Beyond Desire

15. Harmless conversation.

I stiffened as if electrocuted at the sound of a soft knock on my door. My eyes instinctively zeroed at the digital clock on the side drawer. The minutes were just shying away from six a.m., and I doubt the staff was so time-disoriented to serve breakfast by now.

Needless to say, I untangled my legs and set my Qur'an aside, jolting up from the prayer mat and ambling toward the door. As I flung open the door, ready to unleash an attitude on the time disoriented staff, I blinked in surprise at the sight of a familiar male figure who definitely wasn't a staff.

Khalid stood before me, his hand stretched forward, ready to press the door alarm again. My initial annoyance melted away, replaced by a dash of surprise and a pinch of admiration.

Wait....did I say admiration? A pinch of irritation! A whole lot of irritation!

"What?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, my voice still laced with the serenity from reciting the Quran.

"You are still praying?" His gaze skimmed over my face down to the dangling hijab that pooled around my feet.

I so badly wanted to come up with a smart response but I decided against it knowing I held no chance against him when it came to that. So I ended up asking again. "What do you want?" With an icy expression. I still couldn't get past the insult he rained on me yesterday.

He shrugged. "Just thought to let you know that we will be leaving for the conference in an hour."

"An hour?" I gasped.

"You know, the conference my mother discussed with you?"

"I know what conference you are talking about, my brain isn't short-term, thank you very much. And you are telling me now?" I haven't even adapted to the idea of going yet.

"Yes." He stated as a matter of fact, his head cranked to the side and his expression reads "is not like you have anything better to do with your time."

My irritation flared. "Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate the short notice."

"No problem, just don't be late. I'm not waiting for you."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me with mouth agape, staring at him in utter disbelief.

So much for wanting to help a worried mother!

I veered around and banged the door behind me, raining curses under my breath hoping they could go straight to his face and plaster themselves to his forehead. Asshole.

For someone with only one hour to utilize, it took me far more time than necessary to figure out what to wear. I have no idea what type of gathering it was or whether there was a theme for clothing to wear but I would rather go there dressed as a rainbow than ask him anything.

So in the end, I settled for a black neutrally designed abaya, pairing it with Christain Louboutin heels and a bag. I left the room with only five minutes to spare and by the time I reached the lobby, I had taken five additional minutes from the next hour.

As I struggled with the decision of either stepping out or waiting for him in here, I was approached by a man, who politely greeted me and directed me toward a car outside. I figured it was the same driver from yesterday.

I smiled politely and slipped into the car after he opened the door for me. I was greeted by the familiar sight of Khalid's profile, his eyes fixed intently on his laptop screen. He didn't look up, didn't acknowledge my presence and I wondered if he had even noticed me get in. I felt like an intruder.

I waited for the backlash, anything to express how displeased he was with my being late but surprisingly, none came. Instead, he focused attentively on whatever the laptop had to offer.

When the car picked up on the highway and there was still no sign of a backlash, I sighed and relaxed into the lush chair. I might as well just close my eyes and get some sleep done before we reach wherever we were headed. Come to think of it, I knew nothing about this conference.

"So.....what type of conference are we attending?." putting myself and him in the same sentence felt repulsive but I swallowed the bitterness and tried to act like a sloth on rest day.

"Turkey African partnership summit." He curtly responded.

"Oh...I thought it was some sort of innovation conference." I aimed to initiate a harmless conversation.

"How about this" He twirled around to face me. "keep your thoughts to yourself, as you can see, I am working." He had to go all out reminding me of how rude he was.

I rolled my eyes and turned away toward the window. "What I will give to smack you across the face," I mumbled under my breath.

"What did you just say?" He cranked his head toward me and I could feel his daring gaze on the side of my face.

"That you must be proud of yourself for being such a rude human, congratulations." Sarcasm dripped from my tone.

"Those heels are a little too high for comfort, don't you think? You will be miserable throughout the day." He completely ignores my statement. I felt a surge of frustration at his nonchalance.

"I wouldn't have worn them if I am not capable of moving in them. How about you channel that energy on things that are actually your business? Like your work for instance?" I pointed toward his laptop.

"We can stop at any store so you can get an actual shoe."

"I am not barefooted in case you didn't notice, I don't need no shoe."

He shrugged as if to say, "I rest my case." and then looked down at his phone that has been buzzing since.

"Shut up."

"Because you want to speak to God?"

"No, because I don't want your endless chatter getting in my call."

"Well, I am not going to shut up." I picked up my phone and pretended to dial a random number. "Throw me out of the car if you are desperate for some peace and quiet."

His gaze flickered up to meet mine, his eyes glinting with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Unfortunately, I am not allowed to risk your life like that, but best believe I can if I want to." He said, his voice dripping with menace. "Now you are going to shut your mouth willingly or I can certainly make sure you don't make another sound for the rest of the trip." It sounded like a threat, one he wouldn't hesitate to pull off.

I held his gaze for a moment, my heart racing with fear and defiance. Slowly while still staring wearily at him, I let my phone fall to my lap, then I scoffed and faced away from him.

"Good choice." I heard him mutter.

Asshole!

*******

Hint; Next Chapter is going to crack Khalid's mask, revealing a side of him you never saw coming.

Let's just hope school doesn't continue to be stressful. And I will update the book. Sigh 😮‍💨

Bye🤍

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