The Two of Us

Chapter 26 - Waiting For You

Chapter Twenty Six - Waiting For You

"Ya Allah, Khalid!" A high-pitched voice called. "How long will you stay in your room, habibi? You've been locked in there all day!"

Khalid looked up from scrolling through his phone. He glanced at the time and saw that it was indeed late and that he'd been wasting the last couple of hours on social media. He didn't even know what he did exactly besides scroll through Twitter and spend hours watching dumb vines. He'd been spending more time locked away in his room lately and his mother was starting to worry.

"Yallah, open the door." She said, her voice firm.

Khalid sighed, did as instructed, and stepped back as his mother barged into the room. Khalid's father had decided not to inform her that Khalid had been the reason of her eldest son's death and Khalid was ever so grateful upon hearing this decision. He didn't know if he could stand his mother hating him forever.  She glanced around his room and sniffed.

"Can't you clean up once in awhile." 

Khalid said nothing and instead watched her, trying to imagine what she would do if she'd know he'd killed Zayn. He would never tell her. His beautiful mother's face was already lined with so many wrinkles, and Khalid couldn't help but realize that he'd caused her so much anxiety and stress over the years. He wanted to stop causing her so much pain.

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly to nothing in particular. "Ana asef hakan."

"Ya Khalid." His mother looked up, a strange yet understanding smile on her face, as if she knew he wasn't just apologizing for not keeping his room clean. 

"Ana usamihuka." She told him. 

* * *

"You jerk!" Jamaal hissed. "You complete, utter, entire, downright...jerk!" 

Khalid stuck up his nose. "You don't have to be so dramatic." 

"I cant believe you did that!" Jamaal said, coldly.

"You made me do it." Khalid said, colder.

"HA! TAKE THAT YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Jamaal screamed, pumping his fist into the air as his car raced past the finish line.

"No fair, bro!" Khalid sighed in defeat and sat back, throwing his controller to the side and standing up to get a drink. "You cut me off like ten times!"

"Oh yeah?" Jamaal challenged, "and what about that stunt you pulled at the end there, throwing me out of control like that?" 

"Hey, all's fair in love and...er...cars?" Khalid shrugged and threw his friend a can of coke.

Jamaal snickered, catching the can and cracking it open. They were chilling in Khalid's basement, playing video games and catching up since their falling out. Khalid had called up Jamaal earlier that day, to try and get Jamaal to understand what had happened with Zayn. He was ready for anything: for Jamaal to completely hate him, to be totally shunned and rejected but surprisingly Jamaal admitted that he was willing to accept Khalid's past and put it behind them.

"Speaking about love..." Jamaal began and wiggled his eyebrows at Khalid. "Have you talked with Sabrina lately?" 

Khalid bit the inside of his cheek. "No, not since we had that chat in the library I was telling you about." 

"Have you even seen her lately?" Jamaal pushed.

"Er, I think I saw her this morning?" Khalid shrugged. 

He had and he remembered that it hurt. He'd also saw her on Friday, during the commotion where he'd jumped in front of her dad's car. But it was Monday and he'd captured the moment she set foot into school, unaware that he'd seen her. She was wearing a navy blue abaya that clung to her as she walked and he wasn't too sure why but he felt hopeless looking at her. He realized now that it was because he couldn't marry her. Not yet anyway and maybe not ever. That was why it hurt to look at her.