Opposites Attract.

Chapter 8 - No Escape From The Boy.

Mariam's POV

I finally arrived at LAX airport and was grateful that Hassan's grandma Yasmin was already standing there to meet me. The old lady had a friendly expression on her face and although you could see she was extremely old, she was very beautiful. The wrinkles on her face didn't make her look aged but rather made her appear wise and like she had lived her life the way she wanted to. The old lady stood at the centre of the airport gazing around for Mariam and clasping a red bag and wore a maroon red lipstick that made her striking blue eyes appear even more beautiful although it looked unusual yet amazing against her brown skin. She wore a red, long wrap dress that emphasized her breathtaking figure. Yes, she was old but she could still give Madonna a run for her money in the figure department.

I walked up to the old lady and gave her a warm smile but the old lady just chuckled and pulled me in giving me a tight hug. Woah, I  wasn't expecting that level of affection.

Yasmin followed me to the baggage claim area and kept giving me warm smiles like she was really glad that I had joined her for the year. I proceeded to collect my pink suitcase and put it on a trolley, walking briskly next to Yasmin who helped me put it into the boot of the car. Finally, I sauntered over to Yasmin's black Range Rover and opened the door, placing myself inside awkwardly and looked around at the beautifully tanned girls who walked past me and enjoyed the warm weather against my skin. Despite the ache in my heart, I thought that I could get used to this as the weather lifted my spirits.

It felt like anything was possible, I thought to myself rather than dreary and raining England. The streets, buildings and people made me filled with promise. I hoped that this year would change my life and make me a better person. I hoped, more than anything, I could make my mother proud again. My mother was currently having chemotherapy treatment and although I wanted to move here, away from everyone, I begged my mum to forget it so I could stay with her.

Flashback:

"No, Mariam. You are not going to stay here and feel sorry for me. I want you to live and see what's out there. I want you to be the smart and educated girl, I know you can be." she attempted to give me a warm smile but she just looked frail and weak which made my heartache.

Over the course of a few weeks my mother sat attached to several machines and had lost over 10 pounds. I had never seen my mother so weak and skinny. I tried to tell her that she looked perfect and beautiful but I didn't know whether I was trying to comfort her or myself. Probably the latter. My mother was the strongest person I knew and the thought of losing her was unimaginable. Although, I had my father and my siblings I wasn't as close to any of them like I'm close to my mother and I craved to have that bond again that they shared. The treatment was meant to cure cancer and reduce cancerous cells or, completely kill them. 

My thoughts were elsewhere as I stared out of the sunny window and stared at friends, couples and old people all walking on the pedestrian side of the street while the car was moving very fast and approaching the highway. I completely forgot Yasmin's presence as I was lost in my thoughts. Yasmin gave me a suspicious look and raised her eyebrows, smirking at me "A lot on your mind?" she inquired. I laughed and cleared my throat feeling like there was a lump. "No, just thinking." I replied trying to give her my best serious expression but she wasn't having any of it. "You know, Mariam, you can speak to me." she gave me a sympathetic look and I hoped my mother didn't tell her about Danny. "If you ever need it." she added when she saw my suspicious and bewildered expression. I simply nodded and hoped to give her what I thought was my best 'I'm fine, I swear.' expression.

California actually lived up to it's expectations. It was sunny, inviting and the perfect place to come to, to forget your worries and your troubles.As we continued driving to Yasmin's houses some of Los Angeles County beaches had caught my eye. It was breathtaking and the mere look of it made you want to jump out of your car, dig your toes into the sand and dive straight into the blue, inviting and icy sea. 

 Centuries later, okay, slight exaggeration but it certainly felt like it - we arrived at Yasmin's house. Yasmin lived alone as her children had moved away and her husband and herself were divorced. The perimeter of the house was absolutely amazing as it was strikingly similar to the houses you saw on Beverly Hills 90210 and you wouldn't expect an old Muslim lady to reside in this kind of lavish house as it looked like it was supposed to be some kind of bachelor pad. Yasmin mumbled something about changing into 'more comfortable' clothes and I took this as the perfect opportunity to take in my surroundings.

The walls were filled with pictures of a beautiful girl and a handsome boy. The girl had long black hair while the boy had a short, perfectly cropped haircut. They both had a striking resemblance and you could tell they were siblings which then added the piece to the puzzle that they none other, than Yasmin's children. I glanced over to the kitchen and walked over nosily while taking in everything from the counter-tops to the perfectly lilac painted walls. The fridge had a picture on it of two boys and I walked closer and squinted my eyes to get a closer look. One of the young boys was Hassan. As handsome as he was, I  just wished sometimes he would give up because he would actually make a really good friend if he wasn't so hell-bent on trying to start a romantic relationship with me. Finally, I sat down on one of the stools on the kitchen and heard Yasmin's footsteps running down the stairs.

"Would you like a drink?" she asked giving me a wide, warm smile that made the wrinkles on her eyes appear even more deeper.

"Yeah, thanks." I agreed after a moment's thought.

She poured me a strawberry flavoured drink and sat down in front of me asking me every question under the sun. Whether it was about school and how my family was. Later on, after we had both washed up the dishes and finished our drinks, Yasmin took me upstairs and showed me my room. "This room belonged to Samira." she said proudly and I guessed that Samira was her daughter.

The room was filled with all sorts of old things such as trophies and boy band posters of Backstreet Boys back in he 90's. When Yasmin had finally left, I plopped down on the bed and took in my surroundings. There were several sports trophies on the cupboards and hanging on the wall and a varsity jacket in the wardrobe which made me think that Samira was a tomboy/athlete type girl which made me smile. She liked girls like that - she hated girls like Scarlett who thought the world revolved around her and her next nose job. 

I felt jet-lagged and tired and finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

Hours later, I was awoken by sounds of plates clattering and the smell of delicious food wafting into my room door. I decided that it was rude of me not to wake up if Yasmin took the time to cook although I felt extremely tired. Pulling on a pink dress and brushing my hair and teeth, I finally skipped down the stairs and greeted Yasmin. "Seriously Yasmin, If mum knew you could cook like this, she'd know I'm definitely in safe hands." I said complimenting her on her awesome cookery skills.

"Oh, I'm not that great." she waved her hands and gushed but clearly grateful for the comment.

I couldn't help but laugh "If I was responsible for myself, I'd be living on microwave meals." and she chuckled with me knowingly.

"That is no way to live. I'm glad you're here Mariam." she said with a look of sadness in her eyes,

"I miss my kids and I'm glad to have some company, you know?" she said and I nodded understanding her thoughts. 

I felt like nothing could ruin my mood at this point that is until, Hassan came charging through the front door.

Never say never, I thought and sighed. Yasmin smirked as though she already understood the situation.

"Oh, you're here." he said pretending to be surprised. "Like you didn't know." I shot back. 

He held his hands up and said "Chill man."and plopped down next to the chair next to me eating huge mouthfuls of pasta at a time.

"Someone's hungry." I said eyeing him up suspiciously.

"A guy's got to eat." he confirmed and I rolled my eyes.

A year of this and then I'd find my own apartment I thought. I could take this.

I think.