LEIAI didn"t want to go with Zayn after the words he"d said to me. Did he think I was that desperate for money? Disgusted at myself, I quickly booked an Uber and made sure to wait as far away from the hospital"s parking lot as possible.
I nervously fiddled with my fingers as I stood by the kiosks, wondering if anyone was staring at me. Usually, I didn"t care what people thought of me. Zayn and this situation had turned me into a freak.
Unconsciously, my hand slid down and settled on my stomach, my fingers splayed as my mind wandered off. What would it be like to have a child? To hold a tiny little thing in your arms, knowing what a miracle it was to be able to give birth?
I"d never really thought of children unless it was "one of those days". Never had I thought that something so raw inside me would unfurl just at the thought of having my own child.
All thoughts vanished from my mind as a familiar scent of aftershave and wood wafted in the air surrounding me. I whirled around, finding Zayn standing there, arms crossed and all. It seemed like he didn"t have a care in the world.
He gave the typical "whaddup" look that men seemed to master without any training. It annoyed me to no extent.
I backed away a step.
He gave me a sardonic half-smile.
"How did you get here?" It was the dumbest question in the history of questions but I was flummoxed by his sudden appearance.
"Why, with my own two feet," His words might have been sarcastic but there was no mistaking the anger in his voice.
Oh, so he was angry?
If I wasn"t Muslim, I would"ve walked forward and slapped him. It would"ve taught him a thing or two to be humiliated like this in public. By a girl, no less. Oh, the shock.
"Great," I muttered, almost under my breath. I noticed a guy with a protruding belly and long mustache looking our way. Ugh. "I was just leaving."
"Did you call him?" The way he laid an emphasis on "him". . . I almost shuddered. He was talking about Ammar. "Answer me for once, dammit!"
I gritted my teeth. "Rectify your tone and I might."
We glared at each other, neither of us willing to back down. Thankfully, my phone pinged. The Uber guy was here. I looked away, blinking back the water.
Phew. That was a little intense.
"I"m leaving."
"Is he here to pick you up?"
I tried stuffing my phone into a pocket until I realised—too late—that I had none. Gosh, it was like I was on drugs or something. Had the doctor anesthetized me?
"I don"t owe you an answer,"
He scoffed and suddenly I was being shoved. I shrieked, a terrible sound that had all heads turning. Zayn barked out something in Urdu, something about "minding your own business".
"Zayn," I grasped his arm, trying to pry it off as he dragged me, undeterred. "let me go."
"Be quiet and walk with me," he gritted out, my elbow still in his hand.
I tried the only strategy I had up my sleeve. "Ow! You"re hurting me." Granted, it was a cheap trick. Something I would cringe on when I thought about it later in bed.
He skidded to a halt and I almost slammed head-first into him. Concern lined his eyes as he softly gazed at me. One would mistake him for being a sweet and caring guy—which I hoped he still was—but he was mostly an angry monster who thought he could touch me. He definitely needed some teaching and I would give him his due.
"What"s wrong?" He brought his hand up—to cup my jaw. The guts! My traitorous heart beat faster but I swerved his touch. Hurt flashed across his face before he lowered his hand. His jaw ticked. "Was my grip too tight?"
Could I slap him across the face? Well, I guessed not. At least not out in the open. "I think you"re forgetting your place, Zayn. You"re disrespecting me by going against my beliefs."
He threw his hands up. "I knew this was coming sooner or later. Fine. I won"t touch you again. Happy?"
I made a sound in the back of my throat. "You won"t touch me. You won"t follow me around. You won"t talk to me. Are we clear?"
"What?" he yelled, "I never followed you anywhere."
I raised my brows but soon realised he couldn"t really tell because of my veil. "Then let me leave. I called an Uber. We have to get back to school. I can"t miss these cla.s.ses." I was babbling but inside I was actually very anxious.
Next week we had exams and I hadn"t really studied much. I didn"t understand where my time went. I sat in the same place every day and read the same coursebooks till I couldn"t stay awake anymore. But, still. There was so much left. And I had missed so many important things today.
And there was this other matter . . .
No. I took a deep, calming breath. I wouldn"t think about that right now.
"I"m not letting you go alone with a stranger," he said. "Get in my car. I promise not to talk to you."
"Wow. Double standards much?" I started walking in the opposite direction.
I hoped he would have some manners or feel some guilt so as to not touch me. He didn"t. Surprisingly.
I heaved a sigh of relief, almost running toward the Uber.
The driver was a young, good-looking man and I struggled in lowering my gaze. I silently sat in the car, in such a way that he wouldn"t be able to look at me in the rearview mirror.
I squawked when the door opposite to me burst open. I stared open-mouthed at Zayn as he slid in the car, his head touching the roof.
"W-what are you—" I shook my head. "Are you crazy or something?"
He didn"t answer. He simply shifted around uncomfortably in his seat, folding down his legs.
Yeah, it was a small car and he was making it too obvious that he had never sat in one. You know, Aston Martin and all.
"Let"s go," he commanded the driver.
The car boomed to life and we were off to school. I sat speechless.
He tossed me a glance after a moment of readjusting himself. He shrugged. "Don"t look at me like I"m a criminal. I couldn"t let you go alone, could I?"
"Zayn . . . you are so . . ." I made a grumbly sound. "infuriating."
He drummed his hands over his thighs, as if the beat to some song. I quickly looked away from his black pant-clad legs. Was it humanly possible for someone to have such thick and sensual thighs?
Zayn was by far the biggest test of my life.
But it was no clandestine that I liked him.
I wondered how he would feel if he got to know my secret and immediately my mood soured.
I just knew that I didn"t want to be there when he found out.