, and luckily for her, the maidens had packed a few jeans for her to wear, but Lily picked out her favorite jean shorts and wore her blue spaghetti top. She decided against wearing her flip-flops, also neatly packed for her by the maidens.

Lily had spent the next ten minutes of her time trying to find the dining room. The mansion was not as big as the palace, but that did not make finding the dining room any easier.

"My queen!" One of the maidens called out to her, and it was only then that Lily could breathe a sigh of relief.

"I am looking for the dining room," Lily told the young woman, who smiled at her.

"Yes, my queen, the king actually sent me to call you; he is beginning to get impatient." The young woman informed her, and all Lily could do was roll her eyes.

"Well, then, he should wait for me; perhaps he'll learn how to have patience," Lily told the young maiden, whose eyes grew in shock, and it was then that Lily wished that she had shut her mouth more. As they walked towards the dining room, the young woman's shocked expression still replayed in Lily's head until she stopped.

"What is your name?"

"My queen, my name is Shisha. Is there anything to the matter?"

"Why did you seem shocked back there when I said that the King should grow some patience?"

"Oh, that's nothing," Shisha replied, turning her face away from Lily and looking at the tiles. Lily did not believe a word that Shisha was saying, but she decided to let it slide. The walk to the dining room was a short one.