QAIS

Chapter 33: Sweet and Sour

The birds chirped in a way that had Layla smiling despite herself. Qais had to force her out of her room for a stroll down the orchards but now that she was here Layla wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Though he and his guards followed close behind, Layla pretended she was alone. Letting the scent of the budding flowers and rich soil placate her claustrophobia in the house.

A step behind her Qais followed with the familiar dimples on his face seeing her lit up features.

"A dove!" She exclaimed at a tree.

Qais followed her vision. Holding out his hand for the rifle.

Layla jumped in horror at a loud bang watching the little animal fall down the tall tree. She stood shell-shocked as a servant fetched it and handed it to a Qais who now presented it to her.

"Here." The ocean eyes brimmed with delight.

"Why..."

"You don't want it?" The smile faltered.

Qais saw the growing apprehension on her face. He couldn't understand it. Did she not want it for barbeque?

The guards watched in embarrassment. He had zero social training. He really couldn't survive without Pasha could he.

"No?! No why would you--!" Layla looked at the poor creature, at a loss of words.

"Oh.." Qais felt insanely dumb as he held the dead dove awkwardly, hands marred with blood but hold gentle.

Layla glanced at him. Something inexplicable pinched her heart. He looked genuinely mistaken.

He turned around to the servants. "Anyone else wants some lunch?"

Layla took it from him angrily.

Qais watched her stomp away. What did he do now?

A bird's funeral was not on Qais's agenda but there he was with his entire entourage with their heads hung low in shame and respect as Layla buried the dead but oddly fortunate bird into the ground. He frowned watching her shed tears for that inanimate thing. A mere bird of all things.

Just as Layla couldn't understand him, Qais couldn't understand her. Her choosing to feed the street dogs despite having a crippling phobia of them, her choosing to love her family despite them hurting her, her choosing to punish herself when she did nothing wrong at all, her choosing to hand him bandaids despite him assaulting her when he'd mistaken her for a threat, and now her crying for a mere bird. How could someone be so... selfless?

The cold wind turned her pale cheeks red as large tears dropped from her lashes, small lips quivering in cries as she laid the bird to rest, covering it with soil.

Qais knelt down in front of her. He couldn't bring himself to pity the bird. But he didn't like seeing the tears in her eyes. He covered it with soil wondering how did this girl always have him covering graves? First her uncle and now this.

"I used to hold birds on our rooftop." Her small voice grasped his attention, "Sometimes a pigeon would stay at the bird feeder. They were so beautiful and lovely. I would... capture it and keep it in a cage for a day or two. I'd talk with it and feed it and love it."

She sniffled her sobs. "But it was still wrong, they'd look at all the other birds flying and, and I'd stolen it from them."

In a whisper she added, "Maybe this is the punishment of that."

Qais felt her words weigh like a ton on him. She too was a bird he had captured.

But she didn't hold him accountable and carried on.