Twice Upon Them

Chapter 13 | Zahra | He's Back

Kayla's chest rises and falls slowly as she sleeps on my bed and snatches the duvet and wraps it all around herself. I roll my eyes at her as I rise to my feet, yawning as I check the time. It's nearly midnight. We initially talked about all the hectic things surrounding her life, and then moved on to topics such as her first Ramadan. Although she genuinely had an interest of learning more about Islam, she seemed to have been distracting herself from dwelling too much on how she regretted treating Nick so harshly. I can't blame her; after hearing that conversation he had on the phone, I would have had the same suspicions as well. Besides, she trusted Nick once, and as a result, she was placed at risk. I can't have her doing that again.

As the days go by, I get more fearful of the possibility that Kayla will find out — about me meeting with Nick, making sure that she would stay out of harm's way. I told Nick that Kayla was Muslim, thinking that he will leave her alone then; it did not work, of course. After I recently got back home from Florida, Nick has been very adamant about "protecting" Kayla. I don't know what he expects of me; he has warned me that this 'Boss' dude (seriously, what is his name?) plans to break out of prison and retaliate by harming Kayla. Looking at the odds of the situation, there's no chance I'll be able to keep her safe from a guy like that.

It's really comical looking back a few months ago when everything was normal. Kayla was just a seventeen-year-old trying to break the news to her mom that she wanted to convert to Islam. Now, she's a target for those who have pursued her before. And, I'm bearing the responsibility of protecting her when I don't really know how the hell her life has ended up like this: an endless swirl of chaotic events which are leaving her very overwhelmed to the point that she's starting to question everything.

What if...what if Nick is try to do the right thing?

But what if this is all just a mind trick? Just to deceive me into trusting him?

She was spewing so many questions about the whole ordeal. What if it was all a lie, that his feelings for her were just a façade that covered up the ugly truth?

I have started to come to pity her. While I have the blessing and privilege to live a comfortable life, she has to live hers in fear. And the worst part of it all is that she's helpless. She cannot depend on me, since I am not capable of aiding her. I have prayed and prayed and prayed that she will stay safe, that Allah will protect her. And now, I'm waiting for Him to answer my call.

***

"Divorce papers?"

"Yup. For a minute I thought she was regretting marrying Harun, but she was just reviewing a court case," Kayla says as she stares down at her coffee. I haven't gone to sleep at all, and she just woke up. It's only seven in the morning; after we prayed Fajr, I suggested drinking coffee to energize myself after the long night with the guests.

"The Harun and Kayla ship has sunk. Again," I comment before she sends me a warning glare. "I know, I know. You're over him. I get it." I glance at the locket that she has been toying with a lot since we came downstairs. She's now looping the chain through her fingers absentmindedly as she stares out at the window, the sun already in the sky.

"Since you've taken out his picture, what will you replace it with? My gorgeous face?"

She scrunches her eyebrows in mock disgust. "With you looking like you've just gotten hit by a truck? It'll be my pleasure."

I grin at her comment. "You don't look any better yourself." I take a sip of coffee before I set the mug down. I circle the rim of it with my finger. "You know, we can just flee to Florida. The weather's really nice there, although some people are not as pleasant." I shiver at the memory of Cameron, the girl who tried so hard to taunt me during the short amount of time I was in Florida. Damn, she was annoying.