Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 7-1

I was grateful to William for keeping my silence when we returned to the white room where Faïz and Julio were.

— "Are you going to be all right?"

William held me by the arm before crossing the threshold, an indescribable expression permeating his face. Although his features were severe, his firm hand around my wrist reassured me. My desire to comfort him grew as the seconds passed. It was then that I smiled at him sincerely, and I was happy to see that his face immediately lit up. He, in turn, gave me a dazzling smile before asking me almost timidly,

— "Perhaps we could meet again in another context? Let's say—"

— "We have to go!" Faïz intervened dryly while staring severely at William.

I hadn't heard him arrive. He had appeared beside us, putting us in an embarrassing position, to say the least.

— "I can bring Zoe back if you're in a hurry," William proposed, defying him.

Caught unawares, Faïz turned towards me. He put his hands in his pockets, making me understand he wanted me to decline his friend's proposal. What the hell is going on? A cockfight? Wishing to put an end to this delicate situation, I decided to reply as simple as possible.

— "I'm going back with Faïz. It's true that it's getting late, and I still have a lot of homework waiting for me. Sorry about the tea. I'll have it another time."

William tried as best he could to hide his disappointment while Faïz provoked him with a slightly haughty smile. Although part of me would have appreciated spending more time with William, I still had to work hard. Indeed, the interview for my internship was scheduled for that Monday. At that moment, Julio arrived to relax the electric atmosphere that reigned in the air.

— "You come back when you want, Zoe. The door will always be wide open for you," he told me sincerely.

— "I will," I replied with a sneak peek at William.

— "Thank you both," Faïz said while heading towards the exit.

He opened the door and waited patiently for me to pass in front. I nodded to our two hosts and headed out, feeling William's heavy gaze on my back. Before crossing the threshold, I noticed that a small gold cross was discreetly hung on the side of the entrance. Then the heavy door closed behind us. We climbed the steep stairs to reach the surface of the earth. The daylight had changed color; the afternoon seemed already well advanced. My phone started ringing immediately, giving me many notifications of missed calls, unread messages, and new emails to check. I put it in my pocket and decided to take a look at them later. Before I got into the McLaren, I turned around to try to see the mansion, but I could only barely distinguish its shape. The ground seemed to engulf the house. I'd never imagined that such a building could exist. Faïz was checking his phone while waiting for me to get in the car. Once seated, I thought about how the two young men had clashed when we reappeared from the basement of the archives. I was angry with Faïz for his tone, which I considered inappropriate. I was in no way his property. The car started with my playlist in the background.

**

We had been driving for several minutes and I still hadn't said a word to Faïz, who seemed uncomfortable. Perhaps he realized the stupidity of the behavior he had had towards William. My father had sent me news by email and was worried about my silence. It was true that with all these recent events, I had completely forgotten to write to him this week. So I started conversation immediately with simple sentences, promising that I would call him by the end of the weekend.

— "A problem?" Faïz finally asked in a calm voice.

— "No. There was no signal at the mansion. I'm just answering my messages."

— "Girls?"

— "Yes, and...my father."

Indeed, the other messages were from Asarys.

Beach party tonight. You have no choice, you're coming!

??? What the hell are you doing?!!!!

Asarys and her gift for patience. I couldn't help but look up to heaven before opening David's message.

Hi! Asarys sent you a message for this evening. Are you coming?

To avoid being harassed for the next few hours, I began to answer with a common message to my two friends.

Hi, no, next time. I absolutely have to prepare for Monday and get ahead for the midterms next week.

My friends' answers were not long in coming, first David, then Asarys.

Can you come for an hour or two? You're already ahead of schedule on your homework.

Come on, move it! You don't have a choice, and we're all in the same boat.

I didn't have the energy to celebrate tonight, but when I was writing my last message, something inside me made me hesitate. I wanted to return to a semblance of reality, with normal human beings, unaware of the future and what would be done tomorrow.

Okay, what time?

My friend didn't take long to answer me.

Eight, in the parking lot near the sports shops.

I put my phone away and allowed myself to look at Faïz. He was silent, seeming immersed in distant thoughts.

— "Do you often visit Julio and William?"

He frowned.

— "At the moment, we can say yes. Are you hungry?" He suddenly changed the subject.

I quickly looked at the time on the dashboard. It was already past two in the afternoon and indeed, my stomach was screaming.

— "Yes. Will we eat in Elora?"

— "First we have to pick up Victoria at LACMA. She went to see an exhibition with a friend this morning. If you'd like, we can all have lunch together somewhere Downtown."

Suddenly, a Bluetooth call from Rachelle turned off the music. He hesitated for a moment, perhaps out of courtesy or fear of seeing the situation escape him.

— "Answer! Maybe there's a problem," I encouraged him by taking it upon myself.

He did so while giving me a sorry look.

— "Uh...I'm in the car," he warned her from the beginning.

— "Your phone was off, baby. I was worried," Rachelle purred behind her handset.

— "I didn't have a signal."

— "Um... Well, I'm at the Loft, waiting for you for lunch. You promised me yesterday."

Apparently, his appointment with her had completely slipped his mind. I tried not to take pleasure in the scene. No, Zoe, we don't rejoice in the misfortunes of others.

— "I'll be right there. I won't be long. I'll see you in a few minutes."

He hung up unexpectedly without warning and cleared his throat, embarrassed, before adding,

— "I... Uh... Sorry about lunch," he tried to justify himself, ashamed.

For my part, it was the first time that I did not feel an ounce of bitterness at his choice. Faïz, on the other hand, did not seem enthusiastic about the idea of seeing his dear and tender other half.