Duplus

Chapter 47

———Amaani's POV———

It took me a minute to pinch myself and confirm that I wasn't in a dream. I didn't dare look anywhere near him because if he caught me, I would die out of embarrassment.

"You don't need to answer me." He finally said it himself, relieving me of the big knife hanging on my neck to say something. But my tongue still attempted to speak.

"I—"

He shook his head. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. There were many times I thought about breaking the truth to you but the sight of you leaving always stopped me." He sighed. "I promised I would protect you, didn't I? Maybe somewhere I thought I was fulfilling that promise by keeping you in my view at all times." His dark eyes shifted to mine and I couldn't break eye contact even if I wanted to.

My breath got hitched in my throat and butterflies exploded in my stomach.

The promise.

He remembered?

So it wasn't just a passionate declaration in the spur of the moment?

"So, I'm sorry. For all the things I put you through." His gaze lowered again.

I fidgeted with my fingers more and forced a smiled through my red face, finally letting out the air I had contained in me for so long.

"It wasn't that hard, was it? You just had to be honest."

He looked surprised by my response but slowly nodded his head. "It was hard but you made me do it." He muttered, not even trying to hide his voice.

I smiled wider at this, feeling at that moment that I could make him do or say anything I wanted. He made me feel like I had a special authority over him and it honestly made me giddy inside.

"I accept your apology, Jaber Suleiman. And..." I paused to look at the ground. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay here." I sensed his eyes widen, not expecting me to be as blunt as that.

He let out a small laugh. "You really are something else, Amaani Sohail." His lips tugged into an amused smile. "The first person to ever make the Nuristani general apologize. I would be proud of that."

That was how he made his exit, leaving me to think a million times about what he meant. In my hopefulness, I guessed he wanted to confess something indirectly but that was just a hopeful wish of mine.

Wish?

What was he trying to tell me through these hidden signals?

Or maybe I was the one going crazy.

....

Sumayya had already left with the merchants when I got back. Lexie exploded on me with a thousand questions about where I was and why I hadn't come to see her off. I could only say "Bathroom break" and run away before she saw right through me.

Everyone always told me I was a bad liar and who knew it better than someone who had had a first-hand experience of it?

According to plan, we hit the road hardly three hours later because some locals had started to come in. We were hiding and it was only bad news if someone saw us. Camari put on some dark foundation to make her skin look more tanned as soon as she saw the first Kazefaandrian enter the hallway looking for his room.