Adventures of Sinbad and Layla

Arranged (Part II)

They had completed half their journey and there was still a day to go before reaching Estia. It was evening and the sun was setting beyond the horizon. Layla stood at the forecastle of Shaheen's ship enjoying the sunset, the golden rays warming her face with her thick, curly hair swaying softly from the gentle breeze.

"Hey," came Sinbad's voice.
She looked over her shoulder and saw him approaching. "Hey." She turned back to the ocean. "Where's your crazy girlfriend?"
He stood beside her. "She's taking a nap."
"Ah. That explains why you're free to talk to me."
His brows furrowed slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, please. You know exactly what I mean."
"No, I don't. So, explain it."
She rolled her eyes. "It's just..." She sighed. "You and I can't even talk to each other for more than five minutes because she gets upset. She can't even stand it when I stand next to you."
He shrugged. "She's just jealous..."
"But why? It's not like I'm going to take you away from her."
"I don't know."
She turned and looked up at him. "I want my best friend back. We can't just hang out anymore because of her. In our entire lives, we've only had each other. And then Maria comes along and I'm suddenly left all alone." Tears welled up in her eyes. "For the past year, I felt so alone but you didn't see it because you weren't alone. You were happy with her."
He felt his heart breaking at her words. "Layla..." He lifted his hands to hold her face. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry..."
"It's not your fault you didn't know. You were busy." She moved his hands away. "I'm tired of being alone. I think I am ready for marriage. I'll be with someone and you'll be with Maria." As her tears fell, she smiled sadly. "She'll be happy that I'm gone and you will finally have peace."
"Don't say that, Layla. How can I be at peace when you're not with me?"
"You'll get used to it."

He just looked at her not knowing what else to say. There was nothing he could say. Instead, he simply wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder and held him around his waist.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.
She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, too."

And then they stood there together in each others embrace. Layla felt as though she got her friend back.

***

It was finally time for Layla to meet Amir for the first time. She didn't know why she was feeling so nervous but the fact that this man was her potential life partner was freaking her out. She sat at the small table in the palace garden. Shaheen sat to her left at the round table and Sinbad sat to her right. Sinbad had asked Maria to stay inside her room as they didn't think it was necessary for her to be there.

Layla turned to Sinbad. "Do I have anything in my nose?" She tilted her head back so he could see.
He checked and shook his head. "You're fine."
Shaheen looked at them with disgust. "You two are weird."

She shot him a glare as her fingers began to fumble together on the table. Her nerves were showing. It was almost like a blind date, only with it being chaperoned.

"Layla, you'll be fine," Sinbad told her.
"I don't know why I'm feeling so nervous..."

Soon, a guard came in and announced that Amir had arrived. Shaheen told the guard to bring him in and Layla instantly felt 100 times more nervous. Minutes later, the guard escorted Amir to them in the garden and Layla was honestly impressed by her cousin's choice for her.