All Over Again

Chapter 21

Ibraheem's POV:

"What?" Misha's head snapped in my direction. "Have you finally lost what little sense you had?"

"You heard me. You are going to marry me. Bas. Final." I said as I revved the car to life again and Misha looked like she was going to hit her head in the dashboard or better yet hit my head in the dashboard. Somehow, the moment I saw her cute little self, all my anger evaporated but that didn't mean I was going to let her go.

"This is absurd, Ibraheem." Misha said in irritation and I just grinned at her.

"Did you really think I would let you get married to someone else? Misha, my love, you were mine the moment I saw you five years ago looking at me all confused and cute, in your school uniform." I started the car again, recalling the way she looked at me back then. Back then, she reminded me of a rabbit caught in a predator's grip but with time, I realized she was more suited to a fox with the way she tried to cunningly get away from me every time. I laughed as I started driving to a destination I had in mind. Misha looked at me like I had gone crazy which I probably had. "I didn't stay away for five years just so you end up with someone else again."

"And yet you stayed away for five years?" Misha's question silenced me. She had a point. "What was the point? And where are you going anyway?"

"Did you want me to come back?" I joked as I turned to the main highway ignoring her questions entirely. I really didn't know how to admit to the fact that I was dumb enough to stay away from her for those five years because of a scenario I created myself out of fear. I expected her to reply back in witty way but her reply made my heart skip a beat.

"More than you can imagine." Misha croaked out as she looked out of the mirror.

"Say that again." I felt my heart beat speed up.

"Why? Will it bring back that time?" Misha replied as she looked at me. Her eyes shimmered with mixed emotions and I held my breath in for the few seconds she was looking at me and then she turned away again.

"You were waiting for me?" The emotions I had within me overwhelmed completely. It was hard to contain anything now.

"Yeah while you were out getting drunk and having the time of your life with your babes. I will not forgive you for the pain you put me through. But don't worry, I didn't wait for long when I realized all you did was play games with me. If you were serious, you would have returned to me." She was still looking outside but I could hear the pain in her voice. I could feel the sorrow she was feeling. I had really screwed up.

"I am sorry for not coming back sooner." I answered truthfully and she looked at me with glassy eyes, observing my face to see if I was lying but she knew better.

"Forgiven but I will never forgot it, Ibraheem." Misha answered with sincerity and I felt a sharp pain in my chest as if my heart had been squeezed. "I will admit, I truly loved you, you were the only one for me, even now, I have not fallen for another but that does not mean I want to go through all that again. I don't feel anything for you or anyone anymore. And I don't want to." Her words cut right through me.

"You don't mean that."

"I mean every word. And I meant what I said before too, I will marry whoever my parents choose for me. I will do anything to make them happy with me now. I have already hurt them once, I am not going through any of that again. You can never understand what I feel Ibraheem. In those five years, you weren't the one to wake up every single day with regret weighing you down as your brothers, mother and father looked at you with disappointed expressions. Looking at me with eyes that I knew would probably never trust me again. You can never understand what that feeling is like." Her voice was strangled now. "And I never want to go through it again. It took me years to mend the broken bonds. I don't have the energy for it anymore."