I felt Billal's body stiffen as a fuming Nidal barked, "Take your paws off my woman!"
The music halted. Everyone in the ballroom stared at us. I froze, not knowing what to expect next. I could hear whispering among the crowd, and I saw the people of this kingdom shaking their heads in disapproval. I braced myself for what I knew would happen. My prince swung his fist and knocked the stunned Billal off his feet. As he fell to the floor, everyone, including myself, stared at Nidal in disbelief.
Nidal turned and looked at me with accusing eyes, as if I had betrayed him, as if I had torn down his world. At that precise moment, his cousin stood up after stumbling a few times and raised his fist to swing back at Nidal, for he was angry and feeling humiliated. But the crowd kept him from doing just that. The consequence of putting one's hands on the crown prince was prison.
There was silence again in the ballroom. Everyone fearfully took a few steps backward. They did not want to be caught in the middle of the feuding cousins.
Nidal took this opportunity to threaten everyone at the ball. "If any man so much as touches, talks, or even looks at Loula, I will rip out your throats!"
Everyone stared at him, fearing he would do as he threatened. Nidal was a man obsessed. His hands shook as he looked around the room. I knew he was daring anyone to disobey him. He wanted me all to himself.
I am supposed to stand among this crowd at the ball all by myself? What is the point for me to be here in the first place if the men are not allowed to look at me and the women keep their distance out of envy and fear? No one has befriended me yet, and after this episode, no one will ever want to be my friend!
Nidal's accusing eyes stopped on me. I shrank back from the hostility I saw in them. Nidal grabbed my arm abruptly and pulled me swiftly through the disbelieving crowd, humiliating me to no accord. He angrily marched us both out of the ballroom with quick strides down the hall while everyone looked on.
I was racing to keep up with his long, angry strides, so I almost lost my balance and tripped on the Oriental carpet that was so lavishly thrown on the marble floor. We reached the bedroom door, and Nidal kicked it, creating a two-inch gash with his boot. The door swung open, and he pushed me in the room as he also walked in and slammed the door shut behind him.
His chest was rising and falling and his eyes were blazing fire as he turned and faced me. He gave me a look that said, "I will kill you now."
But I held my ground. I am not afraid of him! I know he loves me, and I certainly know that I love him too. So I only felt anger that he dared to embarrass me so. How dare Nidal do this to me!
He walked up to me. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my face. He was fuming, out of his mind with anger. I knew he wanted to throttle me, but I was angry too. Nidal humiliated me in front of all his people. They already had a hard time accepting me, and now this would put an even bigger damper on things.
I did not do anything wrong. How dare he put me in this awful position!
I raised my hand and quickly slapped him hard across his face. It was a gut instinct. I did not even think of what I was doing. It just happened, and I immediately regretted my actions.
It caught him off guard. So much anger flickered in his eyes. Without thinking, I raised my hand to slap him again, and this time, he caught my arm in midair. Then he grabbed my other arm, and I thought he was going to push me to the floor, but he just held me with his strong arms as he stared deep into my soul, angry as could be. Then he brought his lips down to mine and kissed me.
At first, it was a hard, brutal kiss as his lips crashed down on mine. Then slowly, without warning, it turned into a sweet, slow, passionate kiss. He pulled me close to him and kissed me so sensually and so lovingly that I melted against him. I lost all sense of what was happening and collapsed in his arms. His hands slid down the arch of my back, pulling me closer to him. I could feel his manhood press against me, and I melted in sweet ecstasy in his arms.
I was completely in love with him, and at this moment, if he asked me to carve out my heart and hand it to him on a silver platter, I would have done just that. I knew I could not live without him. He was my life now, as I was his.
Our bodies fit together as if God created us to become one. The closer he pulled me to his body, the heavier he breathed. I could feel his heart beating so fast that it felt like my own. This was the time, so perfect a time to tell him how I felt. My lips went close to his ear, and I whisphered softly, "I love you."
His body stiffened, and he softly pushed me away from him. Confused, I looked up to his face and saw that his eyes were closed. I tried pushing my body up against his, but his hands blocked me from getting too close to him. Suddenly, his hands let go of me, and his arms dropped to his sides. He walked away from me.
I stared after him in disbelief. Nidal walked quickly into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. A million unanswered questions came to my mind. I felt faint. I put my hands up against the wall to support my body and tried to calm my beating heart before it burst from pain. I could still feel his burning lips on mine and his hands on my body. Imprints of his lovemaking were marked on my skin, proving to me that I was not dreaming. This was real. My blood was still in heat, my hands were shaking, and my heart was breaking.
