Waters of Oblivion

Chapter 13.2: The Revelation

Noor jumped up and down while screaming for joy as Mal stood in the open doorway holding two Louis Vuitton suitcases.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She clapped her hands together like an excited little girl on Christmas morning. "You have no idea how happy you've made me. I could just kiss you!" she exclaimed.

Reine could tell she was using all of her willpower to avoid following through on her offer. Meanwhile, Mal stood motionless – as serious as ever – trying to make sense of the scene in front of him. Finally, he held up the bags. "Where do you want these?" he asked morosely.

After adjusting her head scarf, Noor led the way. "My room's upstairs. First door on the left. But how were you able to get in my house? Are you a burglar or something? No, wait! I have a feeling it's better if I didn't even know. It doesn't matter, anyway. The important thing is that you are awesome."

"Noor," Reine said as she gestured for the girl to return to the living room. "Don't even think about getting involved with him."

"Why not? Just because you drove away your boyfriend doesn't mean I have to be alone, too." The girl pursed her lips.

Reine sighed. "You're twenty-one years old. There is a lot more time for you to find someone. Someone definitely better than him," she said.

Noor crossed her arms. "No offense, and I really appreciate you letting me stay here, but I'll make that decision, thank you very much."

Reine had to use the last weapon in her arsenal against what was about to happen. She couldn't let Noor fall for an immortal. "What would your parents think?"

"Think about what?" Mal asked, reappearing once again.

Noor didn't answer, but instead asked a question of her own. "Are you Muslim, Malik?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Case closed."

Noor wasn't joking. Her stubborn declaration led her spending increasing amounts of time with Mal while he headed the investigation into her bureaucratic problems. This meant she had less time for Reine, who now had plenty of it to think about her own romantic situation.

In the end, no matter which way she analyzed things, she always came to the conclusion that the only way she could ever be with Max was to become part of his world, his life, and his rules.

With Gabe, she was confident she could live on her own terms. Based on this, the answer to his – and therefore ultimately her own – question seemed obvious.

Once she made up her mind, she couldn't wait to let him know. Almost two and a half weeks after last seeing him, she texted Gabe a brief message: Tomorrow 7 pm my house.

* * *

Reine looked at the kitchen clock. Five after seven. He was right on time.

She enthusiastically opened the door, but her smile faded when she saw Max standing on her porch.

"Expecting someone else?" he asked.

Annoyed by the unfortunate timing of his unannounced visit, she sought to get to the point. "What are you doing here?" she snapped.

He smirked, obviously relishing his effect on her. "Lovely to see you, too, my darling. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"I'm actually quite busy, so if you can just say what you need to, I'd really appreciate it."

"Very well," he said, holding out a set of keys toward her.