Modest Kisses

Chapter one.

I sat on the pavement of my father's three storey building, looking down at the surrounding I was leaving after a week. The wind carried the scent of henna all around waving it as its flag of victory. I was what people called 'at a cross road', in other words a dilemma. In some other place I would be considered stupid.

I agreed to get married to a guy I had never met, Ahmid Khan. They said he was gentle in character, he would never raise a hand to a woman, they said he now controlled one of his father's main companies which was situated in New York, they said he doesn't gamble, they also said he knew nothing about me, except he remembers attending my birth ceremony when he was eight years old. Well I think that's vise versa, because the only thing I knew about him was what 'They' said.

No one wants to admit they were stupid so in my defense, I had to accept the proposal. First, my mother had been looking forward to this for ages, she had always wanted one of her four daughters to marry from the khan's family, not only because of their famous name, but also because of the fame and respect it would bring her.

Secondly, I wasn't the prettiest girl to ever grace the surface of earth. I wasn't even alarmingly pretty. I had my good days, but in general, I wasn't pretty, so it wasn't everyday I came by proposals not to talk of one this big. My mum, and her convoy of power hungry friends would make my life a living hell.

I really wanted to speak up. Believe me I would have, not that it would have any effect, for my mum would only turn deaf ears, but I wanted to speak up. Because I believed the rest of my family would come to my aid, but I couldn't, not because of anything but lately it felt as if some unseen unknown force was controlling me, every time I wanted to speak up I just looked around and I saw all the effort people had put into this day being perfect, and me, being the oh-not-so-confident person I was seized that excuse and backed down.

Thinking about it, why me? This was what I had been asking myself since the deed was done. I was thoroughly aware of my messed up relationship with luck, believe me if there was anyone to know that luck just wasn't on speaking terms with some people it should be me, but I honestly didn't think it would go this far.

I gazed down, and saw my female relatives dancing around and beating the drum, and bile rose to my throat, couldn't they see how unhappy I was? If I didn't know better, I would think they were in on the whole thing.

Ahmid's Pov

I did my usual painful routine, of rolling around my bed till I hit the cold marble tiles of my room. Grunting, I stretched my hand towards the direction of my alarm clock. That little imp.

Tossing the duvet to the bed, I dragged my feet to my penthouse kitchen craving the amazing taste of coffee to pinch me awake.

I was half way through my coffee when the door bell rang, grunting I stood up. Who the hell visits people this early? I opened the door to find my best friend yousef at the door with a suite case in his hand he barged into my room pushing my shoulder in the process. Rolling my eyes I shut the door.

"This place smells of sleep, heat, and laziness and most of all, it smells nothing like you. What's happening to you man?" He asked slamming his case on my kitchen island.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe I want to sleep off reality, and wake up when everything is alright where I am not forced to marry some young teenage girl."

"First of all, she is nineteen so by law she is an adult and C'mon whats your deal?, What don't you like about her?"

"Seriously, I hate every idea about her, I hate that I know nothing about her , I feel very unreasonable. I mean who does this? Marry someone you have never seen. I only know she is in her first year at medical school."

"Honestly dude, I see nothing wrong with her. After all what else do you need to know about her? and I emailed you her picture," he said, gulping down my remaining coffee and cringing from its coldness.

"Nope I didn't get to see it I mistakenly deleted my whole inbox, well that's not the point yousef. Will she share my dreams of not wanting kids? Will she be noisy and demanding? Would she be like all these naïve teenage girls forced to get married, crying light in, light out?"

"Well, you wouldn't know unless you find out. Would you?" He had his mind made up, he wasn't even seeing my point.

"You don't get it, do you? Well for starters I don't want to get married, I am just 27. I have a company to run. Secondly, even if I was going to get married. It wouldn't be to a teenager, come on I need a woman, believe me I am a far cry from wanting to baby sit someone."

"Too late bro, you cant back down. You don't even know her. How sure are you she isn't mentally matured-"

"That is my point!! I don't freaking know her, not a single thing."

"Give her a chance, maybe this is the best thing that could ever happen to you."

"The best thing that has happened to me is my company-"

"You only think so because it is the only thing you do", he says cutting me off.

"Give this girl a chance, give yourself a chance to be happy."

"Happy? I can't believe you man, this is a risk I am taking, this is misery," I said as my cellphone rang, seeing the caller ID I turned off the phone and placed it on the counter.

"Who was that?" Yousef asked, stretching his hand to get to it.

"Laila."

"That bad huh? You probably should pick it up, she has been worried about you."

"Well, if she hadn't sent a proposal on my behalf, we wouldn't be here and she wouldn't have to worry about me."

"You cant possibly stay mad at her, she is the only mother figure you have, she cares for you, she wouldn't send a wedding proposal on your behalf if she wasn't sure it would benefit you."

"Yeah right, benefit me? Just how is that supposed to happen? Why am I the only one seeing the disadvantages of this?"

"Maybe because there really aren't any, you are being melodramatic, be a man dude, face this as any man should," was he seriously kidding me? me, opposing to an arranged married wasn't man enough? Damn what is society turning into?

"Now get ready, you have a flight to catch," he said, knowing he had won this battle, he patted my shoulder and headed to the living room.

I wasn't sure of many things, but I was sure of one, which was by this time in a few days time my life will no longer be all about Ahmid, but it will be all about Ahmid, and Safa, and whatever trouble comes with the combination.

PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND VOTE. MAKE THIS GIRL HAPPY. MORE OF SAFA AND AHMID COMING SOON. ;) XOXO.