Forbidden

Ten

Zubaida gingerly sat up on the bed. Even though, she had been sleeping half the day, she still felt a little under the weather.

The first person Zubaida saw upon opening her eyes was Mary, sitting on an armchair opposite the bed, absorbed in reading a fashion magazine. A single look around made her realize that she was not in her room.

Mary walked over and plopped down on the bed beside Zubaida when she noticed her waking up.

"I am sorry." Zubaida said remorsefully.
"Don't be," Mary said raging, "That man is a swine."
"I mean for the dress," Zubaida said cautiously, "it's destroyed."
"It's okay." Mary assured Zubaida, "It was just a dress."
"It was what infuriated him," Zubaida replied, " I should have never worn that."
"It's not the dress which matters for men, it is what's beneath it, they are after." Mary said gloomily.

Just then Patricia entered the room with Megan close behind her. She ran over to Zubaida and put her arms around her neck.
"Ah! At last the sleeping beauty rises from her slumber." Patricia joked.
Zubaida gave her a sad smile.

"Hey, you guys know who saved me last night?" Zubaida asked, suddenly remembering the dark figure in the washroom.

"Yup," Megan replied,"it was the same guy you danced with at Emma's party."
"And our Mr. Chivalrous nearly castrated Travis. He is in the hospital." Patricia informed Zubaida, clapping her hands in excitement, "He crushed that bastard's genitals under the heel of his shoe."
Zubaida winced.
"Served him right." Mary declared with a smirk.

...................

Zubaida rummaged through her hand bag, searching for her smart phone. It's ringing sounded like sirens in the otherwise quiet library.

She apologetically smiled at the frail old woman standing opposite the reception counter, who was throwing daggers at Zubaida with her eyes while pulling a book from a shelf and placing it on others in her hand basket, that was almost equal her weight.

"Hello." Zubaida said, answering the call.
She kept her voice low.
"Hi," Said a voice from the other side, "it's Zanobi."
"Oh!" Zubaida gasped, "Can you please hold for a second?"
"Sure." Zanobi replied.

"Hey, would you mind managing my desk for me, while I take this call?" Zubaida asked her colleague, "It's kinda important."
"Yeah okay." Lisa replied, not even bothering to look up from the comics she was reading.

"So, you were saying?" Zubaida asked, once inside the privacy of the staff room.
"Am I disturbing you?" Zanobi inquired.
"Well, actually I am at work," Zubaida replied,"but it's alright."
"Just wanted to check up on you." Zanobi enunciated.
"I had a lot of rest and I am all better now." Zubaida stated,"Thanks for rescuing me."
"Now there is no need to get formal." Zanobi said, teasingly, then added after a pause,"I don't want to keep you from your job for long, I was just wondering if we could have dinner tonight."
"Eh... I, " Zubaida started saying but Zanobi interrupted her.
"No excuses. You owe me a favor." He announced, "I will pick you up at 7:45."