Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 15

Ibraheem's Point of View (continued):

I had stopped dead in my tracks to observe the girl in the uniform. I don't know what I was expecting but for some reason, a part of me had hoped it was her. She had her back towards me but I could see her hand that was holding a drink, a slush to be precise. She was holding shopping bags in one hand while looking left and right and then suddenly she turned in my direction and I did a double take.

Her blue eyes were sparkling under the mall lights. She was grinning from ear to ear as she handed the shopping bags to someone who was standing near a pillar looking at his phone. Her braided hair was flowing as she jumped around like a little child. Misha Yousaf looked like she had no care in the world. She looked so unknowingly happy in her own little world. Although she had her face towards me, she definitely did not notice me. Who was the man beside her? She had been acting all innocent and family oriented with me and here she was, out with another man. For some reason, a small part of me had hoped she would look at me with such a cheerful face as she looked at the man. She really had the guts to mess with me. I was boiling with a new found rage.

I was going to march towards her when I heard her say something to the guy. She handed him her drink as he told her he was going to sit near the benches. When he finally sat down, I recognized the man as her brother. Oh. So it was her brother. I relaxed a little after that and then I was surprised at myself for feeling this way. What did I care if she met with other guys? It shouldn't matter to me. It doesn't. I watched as she signaled to some place with her fingers and her brother nodded as she took off again. She went to the bathroom and then I waited.

I had no idea how to describe what I was feeling. I was angry, upset and borderline surprised. I didn't expect to see her here. I had definitely thought that if she was coming to the mall, she would meet me. She didn't look like she was carrying her phone with her. Maybe, she forgot? As if, I am something she can forget. Where was her mother? I didn't see her anywhere. These thoughts overcame me until she finally walked outside. She looked adorable as she looked left and right in confusion. What was wrong with her now? Had she forgotten where her brother was? I chuckled when I noticed how she raised her hands to point to one direction then another, with furrowed eyebrows. Yeah, she was definitely lost. Eventually, she gave up and started walking in the opposite direction to where her brother was.

I took that chance and walked behind her and grabbed her upper arm. I noticed her flinching but then she relaxed without even seeing me. "I was just going to go look for you-" I heard her say as she turned around to look at me but halted the moment her eyes met with mine. Was she expecting that I was her brother? "Ibra...heem?" She breathed out as if she couldn't believe that I was standing there in all my glory. She looked positively terrified like she had seen a jinn or something. She quickly removed her hand from my loose grip before turning to look at me while rubbing her arm where I had held her. Her eyes traveled to my outfit and then she turned to look up at me again in bewilderment.

My anger subsided while observing her reaction and was replaced with a desire to scare her. My friends had told me I was a sadist. I was starting to understand what they meant. I really, really wanted to mess with her so bad right now. The way she was looking at me like a scared rabbit in the presence of a wolf. I had the sudden urge to hug her but I recoiled that thought in the back of my head.

"Why do you look so terrified? I thought you were looking for me?" I asked her in a relaxed manner, a smile creeping up onto my face. I took a step towards her and she took a step back. She wasn't even concealing her fear now. She just looked outright horrified. She glanced left and right probably looking for her brother.

"How...how did you..." She looked like she was at a loss for words. She mumbled and trembled and I actually felt bad for her. But that wasn't going to stop me though. I had my own fair share of anger about how she had ditched me.