Beautifully Disturbed | ✓

Bonus Chapter: Part I

A/N: hi! This is me randomly dropping the bonus chapters in the middle of the night (or at least it's night for me 🤣) I'll upload part 2 (which is the final chapter) right now as well! Enjoy! ❤️

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Maryam's POV

I've been bottling up my feelings for James since graduate school because, one, he's not Muslim, duh! And two, he's way out of my league, like way out of my league. He looks like he came straight out of a modelling magazine, while I look like I just rolled out of bed.

It's extremely unhealthy on the amount of feelings I actually have bottled up because I'm afraid one day, I might break. And that... that would not end well, I can imagine. 

For that very reason, I act slightly stand-offish, cold and even a little mean towards him sometimes. Even then, he never seems to get irritated or angry, making my feelings for him grow at uncontrollable lengths.

Ugh, what am I supposed to do?

Of course, Laila knows everything. She's been a great sport throughout these many years, considering that whenever we speak of him, I either babble off about how James makes me heart flutter or how annoyed I am that these so-called insignificant feelings haven't subsided yet.

She has suggested that I could be in love but that's silly... right? 

Sometimes, I wonder if he can tell I like him... I mean, it's been years. He has to have had caught me off guard a couple of million times in the last few years.

Maybe, that's why I've never seen him with a girl or heard anything about a girlfriend. He was extremely popular with the females back in school. Perhaps, he's trying to spare me my feelings so I don't feel uncomfortable.

Or... Another option is that he's ga—

"Dr. Ali?" James' voice snaps me out of my trance.

"Y-yes?" I quickly try to gather my thoughts.

"Well, what do you think?" He asks.

"I think it's a great idea... you should go through with it." What was he talking about?

"So, you want me to go through with the plan of burning down our office and moving to Barbados together?" He raises a brow.

My eyes widen."No—What—"

He chuckles. "I was checking to make sure you were listening so I added that in the middle of our conversation and you kept nodding your head."

"Sorry, my thoughts side-tracked." I become flustered.

He smirks slightly at my nervousness. "So, I was saying, I think it would be a great idea to hold the meeting over lunch right before the long weekend so we would not have to stay past work hours." He says.

I nod, agreeing with his suggestion.

"Plus, this way, we can attend Laila's graduation and I can spend some time with my girlfriend over the long weekend, without being interrupted by work." He finishes.

"Yes, that's a gre—" I pause mid-sentence. "Your girlfriend?"

"I know, I know. When did a guy like me decide to finally settle down with one girl? Who am I?" He chuckles, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh with him.

I don't know what I was expecting to happen once James finally got a girlfriend, I never put too much thought into it.

I knew I'd be hurt but the second the words left his mouth, I felt my heart clench up so tight that I couldn't breathe for a good moment. It physically hurts to know that he's officially never going to be mine.