⭕LAILA⭕ (My_Love_Forward)

Episode_1 . I never thought this day will come. Ya Allah I am going to college, and not just any college, the most well-known private college in England. Ever since we arrived in Bradford 6 years ago, that's the only thing I looked forward too. I am tired of seeing my mother cleaning people's houses for money. I kept going back to all the things my family had to face to get here and how long it took for me to stand here, in front of my very first class in college. After standing in front of class for more than a century, yeah that's how long it felt like. I finally took a breath and stepped into my Business Communication class. I was early as usual, but I didn't seem to mind it. I have always been early; it's just a habit I guess. I looked at my watch and the time was 10:45 am. The class was about to start in 15 minutes and there was still not even a single soul in class. I remember back home in Turkey, all the kids use to come to class super early just so we can all talk about our days and discuss our homework. How different it is here in England, everything seems so fast, even though I have been here for almost 6 years, everything still seems all foreign. I have only one friend, her name is Sobia who works with her mother at a bakery shop near our flat, but she doesn't go to college so I don't even see her that often. When I finally looked up from the sketches that I started drawing when I got lost in my thoughts, I noticed that the class was starting to get full. All the kids were coming in, wearing top-notch clothes, girls with expensive handbags and jewelry. That's the only thing that kept me worried for all these days. I was not like these people. I was from a middle-class immigrant family, who still had an accent and had a laptop that was given to me by my mother's boss 4 years ago. The only reason why I was here is because somehow I turned out to be smart in high school and got a full scholarship here; otherwise not even in a million years I would imagine coming here. I keep looking around, hoping that maybe, just maybe someone would actually sit beside me and maybe say hi. Why was it like that? Was I really that invisible that nobody would want to sit next to me or even smile? Stop it, I told myself. I can't let these days get in my way. I can't let people affect me like that. The teacher finally came into the classroom. From the moment he walked it, I knew he will be a good teacher. I could tell. My mom tells me it's a gift. I can sense it I guess. It doesn't take me long to figure out what people want or how they are. Instantly, my teacher looked up to the entire class and introduced himself. After introducing himself, he directed everyone in the class to stand up one at a time and introduce themselves and tell a fact about themselves. Since I was sitting all the way in the back, I was thankful that I am not going to be the first one to speak. When other students started introducing themselves, they used facts like how they have visited tropical beaches, how they plan on starting their own business, how big their house is, and what their favorite 5-star hotel is and so on. Jeez, my turn was coming soon and I had no idea what to say. I just didn't know. There wasn't any cool fact about me that anyone here could relate to. Facts about me are too silly, too obvious, and too ordinary. I can't tell people that I am one of those weird people who likes the sound of thunder, or who still watches cartoon with my little brother every Sunday morning, or who loves cooking and going on long walks with my mother. My turn was the next one, after a girl few desks away from me finished telling the class about how she attended Paris Fashion Week last summer, all the eyes turned towards me. I instantly felt self- conscious but I didn't let it show on my face. I placed my hands on the steady myself as I rose up from the chair. "Hello everyone" I said with a smile. But again only saw wondering silent eyes reflecting back. "Well my name is Laila Barakat, I came to England 6 years ago. I live with my mother and brother. He is 11 years old and loves playing football. There isn't any cool fact about me really. I volunteer at an animal shelter in the weekends and I received a full scholarship from this college and this is how I got here." I said all of that as fast as I could, without taking any break in between and sat back down immediately. When the class introduction was over, I kind of felt relieved. It felt liberating to let everyone know who you are and why you have the right to be right to be here just like everyone else. My teacher continued on with his lecture, but I still saw some heads turning my way. I was used to this type of a reaction. The same thing happened to me in high school as well. Nobody wanted to talk to me, to get to know me, all they did was stare at me. I was the only girl in this entire college who wore a hijab. There were other muslim girls in my class too, but even they didn't talk to me. When the teacher started his powerpoint slides, I opened up my the Notepad on my laptop and started taking notes. After typing what felt like hours, I suddenly heard someone sitting down next to me. I looked up and saw pair of brown fierce eyes. I saw him for the first time; he did look like someone straight out of magazine. "Do you mind?" He said, looking annoyed. So he was one of those guys, who knew they were good looking and just couldn't bother to be nice to people. Of course. "You are sitting on my bag so you are the one who should mind." I said back to him. My bag was stuck under the chair leg. He looked at me as if I was speaking in Gibberish. After staring at me for a few seconds, at last he moved his chair and I picked up my bag and placed it on my lap. I went back to typing my notes but I still felt him stealing a glance or two my way. The class went on and on and for the homework my teacher, Mr. Charlie assigned us to write a report on different communication channels that we use in today's society. I took down all the notes and closed my laptop. The lights turned back on and I gather all of the stuff and placed it in my bag and head out. I was waiting at the bus stop when I saw some of my classmates getting into their cars and driving off, but not him. The guy who was sitting next to me in the class was just sitting on his bike and looking my way. I tried ignoring him and starting wishing for the bus to come a little early. I adjusted my red hijab and clenched my bag a little tighter. Why is the bus taking so long? Jeez. I better call my mother to see if she can pick Sabir, my little brother from school today. I dipped my hand in my bag to only find out that it was missing. I checked my bag, and the pockets of my jacket and I still didn't find it. "Looking for this?" I heard a familiar voice from across the street. When I looked up, I saw him again. Yes that guy, who else. I could see an evil spirit in him already. I saw my dearly blackberry in his hand, and without a second thought, I marched across the street and extended my right hand. "This is mine" I said. "And?" He chuckled. I can't believe this guy! What does he think of himself? "And it's mine so give it back" I snapped back almost snatching it from his hand but he was quicker than me. "Not without a price" He smirked. "I don't pay for what's mine" I fired back. "Oh but I don't give things back that easily, darling!" "I am not your darling, now give it back or else I'll call the security." I tried to scare him. Honestly, I had no idea how to call the security; I didn't even see any guards in the school. "What's your name?" He asked me. "None of your business." I stood there with my hands crossed over my chest. "Now stop wasting my time, I have to make a phone call". "Give me your name and the phone is yours" He demanded again. "Fine, Laila." I said it and snatched my phone from his hands successfully this time and started walking away. I can't believe this guy. "I'll see you soon Laila" He yelled back, mocking me clearly. "You wish" I mumbled back. There is no way I'll be sitting next to him in class from now on. I called my mother and told her to pick up Sabir and got inside the bus. Few minutes later I received a text from Sobia who wanted to meet up so I replied back instantly with a yes and headed straight to her bakery. I desperately needed some of her auntie's homemade cupcakes. To Be Continue...

Episode_2 . I could seriously smell auntie Mariam's homemade cupcake from two blocks away. No kidding. I still remember how Sobia and auntie Mariam worked day and night to save money to start up their own little bakery two years ago and now it's one of the best bakeries in town. Even though it's September, the wind is still quite chilly, I guess autumn will be arriving sooner than I expected and I was very much excited. I loved autumn, there is something so beautiful about the way trees change their colors and the way everything becomes cozy and warm. I spotted Sobia front of her bakery waiting for me. I waved at her and quickly picked up my steps towards the bakery. As soon as I reached there I was embraced by her world famous hugs , honestly this girl is super affectionate. "Sobia jaan I missed you too but you gotta let me go, I can't breathe" I laughed, but I was seriously struggling. "Opps" She chucked while losing up her grip. "I missed you so much Laila, how was your first day of college? Oh my gosh I am so excited for you. I am sure auntie Nasreen and Sabir are thrilled as well, by the way how are they?" She said all of that without taking any break. "One thing at a time dear, first lets go inside. I am so hungry" I said rubbing my little belly, laughing. "Oh yes sorry, come inside, Ammi Jaan is waiting for you, she made a fresh batch of red velvet cupcake just for you, she loves you more than me" Sobia said jokingly. "Oh stop it, as if my Ammi isn't a crazy fan of yours." I hooked my arms with Sobia and went behind the kitchen counter to meet auntie Mariam. "Asalam O Alikum, Auntie Jaan" I said as soon as I got inside the bakery. "Oh you are here Laila, how are you my daughter?" She said giving me a warm teddy bear hug. "I am doing great auntie, how are you?" I asked her. "I am good, the work here is picking up quite fast. We have a huge order for this weekend for a birthday party." She said proudly. "Oh Masha'Allah, that's wonderful, if you need any help then let me know." I offered her. "Yes you should come along Laila, it'll be fun I heard the Ibrahims are quite wealthy and have a really nice place" Sobia stepped in the conversation. "Oh that would be lovely, come along with us on Saturday". Auntie Mariam said. "Now you two have a seat, its not busy right now. I will bring you some coffee and cupcakes." Sobia and I sat near the windows in the corner. "Who are the Ibrahims?" I asked Sobia. "Oh you don't know, they just moved here in the town. There is a lot of buzz about them these days. I think they used to live in Berlin before. I don't know a lot about them but when Ibrahim Raza came into our bakery couple of days back I knew they were a big deal. He is a nice man but his wife Ayesha is quite rude. She was constantly telling her husband to go to a different bakery for the order." Sobia explained. "Wow, what is the order for?" I asked again. Whoever these Ibrahims were, they didn't sound too pleasant. "Ibrahim Raza's little daughter is turning 9 this Saturday so they came to our bakery to place the order. And Ibrahim Raza also gave Ammi 250 pounds just like that; they sure know how to use their money. I really want to see their house; a lot of my friends are talking about them." Sobia said. "Yeah we'll on Saturday." I just left the topic about them there. Sobia and I continued on with our conversation and talked about other things. After stuffing my stomach with countless cupcakes and a delicious cup of coffee, I said my goodbye to Sobia and mother and headed home. "You should at least pick up your phone Laila, I was getting worried." That's the first thing I heard from my mother as soon as I stepped inside the house. "Asalam O Alikum, Ammi Jaan my phone battery died. I forgot my charger at home." I went straight towards the kitchen because obviously where else would my mother be. I hugged her from the back and she smiled, meaning everything is now under control. "Bacha, I get worried that's all." She said. "I know." I kissed her cheek and went to the fridge to get some orange juice. "Where is Sabir?" I asked her placing my coat on the coat stand. "He went out with his friends to play football, just got home a while back and now is finishing up his homework." She said while cleaning the countertop. "I went to see Sobia and her mother, and they have a big order this Saturday so I will be going to help them out." I informed her. "Chalo that's good. Both of them are really kind, its good that you offered your help meri bachi." She smiled and continued on with her work. She was so busy that she even forgot that today was my first day of college. When she forgets things like that I don't really take it personally, besides she works so much, she can't remember everything. "My teacher, Mr. Charlie is very nice." I told her. Now she is going to go on about how bad of a mother she is. "Uff Ya Allah I am so forgetful, how did I forget. Hmm...how was your first day meri bachi?" She put away her cleaning cloth and come over to the kitchen table where I was sitting. "It's okay Ammi Jaan. You know I can never be angry with you. The day was good. Everyone is good to me". I know lying is bad, but technically they weren't bad, kids at my college were raised that way. They didn't say anything bad to me. They just looked. "That's good, you are a bright girl Laila, you will go far if you continue working hard." She comforted me. "I am going to my room; I have a paper to write for next week so I am going to get started on that. And don't worry about the food I already at the bakery" I told her, gave her another hug and went straight toward my room. When I stepped into my room, I instantly plugged my phone with the charger. The second thing I noticed was how messy my room was. I am quite a clean person, but when it comes to get ready, my room turns into a hot mess. I started picking up my stuff to put them where they belong. After I was satisfied with the way my room was looking, I went to for a quick shower. Once I stepped outside from the bathroom, I slipped on my comfy sweat pants and plain black hoodie. I tied my curly hair once it dried and prayed Isha. When my phone was fully charged I opened my phone to see if there were any messages from Sobia. And there was one, except it wasn't from Sobia it was from an unknown number. When I opened the message, I saw two texts. One was sent from my phone that said "Hello Handsome" And the reply from the unknown number said "Its not safe to leave your phone behind without a screen lock Laila. *smiley face*. YAAA ALLAH ITS HIM. THAT CREEPER WHO TOOK MY PHONE IN COLLEGE! I yelled in my head. What the hell is his problem? How dare him to use my phone like that. The next time I see him, he is a dead meat for sure. I will complain about him, that'll teach him something. I put away my phone and opened my laptop and began working on my assignment to keep me distracted. But after a while, I knew it wasn't going to work so I picked up my phone again, set up a screen lock on my phone. I know I should have done this a while back but sometimes my mother uses my phone and she always forgets the password, but now since she is getting a phone for herself I can set up a password. But that's not the point, the point is that if I ever find someone's phone I would never use it even if its unlock but then again that Jerk is nothing like me. In fact he is the polar opposite. You know what I really don't care about how he is. I hate him and he is testing me this time. Badly. I hope I don't see him anytime soon or Allah knows what I will do to him. I went to Sabir's room after who needed some help with his science homework. Sabir is a bright kid as well but he is more passionate about football no wonder he is the new captain of the team in his school. #proudsister. Sabir is not like the other kids around his age, maybe that's because even though he is young he still feels like he is the protector of the family. He doesn't let Ammi go outside alone at night and also walks me to the bus stop if I have somewhere to go in the evening. That's the way it is, we only have each other but that's enough. This is all I need. After telling Sabir about atoms and neutrons, all three of us, Ammi, Sabir and I gathered in the living room, where we had some tea and croissants and we all watched some episodes of The Big Bang Theory and by some I mean a lot! __________________________________ Hey lovelies. To Be Continue...

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Episode_3 . xoxo ------------ The week went by way too quick despite the fact that I had five classes, but I wasn't complaining. I love weekends, I mean who doesn't really. One you get to sleep in for few extra hours, second you don't feel bad for procrastinating because you know Sundays has got your back and third I get to meet Sobia. I had to meet Sobia today 1 pm at her bakery to help her decorate the cupcakes for the big order. I took a quick shower and opened up my closet to make the biggest decision of my life...what should I wear today. I didn't have a lot of clothes, even though a lot of people assume that if you're a girl then you probably have a huge closet full of clothes. This is not true in my case and that's because I buy things that I actually need. So today I decided to wear my favorite pair of boyfriend jeans because they are super comfortable and I hate wearing tight clothes. I paired it with my red and white plaid shirt and finished it off with my bright red hijab that I got on sale. Super. I went to the kitchen where I found a note from my mother written on the small whiteboard that was hanging by the fridge. It said "Had to leave early today, I took up another shift. Dropped Sabir to football practice, his friend's dad will drop him off. Have fun with Sobia". My mother is so old school in the cutest way possible. I have told her countless time since she has got her own phone that she can just text me if there is anything that she wants to tell me. There have been times where I have forgotten to read the white board to find her secret little messages. The thought of explaining this whole process again to my mother made me chuckle, she will always leave notes at the whiteboard instead of texting me. I took out my phone and replied my mother, Salam Ammi, just got up. Saw your note. I am heading out to Sobia's, I might be a little late so don't worry. I grabbed my bag and picked up a dairy milk chocolate bar to eat in the way headed out towards the bus stop. The distance between my house and Sobia's bakery is not too long. I reached the bakery a few minutes early and found Sobia carefully decorating the cupcakes with vanilla frosting. I made my way towards her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hand's up" I said in my fake cop voice. "Shut up, I saw you when you were crossing the street, go and pass me the jar of pink sprinkles." She said. "Jeez how come I always fail to scare you? I try so hard, you should at least pretend to be scared to make me feel better." I said while grabbing the pink sprinkles. "It's not my fault that you are terrible at scaring people. Now stop whining and start helping me, we have to leave at 4". She said while passing the pastry bag filled with vanilla frosting. I opened up my Spotify app and played the indie pop chill out playlist. The rest of the evening passed away in a blink of an eye. Sobia, Mariam auntie and I talked about different things, I loved days like this where I could just hang out with my best friend and her lovely mother and just talk about random stuff. Since they had a big order today, auntie Mariam closed the bakery so she could complete the order without any disturbance. At 3:45 exact, we had 400 cupcakes finished off with beautiful creamy frosting with different fillings and sprinkles and had 3 layered chocolate cake ready with light yellow icing and caramel sauce. To add the final touch, auntie Mariam placed small chocolate roses at the top layer of the cake and wrote Happy Birthday Ruba with dark chocolate sauce. Everything looked so pretty that we had to take a picture of it to upload it on Instagram. You know the drill. So after taking various pictures with different angles and filters, we finally got the one that fit our expectation of a perfect picture of cupcakes for Instagram. We had to call pick and drop services to deliver all the cupcakes and the cake at a designated location. It seemed like the Ibrahims were throwing this party at a hall and it was quite far so we didn't want to rely on Sobia's old car that often breaks down to get the job done. When the delivery truck arrived, we carefully picked up the packed cake and placed it in the back of the truck along with the cupcakes. We were blown away when the truck stopped front of a giant garden. When we asked the security guard, we found out that this wasn't a hall; it was an outdoor private garden. I could see all the colorful tents and rides behind the giant fence. With the help of the security guard,the truck driver and the staff working at the venue, we successfully shifted all the dessert on the table that was located close to the playground. I could see all the children's excited faces when we opened up the boxes to set up the cupcake stand. It was so cute; they were all gathered around us. After a while, I saw a middle age man walking towards us and Sobia told me it was Ibrahim Raza. Ibahim Raza looked like he was in his late 50's. He was tall and still carried himself quite well. He was dressed in a gray suit and had a glass of lemonade in his hand. He made his way towards our table and looked at all the cupcakes and the cake before saying anything. When he looked up, I could tell he was happy with our work. "Hello Sobia and Miss Mariam, all of this looks wonderful. I am sure Ruba will be thrilled when she sees her birthday cake." He said. His voice was kind and genuine. "Thank you sir, I hope your daughter likes it." Auntie Mariam responded. "Don't worry she will. And who is this lady?" Ibrahim Raza asked me. "Asalam O Alikum, I am Laila. I am Sobia's friend." I have no idea why I said salam instead of saying hello. What if he minds it? "Walikum Asalam. Nice to meet you Laila, it's good to see you here. Well I better go and see if the caterers are here. Feel free to walk around and eat whatever you like; we do have some extra servers here who will be here to help out." He smiled at us and took off. "He seems nice." I told Sobia. "SeeI told you, but his wife is a bit cray cray" She laughed. "Shh you're so loud." I told her. Sobia is one of those people who do not care about her surroundings. If she wants something to say, she says it. Loudly. "I don't care if she is here, you should have seen her Laila. I mean she is pretty and all but you can see her evilness in her eyes." She continued on. "Ohkay okay you are right. Now stop talking so loudly please." I tried to calm her. "Fine, jeez you are such a scary cat." She mocked me. "Sobia stop this right now, I told you to behave. Stop disturbing my child Laila" Auntie Mariam stepped in. "Accha Ammi, see I told you she like you better than me." Sobia whined. "Duhh, look at you." I laughed. "Shut up." She joined the laughter. "I need to use the washroom" I told Sobia after severing cupcakes to a group of adorable little kids. "Why are you telling me, go find one." She said while handing out mini cupcakes to a new group of 5-6-year-old children. "Come with me, I don't know where to go." I requested. "Aray, I am busy here and I don't know where Ammi took off, she found one of her clients here. Go find the washroom, I am sure its not too far." She said bluntly. "Fine, I will find it myself." I grabbed my bag and headed straight toward the security guard that I spotted after wondering around for a while. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the washroom is?" I asked the security guy. "Its quite a walk, but just keep going straight" He said pointing at a small trail on my left. "And you that building there, the washroom are right behind that." He said. He was a middle-aged white man with sweet blue eyes, and chubby red cheeks. "Thank you sir." I told him and started walking towards the building on the left. When I walked behind the small white building, I spotted two small attached washroom, I walked into women's area and after finishing my business, I applied a some lip balm to my dry lips and fixed my hijab. I took my phone out to see if there are any messages and saw one from my mother. Okay bachi, take care. I just finished worked. Heading home. Let me know if you want me to send Sabir to the bakery to pick you up. I responded: No Ammi its okay Sobia will give me a ride home. I was so involved in the game of texting that I didn't realize that which way I was heading out until I bumped into someone and my phone came crashing down. "Oh my god I am so sorry." I said instantly to whoever I ran into and bend down to pick up my phone. As soon as I got up, my eyes instantly connected with the familiar hazel brown eyes. I knew exactly who it was and I wasn't too pleased. He was the same shameless guy from my college who stole my phone and my phone number. This can't be happening. I can't let him ruin my weekend too. Wasn't one encounter with this guy enough? Allah. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "None of your business." I walked straight passed him but it still made no difference because he still followed me. "You are at my party so it is my business." He said and I suddenly turned around. "No, this party is for Ruba." I responded to him. "She is my sister." He said smiling at me. "She is what?" I asked just to confirm if I heard him correctly, I wished this wasn't true. The guy I promised myself to stay well away from. I was at his little sister's birthday party. "My sister." He smiled and took a step toward me. Before he could anything else I turned around and started walking away. This time he didn't follow. I hope I don't see him again today or ever for that matter, but the party just got started. _________ P.s. ignore any grammar and spelling error. Nonetheless, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! To Be Continue...

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Episode_4 . ___ I had no idea what just happened, why does it feel so weird when he is around. It gets so weird when he is around and it almost feels like my brain is in a war zone of some sort. I looked around to see if he is anywhere near, but thank god he wasn't. I quickly walked towards our little cupcake set up and sat next to Sobia. "What happened to you? I thought you passed out or something." Sobia said while browsing over Instagram on her phone. "Nothing happened, I just got lost" I said. "Why are you so red?" She said looking at my face. I instantly felt conscious because now auntie Mariam was looking at me as well. "Yh I was walking very fast so probably that's why." I rubbed my cheeks to remove the color from my face. Why was I feeling so embarrassed? "Here have some water beta". Auntie Mariam grabbed a bottle of water from the water stand next to her and passed me the bottle. "Thank you" I smiled. The rest of the evening seemed okay. I got busy with serving the cupcakes at the party and whenever our stall wasn't busy, Sobia and I just walked out the playground and talked about stuff. Since both of us didn't have any sisters, we shared everything with each other. I remember the first time we met 4 years back in our local library where we both were looking for the same book and spend the rest of the afternoon talking about our love for English literature and Adele. Since then we have been unrepeatable, she also doesn't have a lot of friends, and I think that's because she is way too honest and doesn't live to please other. Just like me. Ever since my dad left us, I have stopped caring about others. I do have my doubts and fears, who doesn't? But I still fight. I choose to move forward, not just for myself but for my family. It was almost 7 pm now, and the big birthday cake cutting celebration was about to happen soon. The thought of it again made me anxious. Nonetheless, I went ahead and started decorating the table with little fairy lights since it was getting dark and gift packs that were made for the guests. The clock hit 7 and peopled started coming towards our table. Everything looked beautiful, almost unreal. I could see the bright stars in the clear sky and feel the sweet September breeze across my face. The colorful fairy lights sparkled throughout the stage where the cake was put on display. Sobia, auntie Mariam and I stood in the corner of the stage to dodge the photographer who was taking pictures of all the guests. After the pictures were taken, we came up to the stage again to light the candles that were spread beautifully all across the birthday cake. When I finished lighting the last candle and looked up, I saw him looking at me right across the lawn. The Ibrahims were making their way toward the stage. Auntie Mariam and Sobia noticed them as well and quickly got off the stage . I was about to get off as well, but auntie Mariam suddenly stopped me. "No no you stay here, we are going to get more plates and napkins from the stall. Just stay here and make sure everything is okay." Before I could say anything, both of them disappeared out of my sight. I felt super awkward and didn't know what to do, so I gravitated towards the very far corner of the stage and waited silently for Sobia and auntie Mariam to come back. When the Ibrahims got to the stage after meeting hundreds of their guests, they finally got to the cake and when I saw a little pretty girl dressed in a beautiful lilac dress, I instantly knew it was Ruba. Her eyes lightened up when she saw the cake and ran moved towards the cake as if it's the best thing that has ever happened to her. It was too cute. Behind Ruba was her mother I am assuming. She was tall and skinny, with beautiful black straight hair. She looked like in her late 30's. With pouty red lips and crisp cheekbones, she was giving a competition to the young girls who were here in this party. She looked poised, but whenever I saw her smiling, it didn't reach her eyes. It looked fake and she seemed uninterested in keeping up with the conversation with the guests over a minute. Right behind them I saw Ibrahim Raza who still seemed humble enough to stay back and talk to the guests that his wife walked away from. With him was the same guy I met earlier today near the washroom, the same guy who took my phone in the college. I didn't know his name, not that I was interested in finding out anyway. Once they were done talking to the guests, both Ibrahim Raza and his son joined the rest of their family at the stage. The boy glanced at me and I looked away not knowing what to do. Thankfully I saw auntie Mariam and Sobia coming back with boxes of plastic plates and napkins. They placed the all the plates and napkins next to the cake and joined me in the corner of the stage. The little girl, Ruba blew out the candles and the entire lawn chanted "Happy Birthday". After everyone finished singing the birthday song, Ruba took a beautiful silver knife from her mother's hand and gently cut the bottom layer of the cake and everyone in the lawn began clapping and blessing the little girl for a happy and healthy life ahead. After that, Mrs.Ibrahim came to us and told us to cut the cake and give it to all the guests in the party and walked away. Everyone got off the stage, except the little girl Ruba, who still had her eyes on the cake. Talk about first love. I smiled at her and walked towards her. "You want some?" I asked her. She looked at me as if I caught her committing a crime. "Oh no I'll wait." She said even though I could tell that she was dying to have that first bite of her birthday cake. "I tell you what, you can have the first bite of the cake and then I'll make the pieces for the guests." I offered her and the most adorable smile crossed over her face and I took that as a yes. I grabbed the silver knife again and cut up a small piece of cake of that. Then I placed a slice a cake on a plate and attached a spoon with it and offered it to Ruba. "Here". She took a huge bite from the cake and didn't take long to eat the rest of the piece. "Good huh?" I said laughing. "Very, thank you" She chuckled and joined her friends near the swings area. I offered to cut the cake and give it the guests andSobia and auntie Mariam went back to the cupcake stall to start packing things up. I was too busy cutting the cake by myself that by the time I looked up I realized I was being watched by the boy with hazel brown eyes. He had his messy hair pulled back by a black baseball hat, and his white tee shirt was now layered with a denim jacket and finished out with a black pair of jeans. Out of everyone else in the party, he stood out the most. All I saw around him were little boys and girls in their bright colored outfits and men and women in formal wear. Except him, he looked the most normal one here surprising. We both stood there looking at each other and when I finally got my senses back and looked back down to continue cutting the cake, hoping that he would just go away. But he didn't, instead he walked towards me. "Hi". He said, waiting for me to look up. "Here." I offered him a piece of cake. "Did I ask for it?" He asked me. "Why are you here then?" I looked up to him. "Are you always this feisty?" "No, you just bring out the worst in me." I moved away from the table to get more plates. "She really liked the cake." He said. "Good." I tried to keep my answers short but failed. "Farid Bhaijaan" I heard Ruba coming up to the stage. So that's what his name is. "Yes my birthday girl." He picked up his little sister in his arms and spun her around and she laughed. "Stop I am getting dizzy bhaijaan," This reminded me of the time when Sabir was young and easy to carry. I used to pick him just like this. Farid put his sister down and she came running towards the cake again. "Can I have some more?" "Of course." I picked up one of the plates which were ready to serve and gave her it to her. "Here bhaijaan, have some too." She told Farid. "I would, but she is not giving it to me." He said pointing his fingers toward me. "I just offered you some but you said no." I defended myself front of the young girl, not that I needed to defend myself. But I hated lying, small or big. "You didn't ask me nicely." He winked at me. "If you want it, take it." I took the tray that had cake slices in it and stepped down to the lawn to serve the guests. Sobia joined as well and took the second tray to serve. Everyone loved the cake and there were so many people that asked for our bakery which made auntie Mariam really happy. Events like this were really helpful for the business, so auntie Mariam got herself busy with her potential clients and started telling them about our business. All the cake slices were finished except one and even though I wasn't a fan of Farid, I still felt bad that his he didn't get to eat the cake from his sister's birthday party so I went back to the stage to look for him, but he wasn't there. I found Ruba playing with her friends so I went up to her. "Hey, where is your brother?" I asked her. "He umm...he went to the pool." She said. There is a pool here too? Of course there is. "Where is the pool?" I asked her again. "In that building" She pointed towards the same building where I went earlier today when I was looking for the washroom. "Okay, thanks birthday girl." She gave me high five and went back to the swings area. I took the last piece of cake and walked towards the building. When I opened the big wooden doors of the building, I was taken away with the beautiful chandelier that was hanging in the beautiful hall. I looked around and didn't see anyone. Maybe he isn't here. When I turned back around, I heard people laughing from the other room, the door of the room wasn't locked but it was definitely closed shut. I debated whether I should knock. Before I could make up my mind, the door filliped open and I saw something which I shouldn't have. I saw Farid shirtless; he was only wearing his boxers. We both were shocked to see other like this and equally embarrassed. "Where are you going?" I heard a girl's voice from the room. Oh my god, they were making out in the room. This is way out of my comfort zone. Before it gets any more awkward, I took a step back, turned around and exited the building. I didn't make it too far from the building until I was grabbed by my arm and pulled back. It was Farid, he had his jacket on this time. "What?" I yelled. I don't know why. I don't know why I decided to be that person who saved the last slice of cake for someone who never fails to give me a hard time. "Were you looking for me?" He asked straight away. His eye seemed darker and he was way too close. I could see each feature of his face clearly. He had sharp jawline, olive skin tone, stubble beard and long black hair that were pulled back. "Yes" I said and I guess the answer wasn't good enough because he still didn't let go of my arm and kept his eyes on me still. "I mean no I wasn't. I was looking for the washroom." I said and he let go of my arm this time. "Do you like to eat in the washroom?" He asked me. Where is this even going? "What?" I was so confused. He pointed towards the plate of cake I was holding in my hand. "This, yeah... I was looking for the washroom and then there was an extra plate of cake so I thought you might want some." I hated this. He should be explaining himself being half naked. Why was I explaining this to him? "You came all the way here to give me this?" He asked, almost sounding amused. "No" I said and he started laughing. "You just won't admit it would you?" He challenged me. "I don't know what you are talking about. Do you want it or not?" I snapped. "Yes, I want it." He said looking at me, I wasn't too sure if he is talking about this piece of cake "Yeah..I'll take it" He explained. I pushed my hands forward and offered him a plate. His hands brushed over mine and I suddenly pulled away. He looked at me as he felt something too. All of a sudden my phone rang and I thanked Allah in my head countless time. I really needed a rescue. I immediately took my phone out and looked at the screen. It was my mother calling. I shook my phone in my hand to give him a sign that I am heading back. I turned around and began walking away, knowing that there are set of hazel eyes still looking at me from behind. To Be Continue....

enjoying the story ??

Episode_5 . ____________________________________________ Somehow I couldn't get over my encounter with Farid last night. I didn't know what was going on with him. I have met a lot of people, but I have never met anyone like him. Maybe that's why I was thinking about him. Maybe that's why I couldn't get our conversation from last night out of my mind. Allah what was happening? It was 7:00am in the morning, it was Sunday. Usually on Sundays, I'd like to sleep in. But I had such a sleepless night. After Sobia dropped me home last night, I was super tired and couldn't wait to get into my bed, but I stayed up most of the night and after sleeping for few hours, I woke up super early and now I am wide awake and can't seem to go back to sleep. Urghh I hate when that happens. I gave up on going back sleep and decided to get my bum out of the bed to make some breakfast. Everyone was home today, Sabir didn't have any football practice and Ammi had a day off as well so I decided to make some breakfast. I got to the kitchen and decided to make some cheese omelet, hash brown and tea. I decorated the table with nice pink glassware that Ammi brought with her from Turkey and crochet table cloth . I called down Sabir and Ammi to the kitchen to serve them some fresh homemade breakfast which is very rare because all of us are very busy and we live off of granola and cereals most of the time. "Masha Allah, did you make all of this?" Ammi sounded surprised and that's because even though I love to cook, I am usually very lazy to bother. "Jee Ammi, I woke up early so I decided to make some breakfast." I smiled and passed some toasts to her. "How was the birthday party baji?" Sabir asked me while enjoying some extra cheesy omelet I prepared specially for him since he lives for cheese. I didn't know how to ask his question, yes the party was good, but I still felt some tension at the party. "It was good, a lot of people showed up and they loved the desserts and auntie Mariam met a lot of people in the party who might be contacting her in the future to place some orders." I told him. "That's really good; Allah knows how hard it was for Mariam to get her business started." Ammi said. "True, but everything is going well for them now." "Yes, who was the host of the party?" She popped the question. "Ibrahims." I responded giving more attention to my food. "Who are they?" My annoying brother can't keep his mouth closed. "Don't' know. They are rich people, just moved in from some big city" I answered truthfully, leaving the part of their son being my classmate. "Yh, I have met them" My mom said and I almost chocked. "You do?" "Oh yes, Ayesha Ibrahim came to our agency few days back, she is looking for some people to work around the house. I was filling some work in the office and I saw her there." She told me. "Oh." Of course they were looking for people to work in their house. If their events venue from last night was so amazing, imagine what their house look like. We continued on talking about Sabir's football practice after that and when Sabir starts talking, then no one can stop him. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, Ammi and I made some chicken pasta for dinner because Sobia was coming over, as well as some of Sabir's friends. By the time we finished making chicken pasta and some dark chocolate brownies, it was almost time for dinner. Since my whole outfit smelled like a baking shop, I went up to my room and wore a long green maxi dress; it was kind of old but super comfortable and wore my white linen hijab since it was light and easy to style. As soon as I went downstairs to the living room, the doorbell rang. Talk about timing. Sobia was looking stunning like she always does. I mean seriously I am not just saying this because she is my best mate, I genuinely mean it. She is tall, have nice curves, high cheek bones, light beige skin tone. She was wearing a beautiful maroon dress with white lace on the sleeves and black tights. "You know you don't have to dress up when you come over, you can literally come wearing pajamas and you would still look flawless." I said giving her a hug and inviting her upstairs to my room. "Oh please don't even get me started. Do you even look at yourself clearly? You should start paying more attention, I mean seriously there were so many guys, including the driver yesterday at the party yesterday who were giving you the looks but again you don't seem to care." She jumped on my bed and took my laptop to put some music on. "Cmon it's almost Magrib time, don't play music at this time." I told her. "Aray, okay fine. So did you like the party yesterday? I had so much fun. You were so quite there though" Sobia probably noticed something yesterday, she was right. I was awfully quite yesterday and that's because I kind of felt like Farid was going to pop up from somewhere after I saw him with that girl. Maybe he enjoyed watching me being all awkward that time. "It was a long day yesterday, I just got tired and there was a lot of moving around too." I told her. "The Ibrahims are stunning though aren't they? I mean everyone in their family is just gorgeous." "Well if I had their money, I would look gorgeous too" I said sarcastically. "Come on don't hate on the rich fellows." She laughed. "I am not hating on them Sobs, I just don't like how some people with money think they own the world and the people in it." "Yh, lets the way is it, but don't worry one day we will have own businesses too and we will be driving limousines and all that stuff" That's why Sobia is a sweetheart. She always lightens my mood. "Now are we just going to sit here, or you are going to feed me something too?" "Dinner is served." Sabir came in announcing. The rest of the evening went exceptionally well. Then it was time to leave, Sobia really wanted to get some ice cream so we decided to give Sabirs friends ride home on our way to the shop. I sat in the front seat with Sobia and Sabir and his friends hopped in the back. We turned on our favorite playlist from Adele and had our own karaoke session in the car. We dropped the Sabir's friends to their homes, and Sobia, Sabir and I headed towards Sunlight Ice Cream to grab our favorite item from the menu, strawberry gelato. It was about 8:30pm by the time we got there and as usual Sobia's took forever to do her reverse parking. At last, we got inside the Ice cream place and it was so quite. We loved coming here late just because during the day, this place is like a zoo. They make such delicious ice cream that people actually come here from different towns outside of Bradford for it. We were greeted by a beautiful lady with bright red hair and freckles, and even though it was late and night and she was probably too tired after running this place, she still managed to greet us with a welcoming smile, a genuine one. Sobia and I got our favorite strawberry gelato and my little brother went with a pineapple flavor ice cream. We got into the parking lot and saw another car that was parked right across from us. There were some people who were standing outside of the car laughing and talking very loudly. We didn't bother looking their way. We almost reached the car when I heard someone saying my name from the back. At first I thought I am just hearing things, but I heard it again and this time Sobia and Sabir heard it too. I turned around to see who is calling my name. It was Farid and behind him, I could see his friends looking in our direction. Farid came towards us and looked at Sobia, Sarib and lastly, at me. "Laila." He was drunk. I could tell. Of course he drinks too. I was about to turn around when he grabbed my hand and pulled me right back to him. Sobia was too freaked out to speak, but Sabir on the other hand didn't fail to speak up. "Hey leave her." Sarib came forward and held his hand that was still holding me. The next thing I know, we were surrounded by Farid's friends. First I thought he is just a messed up boy who is rebellious and don't care about what people think. But today, at this moment, he truly scared me. His hand was still holding me and one of his friends was close of Sobia and the rest were around where I was standing. "Don't touch him." I warned him and his friends to stay away from my brother. "Or else what?" He took my waist from his other hand and pulled me closer. I didn't know what to do. I seriously don't. I have planned sceneries in my mind, where I would fight people back if I ever get into a situation like this. But right now standing in this empty parking lot with my best friend and my brother, I seriously didn't know what to do. "What is your problem, what did I do to you?" I looked up to him and even though I tried not to cry and be a bad ass chic. I failed. I ended up crying in front of everyone. And just like that he let me go and Farid and all his friends started laughing. I never felt humiliated like this ever before. Maybe it was all a joke and a bet or whatever it was. It was pathetic. All of them went back to their car pretending as if nothing happened. I mean seriously, are they out of their freaking mind? What kind of people were they? Sadistic. "Was that...?" Sobia was about to say his name and that's the last thing I wanted to hear at this point. "Don't Sobia, and Sabir promise me you won't tell Ammi what happened." I looked at brother and he shook his head. Even he was way too freaked out to say anything else. Looking at my brother made me feel even worse. He looked so helpless. I can't just let this go and let Farid feel as if it was nothing. I don't know how I got my guts back but instead of getting into the car, going home and never looking back like a normal human being. I decided to go towards where Farid and his friends were standing, still laughing. "Get in the car, I'll be back." I told them before any of them could stop me. I have had enough of this. I walked where Farid and his friends were standing. "Look who is here." One of his friends said to him. Farid had his back on me and when he turned around to face me, he looked at me as if he is seeing me for the first time. "Hey it was a bet" He said while smoking his stupid cigarette. I don't believe this. He didn't even consider apologizing. I already made up my mind and there is no way I was going back. I knew I am probably going to regret this later but he deserves this after making a fool out of me in front of his friends like that. And after going back and forth with my life choices, I slapped right across his face. He was too shocked to say anything and so were his friends. He was looking at me as if I have grown another head. "What did you think Farid, I was just going to go back home crying? Did you really expect I wasn't strong enough to stand against you after you treated me like that?" I looked right at him. He needed to be reminded about how to treat others. "Don't you dare ever doing this to me or anyone else for that matter? Just because I didn't say anything to you earlier doesn't mean you can do anything you like." I shouted this time not carrying who else is listening at this point. I went back to the car and Sobia and Sabir looked at me like I have gone crazy. "What are you staring at, lets get going." I said putting my seatbelt on. "Wow. That was so cool Appi."Sabir said from the back giving me a high-five. "No it was not cool, Laila do you any idea what you did just now?" Sobia was not having it. I could tell she was scared and honestly I was too but what's the worst that could happen? * To Be Continue...

Ok

Next pls

You just shocked Farid like a naked wire.. No one messes with lailai... Nice story so far, ride on

Thanks @fb-danieledem for the invite

Episode_6 . I was very confident at first when I woke up this morning to go to college, but as soon as I stepped in my Business Communication class, all of my confidence melted away and some sort of fear took over. I didn't know what I was so scared about, it's not like I did anything wrong but I couldn't help myself from thinking about what Sobia said to me after I slapped Farid couple of days back. I took a deep breath and opened up my textbook to go over some of the key concepts we'll be discussing in class today . I had my assignments ready to be handed in and now I was just waiting like everyone in my class for my professor to come in. There was no sign of Farid so far which really helped me to calm my nerves. After waiting for an extra couple of minutes, my professor finally stepped inside and started the lecture on presentation skills and reports. I was very much involved in the class, and then all of a sudden our classroom door filliped open and Farid entered the classroom. He was with a girl and both of them took a seat right in front of me. The class kept going and both of them paid no attention to the class, instead kept flirting with other openly. Was she the same girl from the birthday party ? Who knows. Guys like him change girls like clothes. He was acting so normal though, he didn't turn around to look at once or even said anyhing to me even after he saw me. Maybe he got over that accident. I was glad that he was over it; at least now we can both move in our own separate ways without killing each other. The rest of the class went pretty well and the professor asked everyone to hand in their assignment. I packed up my stuff pretty quickly and was the first one to hand in the assignment. Mr.Charlie was very impressed with my assignment, I could tell. After looking at my assignment, he told me to stay back because he wanted to discuss something with me, so I went back to my seat and waited until everyone handed in their assignment. After everyone else left the classroom, he called me up to his desk and told me to have a seat. 'Look Laila, I was looking over your assignment and also read your discussion online on courses website and I am very impressed'. Mr.Charlie said happily. 'Thank you sir, I really like this course so it doesn't really feel like work' 'I am glad you are enjoying the course so far. The reason why I called you here is because I wanted to discuss an opportunity with you that I thought might interest you. We just started launched a new tutoring program in our business school and we are looking for students who are doing well academically to help out students who are struggling to keep up with their grades.' I really liked where this was going, any type of opportunity where I can use my skills, earn experience and help out other students reach their full potential would be a great step toward my career goal. 'I checked your grades in your other classes and also talked to your other professors to see how you are doing in their classes and I have heard positive feedback from them. This opportunity will be paid and timings will be flexible. Is it something that interests you?' He asked me. 'Sir I am very much interested.' I said instantly. 'I am glad to hear that, well just fill out the forms here and I will send you the list of students you will be helping out this semester. Once you receive their contact information you can just fill out the authorization form and get them to sign it, and you all of your funds from your tuition classes will be directly deposited to your account.' Mr. Charlie passed down the documents and I read all the papers before signing it off. I handed back him the documents and he photocopied it so I can have an extra copy. When I stepped out of the class, I was extremely overjoyed. This is something that happened so unexpectedly, but I was so excited. By having my own money coming in, I will be able to take care of my own expenses without relying on Ammi's income. In high school Ammi didn't let me work because she really wanted me to focus so I could get a scholarship, but now since I had less course load and plenty of time, it will work out wonderfully. I quickly got home so I could tell the news to Ammi and Sabir. Ammi and Sabir were both in the living room. Ammi was helping Sabir with his homework. I placed my bag and jacket onthe sofa and walked towards the center table where both of them were sitting on the floor and all of Sabir's book and papers were scattered around the table. I joined both of them and sat in an Indian style position on the carpeted floor. 'Assalam O Alikum Ammi' 'Walikum Asalam meri jaan, how was your day?' How did she still manage to look so calm and happy after working endlessly all day? Something I could never understand. Whenever I asked her this question she always told me patience and faith in God helped her keep calm and collected during times of despair and hardship. 'It was good, how was your day?' 'Oh you know how it is in the cleaning business, work work work.' 'Ammi made some biryani, we were really hungry so we already ate lunch. Go heat up the food and come back here, I need your help with my project baji' Sabir said, looking very busy while trying to solve his math problems. 'Okay, give me a minute' I quickly ran to the kitchen and start heating a full plate of biryani in the microwave, and my god it smelled divine. While the food was heating up, I ran to my room, took off my scarf and tied my hair in a messy bun and changed into my purple floral PJs set that I got from Primark. 'Guess what happened today ammi?' I sat beside her and took a spoon full of biryani in my mouth. It tasted even better than it smelled. 'Kya hua?' What is it with moms, they just can't keep themselves from worrying. 'Aray, nothing bad happened, first listen to me na Ammi. So Mr.Charlie my business communication professor offered me a job. My college started their own tuition program and he offered me a position.' 'What that's awesome baji' Sabir looked just as excited as I did when I heard about this offer earlier today. 'Yes its great Laila, but you don't have to do this. I can take care of all the expenses, just focus on your studies.' 'Ammi, I already said yes and filled out all the paperwork. I don't have difficult courses, my work load isn't a lot and I have plenty of free time. I am doing well in all of my courses and it's time I should start working and start earning.' I took her hand in mine and she blessed me. 'May Allah bless you Laila, I am so proud of you and you too Sabir.' She took Sabir hands as well. 'Both of you are my foundation'. After finishing my plate of biryani and helping Sabir with his math problems, I went to my room while Ammi went to see her friend next door. I prayed Asr and opened up my laptop to see if I got any email from Mr.Charlie and there was one. I clicked on it and here is what it said: Good evening Laila, You have been assigned with two students this semester to tutor. First is Rafay Khan, you will be assisting him with his Advertising course. Second is Farid Ibrahim, you will be assisting him with Project Management course. Make sure you contact them by end of this week and have all the paperwork signed, email me the copy of it so I can add it in my file. If you have any other questions, let me know. Charlie Jones, Business Program Head/ Tutor Program Coordinator. I kept refreshing my email to see if there was some type of an error in the email, but there was no error. I was assigned to tutor Farid. He was one of my students. What did I ever do to someone to deserve this? I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Mr.Charlies extension line hoping he would pick up, and he did thankfully. 'Good evening, Charlie Jones speaking.' He said from the other end of the line. 'Yes good morning, I mean evening...Good evening sir, its Laila from Business Communication class' 'Ah yes, did you receive my email Laila?' Yes, that's why I am calling you... 'Yes I did, I just had a quick question? The thing is I am not too sure if it's a good idea for me to tutor Farid Ibrahim. We know each other and we don't get along so I don't think it's going to work out.' My heart was racing so fast, I really hope he understands and exchange him with a different student; I'll take anyone, just not him. 'Hmm, that's strange. I did have a word with him and he said its fine if you teach him. He said you are a bright student and you will help him a lot.' I didn't believe what I was hearing. Either I have gone made or the world seems a little crazier than before. 'You told him about me and he is fine with me being his tutor?' I asked again just to confirm. 'Yes.' 'Okay, but I still think it's not going to work out. We don't get along.' I tried my luck one more time to see if he can do something to help me get out of this mess. 'Unfortunately, I can't help you at this moment. Unless he tells me himself that he doesn't want you to tutor him. Since he doesn't have any problem, we can't really make any changes from your end.' So basically he said no. 'Okay, that's fine. Thank you' 'I have talked to Farid couple of times before, he is a handful but hardworking. Give this a shot, talk to him and see what happens.' 'Will do sir, I will submit the forms by the end of this week.' After hanging up the phone, I printed the email along with the authorization forms with all the contact details of both of my 'students'. Eh. First off, it was Rafay Khan who had exceptional grades in Stats, Data Management and other Accounting courses. I think his problem area was simply advertising, just how mine was art in middle school. This shouldn't be hard. I typed up an email asking if he would like to meet up sometime his week to get the paperwork signed and everything. Second off, it was Farid who was not too good in any of his courses. He had average marks in all of his classes, but was really involved in social activities around the campus. His problem area was Project Management. Instead of typing up an email, I just decided to text him. It's not like he checks his college email anyways. I grabbed my phone from the side table and wrote a short simple message, keeping it professional. L: Hello its Laila Barakat, I will be your Project Management tutor this semester. Can we meet this week so we can sign all the paperwork? I hit send and after couple of seconds, I got his instant reply. F: Yh meet me at the library in downtown area tomorrow at 4. Library in downtown would take me an hour in the bus. There is no way I am going all the way down there to get his stupid signature. L: It's too far, can you meet me in college instead. F: No, I am busy all week. Come there if you want the papers signed. ALLLAHHHH! Why? I am not going to go and feed his ego this time around. But who am I kidding, it's me who is broke and needs this job. I will go tomorrow to get this paperwork done and if tries to pull any trick he will get a payback on spot. I promise. * To Be Continue...

Am sorry for not posting yesterday.... Follow back @ele1

Hmm, dnt worry Lailai, you wil get along with Farid Ibrahim, your name will soon change to Lailai Ibrahim, i like the way the lecturers at the school make the students help each other, ill apply the formula for my students

Episode_7 . I woke up and got ready to go to the library. I made no effort in my outfit today, simply grabbed my denim jacket and threw it over my long black jersey dress and paired it with green hijab. I didn't tell Sabir about going to the library because if he finds out that I will be tutoring Farid, he will sure tell Ammi about what happened in the parking lot and she wouldn't let me take this job. I took my phone my texted Farid before I left home to see if he is in the library. L: Hello, are you at the library? F: Here L: Okay I am on my way F: K Ammi and Sabir were both outside so I locked up the house, took the keys and went to library. The buses were on time for once, and as a regular bus commuter I couldn't be happier. Finding the library in a small town downtown was harder than I expected. I have never been to this side of town before. As soon as I got off the bus, I could spot small shops spread across the busy lanes. Before I went searching for the library, I saw a cute little café and decided to pick up an Americano. It tasted blissful. After asking couple of cool hipster kids who were sitting on the front porch of some raw vegan restaurant, I finally found my way to the library. The library was huge, it had four massive floors and each floor had insane gothic architecture. Instead of hunting down this idiot, I gave myself a break and sat close to the windows behind the bookshelves to enjoy my delicious cup of coffee. I texted him again to inform him that I was here. It didn't take him long to find me but he wasn't alone, his sister was with him...what was her name again? Ruba or something? Anyways she instantly recognized me and ran towards me. 'Hello, I know you' She said cheerfully and took a seat right next to me. 'Hi, I know you too' I smiled at her. Farid took a seat right across from me, his arms were crossed and he learned back as if this is the last place he wants to be at and trust me he wasn't the only one. But if he had so many problems with me, then why did he agree to this when Mr.Charlie asked him about me tutoring him. He should have just said no. Without wasting anymore time, I opened up my bag and reached for the authorization forms and a pen and pushed it forward to him. 'Here you go' I said calmly. 'Well what is it' He was clearly here to laugh at my misery. 'Well I will be tutoring you for Project Management course and these here are some of the papers that need to be submitted before we start.' I looked at him and saw him smiling. Of course, he knows how it works. He kept smiling; I hated his perfect dimply smile. 'Why are you smiling like that, sign the papers I have to go somewhere' I said annoyingly. 'Oh so you do have a life outside of college?' He leaned forward and I could smell the strong musky cologne he was wearing. He was dressed well, as always. Farid was wearing light blue denim and had a gray knitted sweater on. For a guy who was wearing street style clothing, he did clean up quite well. 'Still with me?' He snapped his fingers to get me back to my sense. Was I just admiring him just now? No, I wasn't I was simply just looking at the material of his clothes. 'Yh, there was a bug on your sweater so...' I told him, looking away. Girl get it together. 'Riiighht, okay so let's sign this shall we' He grabbed the pen and read each page carefully before signing it off. While he was doing that, I went back to talking to Ruba. She was a sweet girl, were they real siblings? because something is not right with Farid's DNA. Both of them are so unalike. Where Ruba is cheerful, sweet and warm, Farid is sarcastic, rude and cold. 'Here all done.' Farid finished signing all the papers and I also signed the last page of the contract. It was all signed and sealed. I put all the paperwork inside my bag and before I could excuse myself, Ruba asked me to recommend some books for her to read. I usually can't keep up with conversations for too long but if someone asks me about books, I can happily stay back and talk for hours and hours. I asked Farid if I could show her some of the books and he actually let me. Ruba followed me around the library and I was having such a good time with her. After spending an hour or so looking for books, we finally found three books and I took her back to table where we were sitting earlier. Farid was still there, browsing on his phone. 'Done?' He asked his little sister. 'Yup, we found three books. Thanks Laila' Ruba gave me a hug and I returned it back happily. I saw Farid looking at me and even when I looked back at him, he didn't move his eyes from me. I let go of Ruba, and she went back to the checkout area at the front to sign out the books, leaving me behind. It was just Farid and I now; there was no one else in sight since we were in the back of the library so I turned around to leave as soon as possible. 'Hey' Farid got up from his chair quickly and walked towards me to block my way. 'Yeah?' We were both standing between the two bookshelves. 'I could give you a ride' He offered me; he was obviously up to something. 'It's okay' I tried to move away but he didn't budge and kept blocking my way. 'You know what this means right?' He asked me leaning forward. I kept moving back until my back hit one of the book shelves. Farid placed his hands on both sides of the shelf, and now I am trapped. 'What?' I didn't realize my voice was shaking until I heard my own voice. 'Hmm' He kept coming closer. I placed my hand on his chest to keep the distance but it didn't make any difference. 'What do you want Farid?' I kept my voice sturdy this time but still avoided making an eye contact with him. 'Look at me' He demanded. What was wrong with him honestly? I raised my head and looked at him, didn't realize I was crying. 'That's why you agreed to this right Farid? You are enjoying this? Does this make you happy? Look I am a simple girl, I can't keep up with your games and tricks. I know I shouldn't have slapped you that day and I know you are doing this to get back to me so if you want me to apologize I will. I am so...' Farid stopped me just as I was about to say sorry, he placed his hand on my mouth and just kept looking. I didn't realize I was still holding his shirt until I heard Ruba's voice from the behind. She was looking for him. I pushed him back and this time it worked. Before it gets any worse I took off and went straight out outside the library, breathing hard. Whatever happened between us will not happen again. He wasn't a nice guy, he screamed trouble and I knew it the first time I saw him but no matter how much I try to stay away from him, the more I end up seeing him. I reached home and there was still no sign of Ammi and Sabir, I guess they went to pick up some grocery. I went to the bathroom and took a relaxing shower, blow dried my hair and opened up my laptop to see I got any emails. There were a couple of emails from my college, different stores offering their discount sales, and one was from Rafay Khan, my advertising student. I clicked on the email and it said: Hello Laila, Thank you for your email. We can meet tomorrow if that works for you. I was going over the class list and I saw your name, we have advertising class together, I was away for the first few weeks that's why I need some help to catch up. I will be waiting for your response. My phone number is in the authorization form, just contact me through texts. Best Regards Rafay He sounded professional which I appreciated. I grabbed my phone and sent him a text confirming to meet him after class to get the paperwork signed. I was about to call Sobia after finishing dinner, but I realized that it might be too late. It was 10 pm but unlike me, Sobia was an early rise which meant that she went to bed early. So I killed some more time watching The Walking Dead series and called it a day. ___________________ To Be Continue...

Episode_8 . 'Oh my god, stop my stomach is hurting' I laughed at one of Rafay's jokes. 'Come on you haven't even heard the punch line yet'. Rafay turned out to be one of the friendliest people I have ever met. There was so much life in him. As soon as I met him in advertising class, I knew we'd get along and I was right. 'Shhh the prof is here' I told him and turned on my laptop to start writing my notes. Rafay was a decent looking guy. He was tall, had short brown hair, ivory skin and a kind smile. He was totally the type of guy Sobia would fall for. 'Okay I shall continue my story after class' He was a goofy guy, but was very smart. After the class ended we decided to sit outside near the bleachers since the weather was nice. October's sun was out and it was nice and warm. All the leaves were stripped down from the trees and now were making a crunchy sound beneath our feet as we walked across the field to find a nice calm area to sit. 'Okay let's get this started' I pulled out all of my previous notes and handed to him. 'You can use my notes to catch up with all the work you missed.' I offered him my notes and he began jotting down all the key concepts into his notebook. While Rafay was taking notes, he told me about his family, his mother passed away when he was young, his father didn't marry anyone after and raised him and his young brother all by himself. I also shared a little about my life, I told him about my mother, my brother and my best friend Sobia, but left one very one person out, my dad. I don't want to talk about him with anyone. He wasn't a worthy man. 'Okay all done, thanks Laila'. 'No problem, I guess you don't need my tutoring classes anymore'. 'No I still need help, besides we can always work or our class assignments and stuff together.' 'You sure? You don't have to'. 'I am sure, besides I don't know anyone else here'. 'Okay sounds good, you are actually smarter than I am so I guess you'll be the one tutoring me' it's true, Rafay was always participating in class discussions and got along with all the professors. 'I would love to pass down my wisdom to you' He laughed. We packed our stuff and started walking back inside the college to grab our stuff from the lockers. My locker was on the second floor and his was on third, I insisted on going to my locker but Rafay insisted in walking with me to my locker so we could talk some more. At least now I have one friend in college. We made our way to the second floor and saw Farid and some of his friends standing close to my lockers. I instantly felt shy and wished he wouldn't notice but I was dead wrong. As soon as I approached my locker with Rafay, Farid's eyes snapped up on both of us. He was holding one of his many girlfriends by the waist, I felt disgusted by him and all the girls who let him use them like that. As soon as he saw my face, I think he could tell I was disgusted because he instantly let go of the girl and stood up straight. I turned my back towards him and continued my conversation with Rafay who was not bothered with Farids gang whatsoever. Rafay and I continued our chit chat, and I offered to walk with him to his locker because I was afraid if Rahay leaves me here on my own, Farid is going to make some kind of comment to embarrass me in front of his friends. The girl who was standing with Farid was a very beautiful girl; she had beautiful red hair, tall, had a lot of cleavage showing and was laughing at everything he was saying. She was pretty good looking, but seemed like a total bimbo. Poor girl, you can do so much better. 'What are you thinking about?' Rafay interrupted my thoughts as we walked down to his locker. 'Nothing, I am just thinking about one of my assignments that's all'. 'Don't forget to submit your authorization forms to Mr.Charlie before you go home' He reminded me. 'Oh yes, that's for reminding me I am gonna go right now, catch you later.' Thank god he reminded me or else I would have missed the last date of submission. 'Should I wait for you?' Rafay yelled from the back. 'No that's okay I will see you tomorrow' I rushed back downstairs to find Mr.Charlie before he leaves. Finding his office was quite easy but the receptionist told me to wait because he was busy with other students so I patiently waited for him in the waiting room. Meanwhile, I saw Farid and his crew walking heading out but as soon as he spotted me in the waiting room, he stopped and said something to his friends. He kissed the girl he was with right in front of his friends passionately, and the girl didn't seem to care as well. Talk about PDA. I looked down instantly, and took my phone out to play some games to kill some time instead. After a while, Mr.Charlie stepped outside his office along with a Chinese girl who was probably my age and her mother. After the girl and her mother left the office, Mr.Charlie asked me to come in. I gave him all the paperwork and my direct deposit information. After everything was set, I felt the office. I was on my way towards the bus stop when a black Volvo stopped right in front of me in the parking lot. I didn't know who it was, but before I could even guess, the window in the car rolled down and I saw none other than Farid. He was alone in the car. I wonder where his friends and that "special girl' was? He was still looking ahead, not looking at me. Jeez I moved around his car and continued walking. Why does parking lot have to be so goddamn big? I didn't reach far when which I heard him unlock his car door. I started walking a lot faster, afraid that he might catch me if I don't fasten up the pace. It took him less than a minute to catch up with me. 'Are you ignoring me?' He asked while trying to keep up with me. 'I am talking to you Laila' Gosh, why is he so demanding. I am not going to give in. I didn't answer any of his worthless questions and continued on walking. He was being ridicules. 'Stop' He yelled so loudly that a couple of people near the stop sign turned around to look us. 'Stop making a scene' I finally stopped, but didn't look at him. 'Well I wouldn't have but you are pushing me'' He snapped. 'I didn't push you to do anything Farid' I crossed my hands over my chest and looked bored. Honestly, he has free time to kill but I had tons of other things to do. 'Yes you did, why wouldn't you talk to me?' Again being demanding. 'Talk to you? About what?' I laughed sarcastically. 'Look at me when I am talking to you'He crossed his hands over his chest to mimic my posture and he was so close that if I turned my head around to look at him, our faces would be few inches apart, so I kept looking ahead to avoid that. 'I don't want to talk to you about anything Farid, can I go now?' I gave up. 'Our next session will be tomorrow, after class. Meet me in cafeteria and we'll get started.' He didn't even wait for my response and walked away. Such a werido. I got home and called Sobia to see what she is up to. We talked for hours as usual and she told me how a lot of people from Ruba's birthday party are now contacting them for cake and cupcakes orders. At least something good came out from that night. I also told her about Rafay and how she would seriously be into him if she meets him. I need to make it happen, I promised myself. Rafay was honestly such a decent guy, never had a girlfriend, he is close with his family, no trouble past, just a simple and single guy perfect for Sobia. After eating my veggie burger with Sabir, we both went to our rooms. Ammi texted to inform that she'd be running late because she has got a new client. There is no need for an argument with her, even if I tell her not to take any extra shifts, she would still take it. Before I switched off my phone, I got a text from Rafay asking if I got home safely. Aww. I replied him back saying that I did and that my phone was on silent. We texted back and forth for a while and said our goodbyes for today. I was in such a good mood after talking to my old and new friends and then the ugly truth hit me hard in the core. Tomorrow I have my first tuition session with a guy I can't stand, the only guy who seems to get on my nerves without even trying, the one and only Farid Ibrahim. * To Be Continue...

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Episode_9 . I was literally waiting for Farid for more than two hours at this point and there was no sign of him. I was not surprised though, it's not like he cared about any of this stuff. That's it, I am going to wait for 15 more minutes and if he doesn't show up, I will go home. Everyone left the cafeteria, only me and the cleaning lady were left. I gave up and gathered my stuff and got out of the cafeteria. I went to my locker to pick up my jacket and bag so I could leave. "Hey" Farid whispered in my ear from behind as I was taking my stuff from the locker. I screamed. 'What's wrong with you' I elbowed him to push him away. 'Where are you going?' He laughed as he stood beside my locker. 'Home' 'We have a tutoring session, let's go' He took my hand and closed my locker. I snatched my hand away from him and started walking away. 'Stop touching me Fared, and our tutoring session was 2 hours ago' I kept walking until Fared caught up with me again and stood front of me, this time looking furious. He held me by the shoulder and took me inside one of the classrooms that was empty. 'Let go of Fared, you are out of your mind' I yelled at him and tried all the strength I had in me to let myself out of his grip. 'Yes I am. Who was that guy with you the other day?' He gripped my shoulders harder and pulled my closer. 'What are you talking about?' I yelled at back and he let go of me. I went towards the door to head out but he was quicker than me and he closed it shut and blocked my exit. 'You wanna know who he is well? He is my friend okay? Now move Farid.' I was beyond pissed. He showed up late today, missed the session and now he was questioning my friendship with Rafay. 'He seemed more than a friend to me' He glared at me. 'That's your problem not mine.' 'You know what I am not surprised; when I first met you I could tell it was all an act. You pretend to be all innocent and sweet but that's not who you are you?' What was he saying? 'What?' I asked him. 'Okay let me be clear, you are here to trap rich guys aren't you? The guy you were with, he seems well off. He is a catch isn't he?' I can't believe he thinks so low of me. He was smiling down at me. 'You think I am a gold digger?' I questioned him. I have been looked down upon for many reasons because I wasn't born in a rich family but this is the first time someone has accused me for being a gold digger. 'Aren't you?' He wants this. He wants me to feel bad about myself. 'Yes I am, so what? He is nice to me, and we get along...I think we are quite compatible. But I don't see how it's any of your business. Does that answer your question'? I fired back. If he thinks I am that type of a girl then let it be. I don't owe any explanations to him. 'Stay away from him Laila' His tone suddenly changed. He looked angry. 'What if I don't?' 'You will have to listen to me' He yelled and began walking towards me. I didn't move back this time and luckily for me he stopped couple of steps away from me. 'Why, why do I have to answer all of your questions Fared' I yelled, losing my temper yet again. But I can't help it, whenever I see him, something happens to me and I become sensitive over everything. 'Because you are mine, Laila' He yelled so loudly and I almost lost my balance. Thankfully I was standing close to the table so I held on to that. 'What?' I looked at him and his eyes were pulled together and his face was all red. OH DEAR what did I get myself into. 'You heard me' 'I am not yours Fared, you heard me. You are sick' I held my forehead. My head started hurting from all this yelling and all. 'I gotta go' I ran outside and he didn't follow. In fact he didn't even look back at me. The entire way home, I kept thinking about his words. Why did he say this to me? Was it some kind of a prank? Ya Allah what just happened...should I be worried? Should I tell someone? What if Fared does something to Rafay? All these questions were occupying my mind. I didn't realize I reached my stop until the bus driver looked back at me. I was a regular commuter so he remembered my stop. 'Thank you' I smiled at the bus driver and stepped out and since my luck was shining brighter than a star today, it started raining to add the cherry on top. Ughhh. I got home and Ammi was home. I took a quick shower, changed my clothes and after that I went to Ammi's room where I found her reading a book so I went up to her, laid in her bed and put my head in her lap. She started stroking my hair and I instantly felt a lot better. 'What happened?' She asked me. 'Just tired' I replied back. 'Should I make you some tea? 'No, where is Sabir?' 'At school practicing for his talent show performance' 'Oh' 'You sure you are okay dear?' 'Jee Ammi, it was a long day and you know I don't like when it rains' 'Yh, I forgot to tell you something? Maria at work fell at work and injured her arm so I will be covering her shift at the Ibrahims' I got up right away and looked at her. She better be joking. 'What?' 'At Ibrahims, I told you about them remember?' 'Yes I remember and you are not working there.' 'Why are you saying it like that, did something happened?' Yes, their whole family is weird as hell, except Ruba. And their son is a psycho. 'No nothing happened, but you don't have to take extra shifts' I sat on her bed again and tried to calm down. 'Maria had covered so many of my shifts in the past, it's the least I can do for her.' What can I possibly say to change her mind? 'You sure? They have a big house, you'll get tired' 'I won't be alone, Farah, Rimi and Josie will be there with me' She told me about her other coworkers who will be there with her. 'Okay, for how long?' 'Couple of weeks, as soon as Maria feels better I will leave from there' 'Okay Ammi, but just be careful. They are not friendly people' 'Hmm, I will keep that in mind my little grandmother. Stop worrying too much' she pulled my cheeks and went to the kitchen. She thinks I am joking or being worried without any reasons. Maybe I should just tell her about Farid but then she'll be worried for me. I'll just wait some more, maybe I am getting worried for no reason. If anything goes wrong, I will just tell her. He is not that dangerous, is he? * To Be Continue...

Episode_10 . Today was the last day of university before our autumn break starts for one week. Thank god, I really need some time off. One another thing I was thankful for was the fact that I won't be seeing the person I loathe the most but frankly speaking I think we won't be crossing each others paths from now on. Since last week, I haven't seen Farid and I heard some people saying that he left for London and took an early break. Anyways it's not like any of this affects me. When my class finished I packed my bag and headed towards the third floor to find Rafay. It's time I should introduce Rafay to Sobia. I took him with me to her bakery and let's just say I did the right thing. 'So you'll be coming right?' Sobia asked Rafay. Sobia's cousin is getting married in Brighton and she wasted no time inviting Rafay. 'You sure? I mean I don't wanna make it awkward by coming to your cousin's wedding' He was smiling at Sobia the entire time and I felt like such a third wheel but I didn't care. I was shameless and was very much enjoying witnessing them being all shy and cute with each other. 'Oh common, I am going as well Rafay. It'll be so much fun' I interrupted and Sobia sighed in relief. 'Yeah but you know her family yaar.' 'So what you'll get to know them too and besides Sobia is taking care of everything and she is allowed to invite people' 'Fine, I'll be there besides I love wedding food' He laughed. 'Oh and don't forget about the sweets' Sobia bragged because she will be preparing desserts for the wedding. 'Won't miss it for the world' He winked at her and she looked away instantly turning red. We talked some more and after a while Sobia's mother also joined our company and we chatted for hours and hours until it was time for me to head home, while Rafay decided to stay back a little while longer. I got home and started packing my bag for the wedding. I know almost everyone in Sobia's family and they are just as sweet and welcoming as Sobia and her mother. Since Sabir was busy with his talent show and Ammi was occupied with work, they weren't able to go. This week at the wedding will be so much fun. Food, music, gathering ...all of that is so up my alley. I packed my bag with colorful traditional clothes and since the wedding was totally in eastern style, I usually packed Shalwar Kameez and Kaftan. When everything was done, I uploaded my last assignment for the week and drifted into sleep. --- I woke up extremely late and Sobia was already downstairs waiting for me. I hurried to the bathroom took a quick shower and slipped on a chunky black sweater and brown jeggings. I said my goodbye to Sabir and Ammi and lifted my heavy bag and shoved it in the back seat. We picked up Mariam auntie along the way and headed straight to Brighton. It was my first time in Brighton and it was way too beautiful. Sobia's aunt lives in a really nice house so she prepared a separate room for us to stay in which was very sweet of her. 'Please make yourself comfortable Laila' Sobia's cousin, Saima said as she took us the room Sobia and I will be sharing for this entire week. 'Thank you for inviting me to the wedding Saima. I am so happy for you' 'Oh common Laila, half of the time I speak with Sobia she talks about you. I feel like I already know you and she told me how you and your mother helped her and auntie Mariam out when started her bakery' She took my hand. 'If you need anything Saima feel free to let me know I am just like Sobia, please don't hesitate' 'Hmm okay well I have a henna appointment and I need my bridesmaids ready in twenty minutes' She laughed. 'You want me to be your bridesmaid?' I was way too excited at this point. 'Of course darling, the more the merrier...I'll see two of you downstairs' Saima closed the door on her way and I started unpacking my bag with Sobia. Saima insisted that I should also get my henna done and even though I tried to fight it, I had to give up at last and listen to the bride. The henna looked stunning and left such a beautiful dark colour on my hands. The entire night, all of the family members and other guests sang songs and ate tons of food. It was seriously so much fun. Before going to sleep I took out my outfit for tomorrow and hung it inside the closet. I bought it especially for this wedding and it was stunning. I can't wait to wear it tomorrow. I am so glad I am earning now and I can afford to buy the things I want instead of asking Ammi for money all the time. 'Rafay will be here tomorrow' I reminded Sobia when she laid on the bed next to me. 'I know, I am feeling so nervous...I shouldn't have invited him like that, he probably thinks I am crazy' 'He doesn't think you're crazy Sobia, you are crazy' I chuckled and she slapped my shoulders lightly. 'You're the worst. You know how I am with guys...I am not like you' She said. 'What do you mean? It's good that you aren't like me Sobia and for your kind of information I am not looking for a partner' 'The way you are I doubt any weak soul will survive against your wittiness' 'Stop thinking about my love life and focus on yours. Rafay is a nice guy Sobia. I am serious, think about it' 'Of course I know that, even Ammi likes him Laila and you know how picky she is when it comes to guys for me' 'I think he likes you' 'You think so?' 'Yuppp' 'Good' we laughed. 'Where is he going to stay though? The wedding events will go on for three days with Nikkah, Reception and after party' I asked her. 'He said one of his friends lives close by so he will be staying at his place' 'A man with a plan, you are lucky Sobia' I winked at her and she blushed again. 'Stop talking too much, I need my beauty sleep' She whined and turned her head on the other side. 'Okay miss future bride' I laughed to annoy her some more. This is so great; I didn't even have to try to get them together. Two of my friends might actually be falling for each other. It's going to be a great week. * To Be Continue....

Episode_11 . Since 10 am all of us in the wedding house were running back and forth to get the things done. From phone calls to dealing with kids, taking care of the food and running for last minute alterations, all of us were having panic attacks especially the poor bride who was consistently calling to check if everything is under control while she was getting her makeup and nails done. At last, around 4 pm we were finished with everything. All the stuff was neatly packed and placed inside the wedding bus and now it was time to get ready. Sobia wore a beautiful long green dress with silver detailing and paired it with bright red bangles. I on the other hand, wore my red and black anarkali dress. It was long and flowy with beautiful gold detailing and paired it with big gold earrings and pinned side of my hair in a braid and secured it with a clip. I usually leave my hair out for special occasions. I look so different whenever I wear eastern clothes; I wish I could wear it all the time. 'Wow you look stunning Laila, all the single boys will go crazy tonight after they see you' Sobia blabbed on while applying her makeup. 'Oh stop it, I bet Rafay will go head over heels when he sees you tonight...Oh and did I tell you he has arrived in Brighton' 'What?' Sobia almost dropped her makeup brush. 'You are not a bride, stop the drama' I picked up the brush and applied her blush on her left cheek. 'I am just nervous' Oh what a hopeless little soul. We arrived at the wedding hall and it looked magical when we stepped inside. The décor was to die for, the theme was white and lilac and all the tables were decorated with small pearls, flowers and candles. 'Wow' 'I know right, Saima is such a visionary. She planned everything' Saima's mother, Samra said to me. 'She did a wonderful job Samra aunty, everything looks wonderful' Sometime later Rafay showed up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. As soon as he saw us, he came over and handed the flowers to Samra aunty, said congratulations and instantly won over her heart as well. 'Asalam O Alikum Laila...Sobia' He couldn't take his eyes away from her. Rafay was also wearing a dark green shirt inside his tux and it complimented Sobia's outfit so well. Maybe they did plan this. 'He is also wearing green' I elbowed Sobia. 'I can see that, shut up' She elbowed me back. Everyone was pretty much here except the groom and his groomsman and our lovely bride Sobia who wanted to walk the aisle with her father so all the bridesmaid were standing near the altar waiting for the couple. 'Where are the groomsmen?' Rafay asked us, he was still standing with us while everyone was seated. 'You should sit down, they'll be here any time now' Sobia said calmly and he took the seat closest to where we were standing because he didn't know anyone else. 'Oh here comes the groom and his gang' Sobia announced when the music started playing in the background and all the photographers gathered around the entrance. 'Akeel Bhai is good-looking isn't he? Sobia whispered when the groom stepped out from the huddle of photographers. 'Yess he is but Saima is lucky too I mean....' And I couldn't finish my sentence after recognizing another familiar face in the crowd. Farid Ibrahim. He was wearing a navy blue suit and a white shirt. This time he had his hair pushed back and beard trimmed, but he still looked like himself. 'Is that...?' Sobia nearly shouted. 'Yeahh' 'What the hell is he doing here?' She asked me as if I know. 'How do I know?' I snapped back. 'Wait here I am going to ask Samra aunty' When she came back I could tell there is something wrong. 'What?' 'He is one of Akeel's friends' Sobia told me. 'Why is this keep on happening?' 'Don't panic, just stay close to me and ignore him okay?' 'Hmm' I wish it was that easy. The groom and the groomsman finally arrived at the stage and Farid eyes met mine straight away. He walked over and Sobia stood in front of me to stop him. 'Go back to your side' Sobia fired at him but his eyes were nowhere close on her instead he dipped his head to the side and looked at him. 'Hello Laila' His eyes traced every inch of my body but I kept my eyes on the ground the entire time. Thankfully Rafay stood up and walked away. 'Everything okay?' He glanced over at Farid and he smiled at him and walked back to his side. 'Is that..." 'Yup' Sobia and I said at the same time before he even finished his sentence. 'What's up with this dude?' He asked me. 'Nothing' I didn't want Rafay to get involved. 'He is a creeper; he has been giving her trouble lately' Sobia told Rafay despite me trying to stop her. 'If he does anything, you tell me. I mean it' 'Don't worry Rafay, I can handle it but thank you' Rafay went back to his seat after. 'Don't tell him anything Sobia please' 'Fine, but I promise he won't be staying here for long. I am going to make sure Farid leaves as soon as possible.' 'Common Sobia, he is Akeel's friend. Don't cause any scene. It'll pass' I ensured her, still feeling unsure myself. When Saima stepped inside the hall, she looked like a fairy. Her bright orange dress was a killer and everyone in the room seemed to agree. During the Nikkah ceremony, I couldn't help it and started crying. 'Ya Allah not again, Laila you have been to so many wedding and you still cry.' Sobia handed me a tissue. 'It's all so beautiful; the vows are so special Sobia, marriage is a promise of a lifetime and it just gets me'. I carefully placed the tissue under my eyes making sure not to ruin my makeup. Rafay and Sobia were both laughing at me for crying. 'Not you too Rafay' 'Sorry Laila but it is funny, it's not your wedding' 'Shut up, oh gosh I am such a mess' I laughed at my condition too, I bet all of my makeup just melted off. 'Go and fix your eyeliner' Sobia passed me her makeup bag and I head out to use the washroom. When I saw my reflection in the washroom mirror, I realized that it's not just my eyeliner that needs to be fixed, it was my entire makeup. I reapplied my mascara, fixed my eyeliner, and reapplied my nude lipstick. Once I was sure of my appearance I stepped out and right then I bumped into Fared. 'You better start looking where you are going Laila' He steadied me. 'I am fine it's you who needs to watch out' I stepped out of his grip but he held me hand and pulled me back in his space. 'Let go or else I'll scream' I yelled. 'Go ahead' He smiled evilly. 'I am serious' 'Me too...but I know you won't scream' He whispered and brought his face near mine. 'I don't have time for this' I told him straight up. 'Your lover is here too I see, but he is playing his charming games on your friend' 'It none of your business' 'Maybe, but you are becoming my business Laila...don't you remember what I said the other day in the classroom?' He was testing my patience. 'I don't remember' I looked away and my hands were still in imprisoned in his hands. 'You wanna know why I followed you?' 'I don't want to know anything, let me go.' My voice again became shaky. Farid moved his hands up until it reached my shoulder and then he turned me around so my back was facing him. I tried to leave but he gripped my shoulder tighter. 'Your zip is open.' Before I could even protest his hands moved down my waist and my body shivered from his touch. 'I can do it myself' 'You don't even know what's going around you half of the time' He sounded pissed. His hands however felt a lot gentle when he pulled the zipper of my dress to the top and secured it. 'Go' I didn't realize I was still standing close to him until he said that. 'Thanks' I went back inside the hall and sat with Sobia and Rafay. When Farid entered the hall, he was smiling to himself. I honestly don't know what's wrong with him and why he treats me like that. I have seen how he is with other girls, he is flirty, light-hearted and fun but whenever he sees me he goes off and turns into a maniac. 'What are thinking about?' Rafay asked me. 'I am hungry' I excused myself and went to get some food. The food was amazing; I filled my plate as much as I could with kabobs, rice, yogurt and salad. It was divine. 'Wow slow down girl' Rafay was eying my food. 'Go get your own' 'No thank you, Sobia and I had plenty of food when you were busy doing whatever you girls do with all the makeup' 'Don't be jealous of us girls' Sobia's feminism sparked up. 'I wouldn't dare ma'am, I'll go get us some ice cream' 'Ma'am huh?' Both of laughed when I repeated his words. 'Hello Sobia' Akeem Bhai came to our table with his fellow friends, including Fared. 'Asalam O Alikum Bhai Jaan , you look handsome...oh by the way, this is my best friend Laila' Sobia introduced me to Akeel, the groom. 'Asalam O Alikum, congrats on your Nikkah' I said to him. 'Ahh thank you Laila, you have a beautiful name and yes I am a lucky guy' Akeel Bhai was really sweet. The entire time we talked, Farid kept looking my way. 'Anyways it was nice talking to you, I have to meet other guests too, see you at the reception tomorrow.' He walked away with everyone but Farid stayed back. 'You have a beautiful birthmark' He winked at me and walked away. Damn he saw my birthmark too. 'What just happened?' Sobia asked me with her eyes wide open. 'Huh?' 'He said you have a beautiful birthmark' Sobia never learned to keep her voice down. 'Keep it down will you? He is just making thinks up...he is crazy okay' I went back to eating my food. No one has ever seen my birthmark and the person who did is the person I can't stand being close too. What is life! . To Be Continue...

Getting more interesting

Interesting. Laila farid is in love with you already

(my love forwards) Episode_12 . -------- 'I am not going' I told Sobia as soon as I woke up the next day. 'What? Are you crazy?' She said while ironing her clothes for the reception function. 'No, I am serious. I am not feeling well so I am just going to stay here' 'I know what's it's about if you want me to talk to Samra aunty maybe she can talk to Akeel Bhai and he won't invite Farid' 'It's not that easy, God knows how long they have been friends.' She stared at me. 'Why are you staring?' 'I think Farid likes you' She said all of a sudden and I felt like throwing a glass of water at her to bring her back to life. 'And you call me crazy' 'No I am serious; I have seen the way he looks at you' 'Yes and thousand other girls, he just enjoys picking on me. I know him' 'Yes you do' She winked at me and went back to ironing her clothes without saying another work. After debating whether or not I should go to the party I still decided not to go. Even though I pretend that I don't care about him or the things he says to me, it still affected me. 'You sure you'll be okay beta?' Samra aunty asked me twentieth times. 'I am sure' I assured her. 'If you want anything or you want me to come back then let me know. Gosh I don't feel like leaving you behind all by yourself. You know what? I'll stay with you' Sobia was clearly having a panic attack. 'I am not that little or stupid Sobia, I can take care of myself, go and tell Rafay I said hello' 'Okay but if you need....' 'Yes mother, I will call you' I smiled at her and said goodbye to everyone and locked the door. I sat in the living room and started wondering how I got here in the first place. How did everything got so weird all of a sudden? I called Ammi to see what she is up to and thankfully she picked up her phone. 'Asalam O Alikum' She said from the other end of the line. 'Asalam O Alikum Ammi, how are you?' 'I am good my dear, Sabir and I are just watching television. How is everyone there? How did the wedding go?' 'Everything went well. The bride and the groom looked wonderful at the nikkah ceremony and everyone is having a great time here. Samra aunty wished you were here too' 'I know I wanted to come as well but you know how things are here. Anyways what is going on there?' 'Oh ...um I am here and everyone is downstairs' I lied to her because I couldn't explain anything in detail. 'Oh okay I thought today was another function' 'Yhh, well ahh it's later.' Hoping that she would my terrible lie' 'Everything is okay right?' 'Jee Ammi, I am just tired...today was a long day. I can't wait to come back in three days...tell Sabir I miss him too and yeah I'll call you later.' 'Okay beta, take care' The phone call ended and it's good that she didn't to talk to anyone else or else it would have been a problem. It was almost two hours since everyone has left and I was getting bored. Maybe I should have gone...no, it's good that I didn't. I went to the kitchen and reheated the leftover food from last night and the food still tasted as great as it did yesterday at the wedding. I was peacefully enjoying my dinner until the doorbell rang and I nearly screamed. It was so quiet in the house that even the smallest sounds made me anxious. I debated if I should go ahead and open the door but before opening the door straight away and welcoming a potential serial killer, I used my brain cells and looked out the window to see who it is. It was Farid, he was wearing a grey suit and this time had this hair side parted. Why am I looking at him like that...No, stop right there. I went close to the door but didn't open. Everyone was at the wedding so why was he here. I didn't answer the door hoping that he would think that I am asleep and he'll go. It didn't work out that way sadly. Instead, he kept ringing the doorbell and before the neighbours came out I opened the door and saw him. 'I know you saw me through the window, what took you so long?' He walked passed me straight into the living room. I closed the door and followed him. 'What are you doing here?' I asked him as he sat down on the big green sofa. 'I am here to get you, go get ready' 'What?' 'I said go get ready; you're coming to the party' 'I am not going' I looked at him. I mean seriously is he out of his freaking mind? He didn't stay anything; he simply took out his phone and started playing games. 'Are you deaf? I said I am not coming, you should go back' I went to the kitchen strangely hoping that he would follow, but he didn't. I completed my dinner in the kitchen and started tapping the kitchen table because his presence was bothering me way too much. I walked back to the living room and sat on the table across from him. 'Ya Allah what's wrong with you? I told you I am not going' 'Fine then I'll just have to stay here' He finally looked up but still had a playful twitch in his eyes. 'Why?' 'Because...I want to...Because you are killing the mood' He looked down and grabbed his phone again. 'How am I killing the mood? Everyone is there. It's okay if I miss the party' 'It's not. You friend whatever her name is, she is acting all weird without you and you flimsy boyfriend is awkward as fuck and the newly wed is worried.' 'Okay then I'll call Sobia and I'll tell her to act normal and then Rafay will be fine too.' I got up and went to grab my phone so I can call Sobia but Farid was faster than me. 'Not so fast. Tell me something, why didn't you come to the reception? I asked your friends and they said you were sick but you look fine to me' He placed his hand on my forehead to check my temperature and I backed out. 'I was...I am still. I have a headache.' 'Hmm, we should call the doctor then, I know this great doc in Brighton...I'll call him here to check you' I stared at him because I knew he knew that I was pretending this whole time. 'I know you are dying to go Laila, what's stopping you?' The person who makes me miserable, who questions and makes fun of me is now standing here under the same roof as I am and trying to get to me to go the party...are all men like that? I smiled at him. Yes at him. Who knew right? 'Okay' I tell him. 'Okay what?' He asked me. 'Give me ten minutes, I'll get ready' without saying another word or glancing back I went back to my room and pulled out my purple kaftan that I initially brought for this function. I applied my brown liner and mascara and a little bit of lip gloss and finished my outfit with silver heels and black clutch and got downstairs. I saw him standing when he saw me coming downstairs. 'Do I look okay?' I always asked this question but as soon as this phrase left my mouth, I regretted it. Why did I ask him this? Urghh. 'Yh...you look...' 'Doesn't matter, we should go' I stepped out of the house and walked over to his car. The whole car ride was quite, none of us said anything, but I couldn't help glance at his side. I wondered so many things about him all a sudden, things that aren't even my business. He lives such divided life. I mean honestly, someone he is so full of himself and then I see him with his sister and he is an entirely different person. 'Stop staring at me' He said in a serious tone. I looked away. 'I wasn't staring' 'Right' I shut my eyes closed in embarrassment. Damn him. 'How long is it going to take?' 'Not too long' He answered my question without giving away the right answer obviously. I switched on my phone and saw there was a text from Sobia. Rafay just proposed me, his family is here too. 'What?' I shouted at the phone. 'Hey, watch out deadhead! You scared the hell out of me' Farid yelled back at me, seem annoyed. 'Sorry it's just that...why didn't you tell me?' I asked him. 'About?' 'Rafay proposed to Sobia, why didn't you tell me?' 'I thought you already knew but later on I realized that you didn't check your phone and I wanted you to find out from her' He was looking ahead on the road and this time I couldn't help but stare at him. 'Is that why you came to get me? 'Hmm...now let me drive peacefully' I looked down at my phone and reread the text. My best friend got proposed and the person who is taking me to my best friend is the guy who I couldn't even stand being close too and now...I don't know what changed, but I know I don't hate him anymore. I just don't. . To Be Continue....

Episode_13 . 'OMG you came' Sobia yelled from across the hall as soon as she spotted us. 'Sobiaaaa ....' I ran across the room and hugged my best friend. It was such a bittersweet time. I didn't know whether to smile or cry so I ended up doing both. 'Shhh don't cry silly girl' She let go of me and Rafay joined. This entire time Farid was next to me. He didn't walk away. I always thought he was one of those guys who would walk away from emotional things. It was surprising to see him standing without making any sarcastic comments. 'Congrats Rafay, I am honestly so happy for both of you. You idiot you should have told me that you were going to propose to her, I thought we were friends' I made a sad face and faked my disappointment. 'Don't be mad, I didn't tell anyone except my family members. I was so scared' Rafay was so shy, whereas Sobia was bright and confident. Despite the fact that they both were polar opposite they still made such a perfect couple. 'So when is the wedding?' I looked at the newly engaged couple. 'In six months' She smiled and looked down on the floor. Aww. 'Masha Allah, its perfect' I hugged her again. 'How did you get here?' Rafay asked me and suddenly my cheeks went red. 'I...' 'Farid went to pick her up' Sobia winked at Rafay and both of them shamelessly giggled right in front me. Before it gets more awkwards, I excused myself from them and went on to meet Sobia's mother and Rafays parents. The rest of the evening was pleasant. It was such an amazing night. Not only the newly wed couple seemed happy but also my best friend and her fiance were over the moon. When the evening came to an end and most of the guests including the bride and the groom left, all the young ones stayed back to clean up the venue. Yes, Farid stayed back as well. 'I am going to clean the pool area' Today was a full moon and the entire pool area was covered with moonlight and gorgoues silver decor. I grabbed the opportunity and volunteered to clean up the space. The pool area was so calm and quite. Everyone else was inside doing the nasty work such as piking up leftover from the tables and taking care of the garbage, whereas I was just picking up soda bottles and sweet wrappers from the tables. When I was finished, I looked inside and everyone was still working so I put away the garbage and walked back to the pool. I pulled my trousers up and dropped my feel into the pool and felt cold water beneath my feet. The stars seemed brighter than before and the moon seemed slighly bigger as well. I wonder why. 'Its beautiful isn't it?' I heard him from behind. I recognized Farid voice straightaway so I didn't get scared. 'Hmm' I kept looking at the sky. Farid walked up to me and followed my gaze to the stars. 'Mind if I sit?' He asked for my permission. 'Sure' None of us said anything and it didn't feel awkward. Ammi once told me how with some people being silent doesn't feel uncomfortable. It feels right. I glanced over at Farid and he was still looking at the sky. I kept looking at him and for the first time, I didn't see some brat rich kid, I saw a kind young man who may look tough and bad, but under all the hard shell there is still some goodness left. Farid looked at me with such a strange expression that I couldn't figure out. I got up from the pool and walked inside without saying another word. 'All done?' I asked Rafay. 'Yeah we are just putting away some stuff in the car.' 'Oh okay' When everything was packed we all walked to the parking lot. Farid was nowhere in sight. 'Oh shoot, I forgot the fairy lights' Sobia said to me when we approached the car. 'Sobia...you are so annoying I asked you five times before leaving if you got everything' I snapped at her. 'Hey what happened?' Rafay asked us. 'It's okay, I'll go get it, the security guards are still there. I'll get the lights' I said to them and ran back to the hall. The entire hall was empty, but thankfully some of the lights were will on. I walked to the stage area and spotted the fairy lights quickly. They were completely tangled with the red curtains. I was in such a hurry that I stumbled over my duppata and before I could hit the floor down, I was caught. I thought I died or something because I kept screaming until I felt someone's hand on my lips. 'Shhhh' I heard. I opened my eyes and I saw Farid. He held me still, maybe I was not ready for him to let go just yet. I was breathing so loud that even I could hear myself. 'You're okay' He asked me once he steadied me on the floor. 'Yeahh' I placed my hand over my heart to make it stop pumping so fast. I took one step back and felt an electric pain on my left foot. It hurt so bad. ' What are you doing here?' I asked him. 'I forgot my car keys so I came here looking' 'Did you find it?' 'Yea' He pulled his keys out to show me and walked towards me. 'Let me get this for you' He offered me. I pushed my hand back. 'I can carry it, we should go' I took another step back and felt the same sharp pain on my foot. I closed my eyes in pain. 'You sprained your ankle' He took another step forward. 'I said I am fine.' I took another deep breath, got myself together and took few more steps. It hurt so bad but the parking lot was not too far away. I'll get there in no time I told myself. before I could step out from the hall, Farid walked past me angrily and stood in front of me blocking my way. 'You...' Before I could finish, he picked me in a bridal style and started walking. 'What the...let go of me' I yelled and pushed his chest but it was no use. He didn't say anything and kept walking 'I said let go' He still didn't listen. He walked us to his car and I noticed that everyone left. He finally put me down and unlocked his car. 'Where is everyone?' I asked him. 'They left.' 'Why did they leave me?' I dialed Sobia's number and she picked up. Farid was in his seat but he didn't leave. 'Why did you leave Sobia?' I yelled across the phone. 'Aray, everyone was getting late. Farid is there right? He said he will drop you. Okay samra aunty is calling, just come home and we'll talk' She hung up. Allah I don't believe this girl. Hell with her. 'Ready now?' Farid asked me while smiling when I sat in the front seat and put my seat belt on. 'I guess.' I looked head and we drove off. * To Be Continue...

Love in d air

Love in d air

Episode_14 . The entire ride felt a lot slower than usual for some strange. Maye because Farid haven't said anything and neither have I. Why was the energy between us shifting all a sudden? I have never been close to any guy until him. Farid has definitely been with a lot of girls so when he says things like I am his and the way he looks at me, how is any of that different? Once we leave from here I am sure everything will be back to normal. I'll go back to being me, a loner in college and he'll be one of the popular guys. This is all a cliché. 'We are here' Farid said, snapping me back to reality. 'Hmm...Thanks' I stepped out of his car and started walking towards the door. I heard him stepping out of his car and even though he didn't tell me to stop I still stopped walking and turned out. Some part of me wanted to stay behind just to talk to him some more. 'You forgot your purse' He pushed my clutch forward to hand it over to me. 'Ahh...thanks' I smiled at him and both of us stood there looking at each other which felt like an eternity. 'I better go' I said breaking the silence. 'Listen, can we meet tomorrow?' He asked me. 'Yes we are all going out for dinner tomorrow anyways, I'll be there.' 'No, I mean alone' His voice became huskier or maybe it's just me ears. 'Oh' 'I understand if you are not comfortable but it's really important' He looked straight into my eyes and I could tell whatever he wants to tell me is important. 'Okay' 'Really?' He smiled at me as if he wasn't expecting that answer. 'Yeah' I looked down feeling shy all of a sudden. Was this too fast? Is it all my imagination? 'Okay, I'll pick you up around 5pm and we'll go to the dinner together from there?' 'Sure, where will we be going?' I asked feeling curious. 'It's a secret' He winked at me and walked back to his car and drove off. I had such a goofy smile on my face when I entered my room and saw my reflection in the mirror. Is that how Sobia look when people mention Rafay's name in front of her? I touched my blushed cheeks to get rid of the bright pink colour, but it was no use. I changed my clothes and walked back downstairs where everyone was sitting. As soon as Sobia saw me she grabbed my hand and pulled me back our bedroom upstairs. We both sat on her bed; she grabbed her pillow and candy jar from her nightstand as if she is waiting for a movie to start. I just sat there looking at her thinking how big of a loser my best friend really is. 'Don't act like an idiot' I said while grabbing the candy jar from her hand and putting it back on the nightstand. 'Shut up... don't you dare call me an idiot while you are looking like one yourself' She snapped at me. 'Fine, what do you want to know?' I gave up. 'What happened between the two of you today?' Sobia asked me with her big brown eyes popping out with excitement. 'Nothing happened, he just gave me a ride home' I looked down at my hands hoping she would leave the topic alone. 'I may look stupid, but I am not. I can tell when you are lying my friend. C'mon tell me the truth.' Sobia was honestly not going to take no for an answer. 'Fine, he gave me ride home and said he wants to meet me tomorrow because he has something important to tell me...now can you stop asking me all of these questions... I really don't know what's going on between the two of us. It's just that ...I don't know I feel weird when he is around, and it feels a lot weirder when I don't see him. Allah...I don't know what happened. When he told me to meet him tomorrow, I said yes not because he asked me to ...I said yes because I wanted to' I spat all these words in a single breath and Sobia looked as if ice cold water was thrown at her. 'You are in so much trouble' Sobia grabbed my hands and squeezed them tighter. 'Don't I know it...' I said hopelessly. * To Be Continue...

Episode_15 . I was so nervous that I couldn't even sleep the entire night. I just kept thinking about Farid and even though I tried everything to stop my mind from wondering off, it just didn't listen. But then again when does your heart ever listen to you? It just makes its own rules. It was almost 10 am so I still had couple of hours to recollect my thoughts and get myself together. Farid and I were never friends, hell we hated each other when we first met and now not only the thought of being around him does something funny in my stomach. It was 12:30 now and I decided to call my mother since it was our last day here in Brighton before we go back to Bradford. 'Asalam O alikum Ammi Jaan' I said to her. 'Walikum Asalam' Ammi sounded so weak that I didn't even recognize her voice at first. 'Ammi are you sick? Is everything okay there?' I was so worried for her. 'Yes dear I am fine; I have just been getting a lot of headaches for the last few days' 'Why didn't you tell me? Did you go see the doctor?' 'Yes I did...yeah everything is okay, just a regular migraine' I could tell that she was hiding something from me. 'Hmm okay, where is Sabir?' 'He is okay, hold on I'll pass the phone to him.' 'Take care okay Ammi, I'll see you tomorrow' 'Hey salaam Baji' Sabir sounded dull as well. Something was off for sure. 'Hey Sabir what happened to you? What's going on?' I was beyond worried and all of my doubts were gone at this point. 'I can't tell you over the phone' He whispered. 'Why are you whispering? Is Ammi around?' 'Yh, just come back home quickly Baji' His voice was shaking. 'Yh Sabir I will be there tomorrow, whatever it is we'll figure it out okay. Take care' The call ended but it made things a lot worse for me, I wanted to skip everything and go back to Bradford instantly, maybe I will leave tonight...but I don't know the way back. I'll just have to wait until tomorrow. I was really looking forward to meeting Farid but the excitement died down quickly as soon as I finished talking to my family. Farid was waiting for me outside the house so I grabbed my jacket quickly and informed Sobia about the dinner plan so she wouldn't get worried. 'So you and Farid will be meeting us at the restaurant?' Sobia winked as I head out the door. 'Bye Sobia' I yelled back and walked over to his car. Farid was looking quite sophisticated in his black turtle neck sweater and camel coloured pants. Whereas, I tried to pull off boyfriend jeans, leather jacket and a pink scarf. 'Ready?' He opened the door for me and I took my seat and nodded. Farid took me to the Brighton Beach and when we got there, the sun was setting down and everything looked like it has been washed over with an orange tint. Since it was a working day, not a lot of people were at the beach and it was very quiet. We sat down on the one of the big rocks near the beach and looked at the water. 'So...' He cleared his throat and turned his head around to look me in the eye. 'Yes...' I gulped. 'You know how I said I have something important to tell you?' He asked me. I nodded. 'Well let me just this out of the way first, I am not the type of guy who gets romantically involved with girls and I don't play by the books which I am sure you already know.' He waited and I didn't say anything just yet because honestly I had no idea where all of this was going and I was getting anxious. 'Okay so, my birthday is coming up soon and I will be turning 22 okay?' I nodded again, following his lead. 'My grandfather...when he passed away, he made a will where he made a deal with my father that when I turn 22 I will get most of his assets that he has left for me since I am his only grandson .' The story took a huge major turn. 'Why are you telling me all of this?' I asked him feeling completely lost. 'The only way I can get all of these assets is if I get married' 'Okay...' I turned my brain off, let's be honest it was already dead at this point. 'I want to marry you Laila' He signed heavily as if a huge burden has been shifted off from his shoulders. 'Farid...do you have any idea what you are saying? Is it one of your sick jokes?' I laughed sarcastically. 'Does it look like I am joking?' He clenched his jaw. 'I can't just marry you Farid' This is not how I planned this evening. 'I don't want to be married to you forever' He stood up and came closer to me. 'What?' 'Just marry me for few months, once I get my money you can go' 'For few months? Do I look that desperate to you Farid? No seriously? Just because you think you are some god sent creature and people treat you all nice doesn't mean the entire world is under your feet. And for the record, I am not interested in you' The last part was somewhat a lie and I knew it. 'That's exactly why I think you'll be perfect. You don't like me and you are not my type either.' I can't believe him. 'Why did you even think I'll be interested in marrying you? For few months...I have a life' 'Yeah but you don't have money' He crossed his arms on his chest and his words hit me like a truck. 'How dare you!' I snapped at him and got up from the rock and started walking away. It didn't take him long to catch me and he pulled me back into his space. 'I am not done.' His voice got colder. 'I am' Mines got weaker. He held me by the shoulder and I didn't ask him to let go. Because he wasn't done talking and I had nothing else to ask. 'You want your mother to suffer?' He said and my eyes snapped open, I didn't realize my eyes were shut until I heard him mention my mother. 'What are you talking about?' 'I know your brother is about to graduate and he wants to attend a private school just like you but how can he when he doesn't have good grades cause he is too busy playing soccer? I know your mother works for my step- mother and if you didn't know already your dear Ammi got fired and has no work. So that's another bad news for you.' I could feel my eyes burn. 'Now how are you planning on protecting your family Ms. got it all under control? Are you planning on ditching college and working at a coffee shop or something or marrying some rich old guy who will treat you like a playgirl?' 'I can take care of my family' My voice shattered as I said those words to fight back for myself. 'Can you?' He smirked. I nodded and looked down. 'Oh but I know you can't Laila, I know everything about you? Do you really think I came all the way here to attend some stupid wedding?' I looked up to him again, not being surprised by him. 'You came here for me' I answered his question. 'Smart girl. Now as far as I know you have two options, one be mine for few months get the money from me and save your family or two...make your family suffer because as far as I know there are plenty of maids in Bradford and once Mrs.Ibrahim fires someone, they don't get a call for work from anywhere.' 'You are lying' I started crying and hitting his arms to let myself out of his grip. 'You know I am not or else you would be long gone. I know you know that I am right Laila, face it you are in trouble' He chuckled. This is not the guy that I was admiring and thinking about for the last couple of days. 'I want to go home' I demanded, my voice being loud and clear this time. 'Okay' He let me go and walked back to his car and I followed him shamelessly, hating myself for even believing for a second that he actually might be a decent guy. It was all an act and I fell for it. You stupid girl this was no fairytale. I ran back inside the house as soon as his car stopped in front of the driveway. I ran upstairs and thank god Sobia wasn't in the room. I had no idea how long I cried, it felt like hours. Once I steadied myself I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I still had couple of hours of hours before dinner and at first I thought about not going but I am not going to let Farid feel as if he has power over me or I am scared of him. I will go out tonight, look him in the eye and be okay. I have let a lot of people push my around but not again. I can't let a sick-minded guy like him treat me like a toy. I can take care of myself and my family. -------------- * To Be Continue...

LAILA says "I feel weird when he is around me, I feel weirder when he isn't with me" .. The aforementioned romantic line from Laila in episode 14 is one of a kind... Laila you have no choice but to be with Farid... Girls always have it easy, its the man that work, the ladies harvest

U better take d offer and help ur family

You should accept his offer, being poor sucks

Episode_16 . I felt guilty about not telling Sobia about what happened with Farid. I just didn't have the guts. The entire way back, I felt worse and worse because I could see Sobia and Rafay both glancing my way throughout the ride wondering why I was being such a depressed soul. After trying to get me to talk, just like everyone else, they gave up and I was happy that they did. I was not in a condition to say anything because I had no idea what was going to happen once I reach home. Sobia's car stopped front of my house and I got out to pick up my stuff from the trunk. 'Thanks for the ride and I'll see you on campus next week Rafay' My head felt like it was about to blast any second. I really needed to sleep. 'Yeah I'll catch you next week, it's good we had a learning week off before exams starts' Rafay responded, he was being polite as usual. But Sobia still didn't say anything and I don't blame her. I was being a jerk to her the entire way back. 'Ummm yeah okay well I guess I better go them' I started walking towards the door, but before I went inside Sobia called me from behind. 'Hey, look I don't know what's going on and why you're not telling me but I am really freaking out' Sobia was really worried for me. Before I could tell her about my mother's job and Farid's offer, I had to speak to Ammi. 'I know, I am sorry I was such a jerk. You are right something is wrong but I will try to fix it. I will tell you ...I just need some time. I hope you understand. Sobia you are like me own sister, and it's not a secret or anything. I just want to take some time off. Don't worry about me okay? You are engaged now, have fun with Rafay and his family. They are great and don't worry about me please' I held her hand and squeezed them assuring her that everything is going to be okay. Although my heart was telling me otherwise. 'Okay, I won't get worried but remember this Laila, what's done is done and you can't change that. Accept it or else it's going to keep you worried for a long time. I know you don't to hear this from anyone, but you are stronger than you think' We hugged each other and I felt a lot better. When I got inside I could my brother and my mother from the living room. When I got inside my mother was lying down on the sofa and she had medical plaster stuck on her head. She was having another migraine. The only two people in my life were looking so helpless that I couldn't stop my tears. One by one tears started rolling down my face but I didn't want my family to see me like this. I wiped all the tears away and plastered a smile on my face and walked inside the living hall. 'Asalam O Alikum' I said in the most cheerful voice. 'Aray Walikum Asalam meri beti' My mother got up from the sofa and embraced me in her arms. Sabir also joined us and started crying. 'Oh Sabir, don't cry. You're a big guy common' I hugged him again. 'Baji...thank god you are here. You know...' 'Laila you just got here, go freshen up. Sabir go and heat up some food for your sister' My mother blocked him from saying all the things I was afraid of asking myself. I wish he would have said something. 'Ammi, why aren't you at work?' I asked her to see if she'll tell the truth. 'Ah...I am having headaches so I am taking some days off' She excused herself and went to her room to pray. I took the opportunity and went straight to the kitchen to find Sabir. 'Sabir come here' He hurried toward me and I took him back to the living room where we sat down so we keep an eye on the stairs if Ammi come back down. 'Okay what's going on?' I asked him. 'Ammi said not to tell you anything' He looked down on his hands, avoiding eye contact. 'I know she got fired' With that comment, Sabir looked right at me. 'How did you know?' 'I just know. When did it happen?' 'Couple of days back Baji, when she got home from work she didn't say anything but when she started praying I saw her crying...then when I asked her over and over again she finally told me, but she asked me to not tell you anything because you already have a lot going on. Ammi is applying and calling different places but they are hanging their phone on her and the landlord came the other day too, the rent was due last week but she didn't have enough money so she had to sell her bracelet' His voice started shaking. My heart was breaking piece by piece with his words. 'Yeah, its okay you didn't tell me anything and we'll keep it that way okay?' I asked him and he shook his head. 'Go heat up my food, I'll go change and come back downstairs' I went to my room with my entire luggage and took a nice hot shower. It didn't make me less worried but it definitely relaxed me a bit. I checked my phone and saw there was a message from Farid. I had a bad habit for keeping my phone on silent that I didn't realize that he messaged my today. I began reading.... Farid - Hey, I hope you reached home safely, it's real shame that we didn't get a chance to go over my offer again. I am stilling waiting for answer. Tick tock dear your timing is running out . I hated his guy. And I hated the fact that he migt be right. His family is capable of destroying me and we don't stand a chance against them. I took a deep breath and started typing my reply. Laila- My answer to your offer is yes. And with that I lost all my pride but managed to gain some happiness for my family. I just hope I made the right choice. * To Be Continue.... New music Mainkid(me)_ft_Eshell_-_#Crush ...

Episode_17 . Two weeks went by and there was no sign of Farid, I waited for him. I actually did. Not because I was worried about him but because I was running out of time. I needed the money and all of my savings were falling short. I tried to get my mother to talk and tell me the truth about her losing the job but she didn't mention anything just like I imagined. I actually went up to Farid's useless friends too in college to see if they heard anything from him but they had no idea either. I guess people we call friends are not always our friends, sometimes they are just acquaintances. My second class got cancelled so I went out with Sobia and Rafay to the park for a while to get my mind off of things. I took a seat on one of the rustic looking benches near the playground while the lovely couple went near the lakeside to catch the sunset. I pulled my phone and plugged in my headphone to continue listing to an audio book that I downloaded few days back. I was lost in the story when my phone suddenly vibrated in my hand and I almost dropped it. I looked at the message, it was from Farid. Farid: Get ready by 8:30, I'll pick you from the convenience store near your house. I called him back instantly after reading his message. Thankfully he picked up the phone this time. 'Hello' His voice...I missed it. 'Hi' I took a heavy breath. I didn't know what to say. 'You saw my message?' 'Yes' He waited. 'Are we...why are we meeting so late today? Where did you go, Farid? I asked your friends, nobody knew where you went.' I screamed not caring if I sounded desperate. 'I am here now. I just needed to take care of few things. I'll see you tonight' He ended the call. I left Sobia and Rafay at the park and came home straight away. I only had half an hour to process my thoughts and think about all the things that I needed to know before I sign up for this crazy life that was being offered to me. November nights were colder than ever. I made an excuse at home to run to the convenience store. Told my mother I needed some coffee and since I do go to convenience store sometimes to get coffee during the colder months, she didn't question me. When I reached the convenience store, it didn't take me long to find Farid. He stood out from the crowd without even trying. He was always dressed nicely, looked neat and put together whereas I always looked the complete opposite. Are people even going to buy our fake relationship? 'Hello' I said in a calm manner as I approached him. He didn't say anything he just looked at me from top to bottom. So what if I was in my sweatpants and grey jumper. It was cold. I needed something to keep me warm. 'You've got to be kidding me' He said under his voice and got inside his car. I got inside the car too, following his lead. 'What? It's cold okay. Don't judge me' 'At least make a small effort, in two hours you will be Mrs.Farid Ibrahim.' He threw away the cigarette he was smoking earlier, out of the window and began driving ...he looked so relaxed and normal ...while my entire body, including my brain ...froze. All at one. It was time. I was about to get married. With Farid. In two hours! --------- Sorry it's a small chapter To Be Continue..

Haaa, una na even waste time, it was the right decision anyways, congrats to the latest couple in town

Episode_18 . Farid stopped his car in front of a huge building and surprising it was still open. We both walked inside and took the elevator to the second floor. There was a small door open in the very corner of the hallway, Farid walked right into that small room and I followed him inside. The office was empty. Farid and I were both sat quietly inside an office, I asked him several times but he never answered any of question properly. He just kept coming in and out of the office as if he was waiting for someone. It was past 9 pm and I have quite a few missed call from my mother. I texted her saying that I met my friend at a convenience store and now we are hanging out at McDonald that is open 24/7 anyways. Not quite sure if she believed me, but she didn't call me back after that. Farid came back inside the office but this time he wasn't alone. A middle-aged smart looking man was also there, he looked like a corporate worker dressed in formal business attire and had a brown briefcase. 'Lets make this quick, I don't have much time' The middle aged guy said as he sat down right across from me, while Farid took a seat next to me. The man took out few papers and scanned through it before pushing it towards me.'What is that?' I asked him. 'It's out marriage contract' Farid answered on his behalf. 'Can I talk to you alone for a minute.' I walked right out of the office not giving Farid much choice. We were in the empty hallway now. 'What? lets go inside and get this done' He sounded so desperate. 'This is not the right way, I can't just sign the contract and become your wife. We need to call an imam or go to the mosque to perform to find someone who can perform our Nikkah' 'Are you serious? Look I told you earlier, this is not real. None of it is real. Mr. Brown is a well-known lawyer and he knows all about my grandpa's will and stuff. He knows what he is doing, c'mon' He pushed his hair back and walked right back in. I followed him inside and picked up those papers again. It was a marriage contract, valid for 4 months. Farid was responsible for all of my personal and family expenses and I was responsible for keeping our relationship looking as real as possible in the eyes of the law until he gets all of the money from his grandfather's will. I shook off any doubts that were dancing around my mind and I finally picked up the pen and signed the papers. For a second, Farid looked amused when I passed the papers for him sign... Then he grinned and sealed the deal. We were officially husband and wife for 4 months. Mr.Brown scanned the papers and emailed us the copy of it then we walked out of the office and I didn't feel anything. At first I thought I will cry or something but nothing happened to me. I didn't and will never accept this marriage as a real marriage. There was no Nikkah, there were no witnesses and most importantly no one from our families was here. It was just an acting job really. 'You okay?' Farid asked me when we got inside the car. 'Yes, you?' 'Hmm' Farid stopped his car at the convenience store. 'I'll see you in college' I finally said to break the ice because he didn't bother saying anything. He was so stubborn honestly...I thought this guy had a plan and now we were sitting in his car all silent not knowing what to say. We don't know where to go from here. 'Sure' He didn't even make a proper eye contact with me. 'You never fail to surprise me Mr.Ibrahim' I slammed the door and walked back home alone. The only difference was that now, I was...technically married. To Be Continue...

Episode_19 . This week honestly felt like a blur. At first, I thought I was gone mad and was imagining things but one in a while I checked my email to see if the contract was there and it was very much there. Farid disappeared again after that night. I did receive some money in my account two days ago which meant that our contract was still up and running. Today was the last class of my first semester, with Rafay and Sobia by my side these few weeks didn't feel like hell surprisingly. I was heading out of the door to catch my bus when I was stopped by some of Farid's friends or acquaintances if I was not mistaken. 'Oh look who we have here' One of his friends stopped me, I think his name was Jason. I tried to move away from them but I bumped into another familiar face. Melissa, who was a beautiful tall young girl but really mean,also one of Farid's girlfriends. The same girl who I saw making out with Farid shamelessly when I first joined this college. 'Oh guys common let's leave her or else she is going to start crying ' Another one of his friends said to rest of gang while laughing and chewing his gum. 'I have to go' My voice became shaky, I have seen Farid's friends troubling other students around the campus before and did witness a few people transferring classes just so they don't run into these people. 'C'mon Laila...that's not fair. Remember when you came to us few days ago asking for Farid and we had such a good conversation back then. What happened now? I thought we were friends' Jason laughed again. I hated his cocky smile. He came a little closer and I started looked around for help, but no one stepped up, instead people started moving away just so they are safe. 'I have a bus to catch' I said again, still looking at the ground while clenching my bag. 'Don't worry, I'll drop you.' Jason held my hand and pulled me towards him. 'You don't have to do this Jason. I...' 'Let her go' I heard a voice coming from behind where Jason and I were standing. I recognized this voice instantly. 'Oh hey buddy' Jason walked up to Farid while still holding on to me. I kept looking down, not being able to make an eye contact with him. This was not easy for me. 'Are you okay?' Farid spoke again, I was sure he was talking to Jason. But when he didn't reply, I looked up to him and saw Farid looking at me. 'Hey we were just having a little fun.' Melissa walked up to him and grabbed Farid from the back and kissed his cheeks. Farid had no expression and that made it so hard for me to figure out what he was thinking. 'Leave her hand' Farid spoke to Jason, his voice was hard and angry. Jason took his advice and released his hand from mine immediately. Without hearing another word, I picked up my bag and ran towards the bus stop. I missed my bus because of him and his stupid friends so to calm my mind I picked out a book from my bag and started reading. After couple of minutes, a car stopped right in front of the bus stop. I knew it was Farid's car but I pretended to ignore and I raised my book a little higher than usual. He didn't budge. I could hear cars that were behind him started honking but it didn't make any difference to Mr. Farid Ibrahim. He kept it still. I got annoyed and finally looked up and wasn't at all surprised to see him looking as if he has won an award. I hate his god damn guts. I picked my bag, stepped inside his car and shut the door as loud as possible. His smile grew and he started driving. 'You are impossible' I yelled at him. 'You have said that before, put your seatbelt on' 'And demanding' He signed. 'Where are we going?' 'To your house.' He said calmly. 'Why?' I snapped. 'Because my parents are there' 'What...?' I was horrified. 'I told them about our marriage.' 'Noo...Farid you have to call your parents and tell them to go back. I didn't tell anyone in my home. No one knows, please don't do this' I was having a breakdown. I wasn't ready to answer their questions and especially my mothers. 'No use. Your family was going to find out anyways.' 'What about yours? Aren't they mad?' 'Nobody cares; they are just there for formality.' He was so messed up and the way he answered this question I knew its best if I didn't push this subject. He clearly wasn't close to his family members. 'Oh Allah' I held my hands together and started praying. 'Again no use.' 'How can you say things like that? Do you have a filter? Just because you don't believe in God and see good in people doesn't mean I should be like you.' He was so negative. Jeez. 'You can never be like me Laila, I believe in myself and I don't rely on anyone to rescue me. I decide my own fate' Farid challenged back, leaving me speechless. 'You are cold hearted' I mumbled to myself. 'No you are just an emotional fool' He stopped his car just in time in front of my house or else I would have poked his eyes out. I quickly ran inside and saw my mother, brother and Farid's family sitting in the leaving room. My mother had her hands on her face; my brother was just looking around helplessly. He looked so lost. Farid's father was on his phone and his stepmother and sister Ruba were talking to each other. 'We are here' Farid grabbed my arm and walked us right inside the living room that felt extremely claustrophobic. My mother looked up and her eyes were red. Holy crap...this is not going to go well. She walked up to me and held me shoulders tightly. Farid didn't move, he stood there beside me. 'Is this true?' My mother said in her weak voice and it broke me inside. I kept looking down, trying to ditch her. 'Is it?' She said loudly this time and I shivered and in panic I shook my head and began crying. My mother took a step back and just looked at me for few minutes, her facial expression changes from sad to disappointment to anger. She raised her left hand and I knew she was about to slap me and she had each right to be mad at me. I broke her trust in the worst way possible. Before her hand could touch my face, Farid grabbed her arm and pushed me back behind him. 'Don't ever hit her' He looked right at my mother and dropped her arm. 'Farid' I pushed him back. 'She is my mother, she has every right to be mad at me, I am sorry you found out about everything like this Ammi, trust me...I wanted to tell you but I was scared.' I grabbed her hands but she pulled away. 'Why did you do it?' She asked me. I couldn't tell her. 'Ammi...I know you are angry but if you can just try to...' 'Answer me, I send you to college, I worked for you and your brother after your father left us. And that's what I get? I trusted you Laila, where did I went wrong?' 'You didn't Ammi, please don't be angry, sit and we'll talk' 'Just answer me Laila, why did you marry this guy? Did you sleep with him?' She yelled across the room and Farid's step mother took Sabir and Ruba outside while the four of us remained in the room. Farid's father got up and came to us. 'I know Nasreen you are angry, but our kids are old now and they are capable of making their own decisions' He was an open-minded man, my mother on the other hand wasn't as liberal. 'If you don't have an answer for me Laila, then there is no place for you in my home' She said brutally. 'What?' Farid and I both said at the same time. 'Nahi Ammi, don't say that. I know you don't mean this. Please where am I going to go?' This can't be happening. My mother is not cold, she is not like this. 'Pack your stuff' She didn't even look back and she went to her room and closed the door. I collapsed on the floor. Farids father stepped outside; even his money couldn't fix the most valuable thing that I just lost. 'I knew this was going to happen one way or another' He sat down on the sofa and took out his phone as if nothing happened. I got up, picked his phone and threw it right across the room. 'What the' 'Shut up Farid, just shut up. Do you even realize what you just did? You don't think right? Nothing is important to you. Relationships don't matter, feelings, love, emotions...all of these things are stupid according to you isn't it? Well for me my family is everything. You should have at least asked me before doing this. Your parents are different, for me...this is all I have and because of you my mother doesn't want to see me' I cried and cried. He stayed silent for a little while and then walked started walking away but then he suddenly stopped. 'Get your things; I am waiting in the car' 'But...' 'Don't, just do as I say.' Without hearing another word, he left. . To Be Continue....

episode_20 . ------ I packed my stuff and listened to Farid this time, it's not like I had any option anyways. Telling Sobia wouldn't help especially when she is busy planning her wedding with Rafay. I wonder what she'll think about me once she finds out. I bet she'll hate me just like everyone else. I got inside Farid's car and he didn't even glance at me once. He stopped his car front of a huge house, I wondered if it was his parents. 'Whose place is it?' I managed to ask, wasn't sure he'll answer any of my questions. 'Mine' He kept his answer short and stepped out of the car. I grabbed my bag and followed him inside. The house was beautiful, it was warm and had a character, unlike Farid's personality. 'It was my mothers' He said suddenly. 'Sorry?' 'The house, she designed it' 'Oh, it's nice' I smiled but he didn't. 'There is some food in the kitchen if you want something, in meanwhile, I'll get your bedroom set up' 'Oh okay' I picked up my bag from the ground to take it with me to the kitchen but he stopped me. 'Where are you going?' 'To the kitchen' 'I'll take your bag upstairs' He took the bag from my hands and went upstairs and I went to the kitchen to find some food. After finishing a bowl of instant noodles, I walked upstairs to find Farid. I need to talk to him about us. I found him in one of the room, it was big but not as big as the other two bedrooms I checked. I think this was mine. He was looking out the window, there was a small lake nearby and I could see the moonlight dancing on the water. It was so beautiful. He looked so different just then. He looked peaceful. I knocked on the door and he turned to me instantly. 'Sorry' I mumbled and walked inside the room. 'This is your room' He was being really awkward. He was never this nice. 'Is everything okay?' 'Yeah, why do you ask? It's not me who got kicked out of the house?' He raised his eyebrows at me. 'Thanks for the reminder' I turned to leave but he held my shoulder to stop me. 'I...' 'Let go now' I tried to pull my hand away but it was no use. 'Don't talk to me like this, I have warned you before too' His voice got louder and his presence grew in the room making me feel small and weak yet again. I got a hold of myself and turned around. I was too tired to run away from him. 'Or else what? What are you going to do now? Kick me out of this place too? Not give me money? What are you going to do now? I am done being your toy Mr.Ibrahim. Don't even think of a second you are doing any favors on me. You need me as much as I need you, you hear me.' I didn't realize I was shouting at him until I finished talking. He let go of my hand and I took a step back and sat on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily at this point. 'Try to get some sleep' He walked out and closed the door on his way out. I opened my phone and saw there were a lot of texts and calls from Sobia, maybe she did find out about my marriage after all. I called her back and in one ring she picked up the phone. 'What the hell, where are you? Do you know how scared I was? I went to your house and found out about you and that guy? Are you okay? Are you safe? Did he do anything to you?' She was panicking, she worried for me. 'I...I am okay' I was crying at this point. 'Laila, where are you ?' 'At Farid's house.' 'What? No, go back home. I am sure your aunty will understand' 'No, she won't, I tried Sobia. She doesn't want me anymore' 'Okay then come to me. I will come and pick you up' 'I will see you tomorrow, I need to just breathe and be alone for a while' 'Okay, just don't block me and remember I am here for you no matter what' Sobia was my truest friend and I was so lucky to have her with me. I changed into more comfortable clothes and laid down on the bed, I kept turning left and right for hours until my eyes shut themselves and I drifted into a dreamless sleep. . To Be Continue... Always busy thatz y i didn't post yesterday... Next Episode loading

It is well Farid may not be as cold-hearted as you think Laila

U should have told ur mum about farid's proposal

Episode_21 . I woke up with to sounds of thunder and when I checked my phone it was 5:40am. Since I was already awake, I didn't waste more time and went outside of my room to pray. I thought Farid was sleeping by now so I quietly went downstairs to the living room and started praying. When I finished and got up I saw Farid standing behind the sofa looking at me. I took off my head scarf and quickly went upstairs without turning back and locked myself inside the room for few more hours before I leave to meet Sobia. The time didn't take long, as soon as the clock hit 9 I changed into my grey hoodie and black skinny jeans and grabbed my bag. I ran downstairs and as soon as I grabbed the front door, I was stopped by Farid's voice. 'Where are you going?' He was wearing a grey hoodie and black ripped jeans as well. We were twining. Gross. 'None of your business' I folded my hands and waited for his response. Knew it was on its way. 'Oh but it is, you see we got married couple of days ago if you don't remember and as long as our names are connected you need to answer me' He smirked and walked over to me a little too close. I took a step back and my back hit the door. My eyes popped up. We were all alone beside his staff, but even they were out of sight. I gulped. 'Nervous?' He was inches away from me. I forgot to breathe for few seconds. 'No' I stammered. He chuckled and ranked me over from top to bottom, and when his eyes returned back to mine, they were serious...colder. I didn't like this look on him. 'Can I go?' I asked. 'Where?' 'To see Sobia' 'She knows about us?' 'She knows about our marriage but not the contract...trust me, I didn't tell her' 'I do' He did? He kept looking at me as if he was waiting for my answer. 'Okay well, move' I looked down nervously. He took a step back but not enough for me to leave the house. 'Do you?' He asked me and placed one of his hands behind his neck. Is he asking me if I trust him? 'I don't know' I said clearly. I spoke the truth. Farid was so unpredictable, my mom always told me guys like him are unreliable, my father was like that too. He took my answer and walked inside the kitchen. I took the bus and called Sobia and Rafay to meet me in the park cause I knew if Sobia's mother saw me then she would tell my mother and I wasn't really for all of that yet. I needed some time before I know for sure what step I need to take. After walking alone in the park for few minutes by myself, I stopped Sobia and Rafay. They looked so in love. I wanted a life like that. I never mentioned it but even after my father left us I still managed myself into believing that one day a man of my dreams will come and he will put all the broken pieces of my heart together, but it never happened. But I am glad, Sobia found her happy ending and so did Rafay. I waved at them as they walked toward me and Sobia instantly embraced me into her arms and Rafay placed his hand over my head. 'You are alive' He joked. 'Trying' I laughed. Rafay excused himself to grab some coffee for us so Sobia and I could talk privately. We kept walking, she didn't know where to start. 'I am okay Sobia, even though I probably don't look okay and everything is a mess, I am still holding on to myself, this will pass just like any other bad times' I stopped walking and sat under a tree and she sat beside me. The weather was getting colder and colder. 'Your birthday is coming up' I said to Sobia. 'Yeah just couple more days' She was a November baby. 'Don't be such a downer, if you are going to be like this then I will leave' I pretended to get up knowing that she will stop me and I was right. 'You are a terrible actor, I know you won't leave' She laughed. She placed her hand on my shoulder and I placed my head on hers. 'It wasn't supposed to be like this' Sobia said after a while. 'Maybe, but there is always a reason behind something' 'How is he by the way?' She asked me about Farid. 'Moody' I replied without thinking. 'That was quick' 'I am getting to know him' 'Is he as bad as you thought?' 'I don't know, he seems alone' He did. Rafay brought us out favorite caramel macchiato and sat down right across from me. 'How did the exams go?' He asked me. 'Pretty good, yours?' 'Not bad, we still have six weeks before our second term starts, make sure you pay your tuition by end of December.' I had such a normal conversation with the two, I felt like everything was back to normal. At least for few hours. Later that day, Rafay took us for bowling and we finished the day at the movie theater.Rafay offered to give me a ride so after dropping Sobia at the coffee shop we took off to Farids. While in the car, it seemed like Rafay was trying to tell me something but everytime I asked he mentioned something different, something off topic. 'What is it Rafay? just tell me ...you'll kill yourself otherwise' I laughed and so did he. 'Ahh fine, I just wanted to tell you that if you need anything just don't hesitate okay. I am like your older brother and both Sobia and I are there and I am not just saying that I really mean it. I found Sobia because of you, and if there is anything even the smallest or the biggest thing you need just call me okay?' Just hearing him saying that made my day. Real friends are so rare to find. 'Sobia is very lucky' I smiled at him when he stopped the car right front of Farids place. 'So am I, and if your hubby acts like a douche which I am betting he already is ...but if he goes out of line then you know who to call' He winked. 'I can handle him' I laughed, grabbed by bag and walked inside my temporary residence. There was no sign of Farid. Should I be worried? It was 9:05... Maybe I should wait for a while before I call him. I thought to myself. I went to the washroom to take a quick shower and then walked downstairs to make some hot chocolate in my comfy harry potter PJs. I was reaching for cups when I heard footsteps coming from the living room. 'Laila?' He shouted. 'In the kitchen' 'Interesting choice of nightwear' He said sarcastically. 'Not in the mood for sarcastic comments' I smiled and went back to making hot chocolate. 'What are you in mood for then wifey?' He said in my ear and it felt like my body went on electric shock. No jokes. 'Hot chocolate' I removed the pot from the burning stove and used it as a weapon to make him move out of my personal space. I grabbed two mugs and filled it with hot chocolate and handed him one mug. 'For me?' He asked me. I don't like him but I am not that mean. Everyone deserves a cup of hot chocolate. I nodded and went upstairs to my bedroom and saw a huge box. I placed my cup on the side table and when I opened the box I found an apple tablet. You have got to be kidding me. I ran back downstairs and found Farid watching TV casually. I walked to the TV to block his view. 'Move' He said annoyingly. 'No' I shook my head. 'What do you want?' 'Did you get me that?' 'Got you what?' He pulled his phone to keep his distracted. Honestly. 'Don't play dumb, if you don't answer I'll talk the hot chocolate back' The corner of his mouth lifted and he looked at me. 'Yes' He answered. 'You didn't have to' I said. 'I don't like you, but I am not that mean. You'll die of boredom otherwise' He took his cup and walked upstairs to his room. Not bad Mr.Farid, you are still a jerk but you still have some kindness left in you. I smiled widely as I step inside my living room. I unlocked my tablet, found a sticky note with wifi password that almost touched my heart and you know the rest ...I binge-watched on Netflix as long as I possibly could. . To Be Continue...

Episode_22 . 'I'll pick you up at 8, we have a party to go to' Farid stepped inside the kitchen half naked, the only thing that was covering his decency was a medium length white towel. 'Like what you see' He said again to get my attention that was honestly lost in between his words and his body. He always looked so strong but I would have never thought he had abs and all those muscles. 'First I have seen better, second please don't walk around half naked like this, especially when I am around, and lastly, I am not going anywhere with you' I took another sip from my cup of tea. Farid took a chair right across from me and took my half plate of omelette and started eating my food shamelessly. 'Hey!' I yelled at him but didn't try to away from him. I was full anyways. 'Like I said, be ready' 'Why? I don't want to go' 'May I ask why?' He insisted. 'Because...I...I just don't' 'You do remember the contract right? We have to make believe that we are actually married' He glanced my way and he did have a point. For the last few days, we have just been sitting at home anyways. 'Ughh fine, what is it for?' 'Celebration of our marriage of course' He winked at me and left the kitchen. Farid left the house right after the small conversation we had in the kitchen and I was panicking because I didn't know if I was ready to meet so many people. I am sure none of my family members will be there so how will I manage. I went to the mall to find an outfit but didn't end up finding anything decent. Shopping for dresses was so hard for me, the ones I did like either had a long neckline, sleeveless, short or had a slit. Not my style at all, I wanted to be covered. He told me to be ready by 8, and it was already 6:30pm. I had an hour and a half. When I got tired of waiting, I decided to call Sobia to see if she knows anyplace that sells modest dresses. It was so last minute. She texted me a place of a local boutique and finally I found a dress that checked all requirements on my list. It was stunning. The dress was long and flowy, the silver purple shades were beautiful and the stonework and lace were just superb. Plus, it was affordable. I should have called Sobia sooner instead of going dress shopping by myself. I reached home at 7:15, took a quick shower, dried my hair and did a half updo the best I could, put on the dress and light makeup and I was done exactly at 7:55. Yes. I was so proud of myself when I glanced at myself in the mirror. I actually felt beautiful. My phone rang and Farids' name flashed on the screen and I answered it. 'You ready?' His voice on the phone was a lot huskier than in person. 'Yes' 'I am waiting outside, come' He disconnected the call. I grabbed my purse, turned off the lights, locked the door and stepped inside his car. He caught my attention right off the bat, he looked great. But then again he didn't have to try, he always looked clean and well dressed but today in his gray suit, his olive skin tone, and messy hair made him look like a model who just stepped outside the cover magazine. He was looking at me too but this time, it was different. His eyes weren't cold instead, he was smiling at me. I didn't know how to react to that so I looked down and cleared my throat to speak. 'We better go' 'Huh?' He kept looking at me. I looked down further to avoid this awkward tension between us, loose strands of hair fell on my face but before I could fix my hair, Farid moved his hand and pushed the hair behind my ear. In shock I looked at him with my eyes wide open and he didn't move his hands away from my face. 'What?' I asked him. 'Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?' I never imagined in a million years that Mr. Farid Ibrahim would say anything like this to me. I breathed heavily and shook my head to say no. His cold fingers traced my jawline and stopped at my lips. His eyes shifted from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes and he licked his lips. This was just too much for me. Thankfully his phone rang and he moved his hands away from me to pick up this phone. I think it was his father or some family member asking when we'll be arriving at the party. 'Yeah we are on our way' He looked at me with a strange look before driving to the venue. The entire way he didn't say anything. He turned the music up and kept looking ahead. I didn't know what was going on in his mind. Was he thinking about us? Does he regret what he did? I didn't. Farid was growing into me, he has been on my mind ever since we met, either in a good way or bad. He saves me, he controls me, he drives me insane but I feel safe when he is around. I want to trust him...but I just need him to give me a good reason to trust him first. We walked inside a beautiful castle-like building, the architecture was old and gothic. It was majestic. Before we walked inside the hall, Farid stopped me. 'Just stay close okay?' 'Yeah' He placed a hand on my waist and I reacted from the smallest touch. He sensed it too I am sure, but he acted like it was nothing and guided us inside a huge ballroom. The glass ceiling in the hall was breathtaking and the wishing fountain reminded of the fairy tales that I used to read when I was little. 'Its...' Before I could finish the sentence, Farid filled in the blank word. 'Beautiful' I looked at him and saw his eyes were already looking at me. His words meant so many things. 'Oh look who we have here' Farid's parents approached us with some other people. 'Hello Mr.Shiekh, Mr.Green, Mrs, Smith...this is my wife Laila' Farid shook hands with everyone and introduced me to them. 'Laila, these are our business partners and shareholders' I said hello to them and they smiled at me. 'She is stunning' Mrs. Smith pulled me into her arms and kissed my cheeks. 'Oh, thank you, you look beautiful as well' I told her. 'Aw dear, you are too kind, she's a keeper' Mrs, Smith winked at Farid before walking away with the rest, leaving Farid's' parents behind. 'How are you beta?' His father asked and his step-mother just smiled and walked away. 'I am good' 'Well have fun kids, this party is for you...Farid follow me, I have some people I'd like you to meet' 'No I'll stay here, Laila doesn't know anyone here' 'It's fine, I am okay' I answered them. 'Great, common Farid' Both of them walked off and I looked around the place. I picked up a glass of orange juice and moved towards a quieter area of the hall where mostly older people were sitting. I was busy scrolling down my facebook feed when I heard someone asking for everyone's attention. It was Farid's step-mother. 'Thank you all for coming here tonight, we have a new addition to our family. If you aren't aware, our son Farid got married and this party is to honor his wife, Laila' Everyone clapped when she finished. Farid stepped outside from the crowd and took the mic from her. 'Hello everyone, thank you for coming. Now I know a lot of people wants to know about our marriage. The answer is simple, we got married because we are in love. I don't know how I fell for her or when I fell for her but I know that she is my wife and I am the happiest man in the world, so cheers to that and now I would like to ask my wife for our first dance' When he finished talking, a spotlight hit me and everyone looked at me. I looked around nervously then I saw Farid walking towards and he held out his hand. I took his hands and he guided me towards the centre of the hall. Everyone moved out of our way and slow melodic music started playing. 'I don't know how to dance' I informed him and he chuckled. 'Of course, look at me and just follow my lead' He spun me around and his arms circled my waist, I moved my hands to his chest and his breath hitched for a second. We got lost in each other in that moment, he held me close and I didn't mind it one bit. Later everyone joined the dance floor and got lost in their own world and so did we. Until a hand landed on Farid's shoulder, it was Melissa. Farid girlfriend. 'Miss me' She winked at him and I took a step back from him. 'Melissa' He looked at me for a brief second before turning his back on me. He started talking to her, while completely ignoring me. Of course. I was such a fool. Without wasting another second on a man who didn't even care about me, I ran out the door. --------- Hope you guys are liking the story so far... . To Be Continue...

Yes o, its very interesting and romantic, i am already using some of the romantic words here already... Lailai is so touchy, i understand hw she feels though.. Dnt worry Lailai, no whore can drag your Farid with you

Very interesting story

Very interesting

Episode_23 . Trust me you don't wanna miss this story, especially this chapter ;) xoxo ------------------------------------------------------- ---------- I had no idea where I was going, but I knew that I won't be going home tonight. My heart hurt and I hated this feeling. Farid was unworthy of me, he didn't deserve my appreciation, my care, my attention or my lo... nevermind. I called Sobia as soon as I got inside the cab and informed her that I am coming to her place. Sobia's mother was out of town to meet her sister-in-law so Sobia was all alone. 'Wow, you look stunning' She greeted me as soon as she opened the door. I walked inside to give her a hug. I held on to her for extra few minutes and she let me. 'You okay?' She whispered. I shook my head. 'Oh Laila, common let me make you some tea' After making some hot cup of tea and warming up some leftover pizza, we sat down with our food in her bedroom. 'Here, get into something comfy, I'll go and grab and an extra blanket. I changed into some comfortable plain white pajama set. 'This is so soft' I told her when she walked in with a huge blanket. After finishing up our food, I laid down on her bed and closed my eyes while Sobia massaged my head. 'I have never seen you like this' She said breaking the silence. 'Me too' Just when I said that, my phone started ringing. It was Farid. I ignored it. 'What's going on between you guys?' She finally asked. 'I don't know, I can't be around him Sobia. He is toxic for me' I opened my eyes and sat up to face her. 'Why did you marry him then?' I knew she'll ask me this question one day and I was ready to answer her questions with honestly. I finally told her everything from start to finish. 'You idiot' She looked at me as if I have grown an extra head. ' I had to Sobia, it was a chaos and I had no other option' 'He blackmailed you, Laila' My phone rang again, it was Farid. 'So now what?' 'Can I stay with you tonight?' I asked her. 'Of course but that's not what I meant...what I mean is how long are you going to keep this up for?' 'I have four months contract with him. After that, we will be separated and I'll go back to my old life' 'Do you think he'll let you?' 'Yes, why wouldn't he?' She laughed at me. 'Why are you laughing Sobia?' 'You don't see it do you?' 'What?' 'I don't think he'll ever leave you' She smiled at me and went off to sleep. What if Sobia is right? No, she is not. Farid and I would never...Right? Before laying down, I checked my phone again. I had 8 miss calls from Farid and 3 text messages. I opened the messages and it said. F: Fuck where the hell are you? F: Call me back dammit. F:Come back home right now. I ignored all of that, he is just angry at me, not worried. Besides Melissa is there to keep him company. All he really cares about his money and that stupid property from his grandfather's will, not me. I suddenly woke up and it sounded like someone was knocking on the door loudly. I checked the time and it was 2:45am. I nudged Sobia and both of us walked downstairs to check. Sobia peeked outside through the window and looked back at me with a horror. 'What?' 'Farid' She mouthed. Ya Allah ...how did he know I was here? Sobia was about to open the door when I stopped her. 'Don't he'll leave after' I whispered. 'He'll wake up the neighbours' She panicked. 'This is not good' 'He looks so scary' She informed me. 'I know you are there Laila, I won't leave unless you open the door' He yelled from the other side. 'How does he even know that you are here?' 'He knows I have no other place to go to' I answered. 'Should I call the cops?' 'No use...go upstairs, I'll talk to him' I knew Farid, he won't give up unless he gets his way. 'No, you go and I will talk' 'He knows already, he will check the room and do something stupid' Without arguing, she left me and walked up to her room. When I heard her close her bedroom door. I opened the front door and saw a very angry looking man. 'What the fuck is wrong with you?' He walked inside without any invitation and closed the door shut. I stayed silent. He was nowhere done talking. 'Why didn't you answer my call? I asked around and nobody knew where you went? I told you to fucking stay with me? Are you that stupid? What if something would have happened to you? Do you even know what kind of people are out here in the street at night?' He eyes were red and pulled together. 'Say something' He shouted and it made me jump. 'I am fine, I wasn't feeling well' I turned around but he held me shoulder and turned me around to face him again. 'You are coming with me' 'No' I said weakly. 'Why?' He never asked why. 'I just don't feel like it' I looked down, trying to hold back my tears. He scanned my face with intensity in his eyes. 'Why?' He took a step forward to me. I took a step back, he grabbed my waist to keep me in place. 'Why?' He brought his lips close to my ears and I shivered. 'Were you jealous of Melissa? Huh? Is that why you left?' He nibbled my ear and I pushed him back. 'Stop' I yelled. 'It's true isn't it wifey?' He smirked at me. 'You are wrong, I am not jealous of anyone, especially your girlfriend'. 'She's not my girlfriend' He got serious again. I stayed quiet. 'She is not my girlfriend' He repeated. ' You don't have to give me any explanations, I don't care if she is your girlfriend....I could care less...' I snapped, glaring up at him. 'Shut up' His eyebrows pulled in and he grabbed each side of my face, slamming his lips against mine. I protested but it was no use. 'Shut up, Laila' he said, kissing me over and over.

Episode_24 . As soon as our lips touched, I lost senses of everything. He was too intense. It felt like I was going to hell. It felt like a sin and I didn't care. His hands around me become loose and he brought his hands to my cheeks. The rough sensation quickly turned into a sweet paradise. He brought his lips down my throat and I felt a sharp pain on my skin when he sucked into my neck. That's when I recollected my sense. 'Farid' He didn't recognize my voice at first, he ignored me and continued having his way. 'Farid' I said again and I made sure my voice was loud enough for him to hear. This time, he listened to me and let go of me immediately. I looked at him and saw his dark aura, I never noticed earlier but he was intoxicated. His eyes were gentle yet heavy and his lips were swollen from kissing me. I looked away from him right away and pulled my shirt's collar up to hide the marks that he left of my shoulders. 'Please leave Farid' I wanted him to leave before I changed my mind. I was scared that if he stayed behind, we might do something that we'll both regret later. We need to stay far away from each other as possible. I can't let this go on any further. The gentleness in Farid's eyes washed away from right after I told him to leave. 'Yeah it's not like this was anything special anyways' He stormed right out of Sobia's house and smacked the door shut as loud as possible. I ran towards the window and saw him smashing his hands to the hood of his car before driving off. I wanted him to go, but his last comment did hurt me. For him, it might have been nothing special, but for me, it was a memory that I'll never forget. I just had my first kiss. After a while, I walked upstairs to Sobia's room and I knew she was awake but she pretended to be asleep and I was very thankful for it. It would have been really hard to explain everything to her. What if she heard us? Did she know that we ...? I guess I'll never know. I was so embarrassed. Never in a million years I would have imagined that one day I'll have my first ever kiss with a guy like Farid. I guess we really can't tell what's written in our stars. When I woke up, there was so sign of Sobia, turned out she went out to me my favorite cream cheese and bagel from a bakery near her house. When she returned and we started eating our food she popped up the question. 'So last night...'She chuckled. Ya Allah she knows. 'Let's not make a huge deal about this okay?' I was feeling so shy. 'Oh no my best friend, we are not done. Not even close. You said you don't like him and yesterday you were all moaning and stuff. It was so annoying, I bet the entire neighbourhood heard you' She laughed and I dropped my bagel on the plate. I was horrified. 'What?' 'Don't play dumb now' She winked. 'Everything happened so quickly' My mind went back to thinking about yesterday night. Yes, everything did happen quickly. His one move changed everything. I should have stopped him, I know I could have if I tried, but I didn't and I knew why...because I wanted it as much as he did and I hated myself for wanting someone who didn't want me the same way. 'Awwwhh' 'No Sobia, it's not like that. It was a mistake' I knew I'll have to face Farid one day or another and I couldn't stay with Sobia any longer because her mother was coming back home today, which meant that I'll have to go back to Farid's place. I knew he left his place at around 11:00am so I decided to wait until then before going down there. It was about 11:30am when I reached his house, I checked the living room and the kitchen. There was no sign of Farid anywhere. Thank god he is not here. I walked to my room and saw that everything was all clean and my dirty clothes were neatly washed and folded. At least I won't have to worry about that anymore. I was putting all of my clothes inside the cupboard when Farid walked right into my room. 'You're back' It sounded more like a question. Maybe he thought I'll never come back. Did he miss me? 'Yeah, I hope that's okay. Sobia's mother is back so I didn't...' 'Yeah, no...it's okay.' He said nervously. 'I am sorry' I blurted out these words without thinking. 'For what?' 'Just...about yesterday.' After putting my clothes inside, I walked away from him and stood near the bookshelf to keep some distance between us. 'Okay' He came closer to me, enough for me to reach out and touch him, but there was still some distance. 'For telling you to leave or kissing you back...everything that happened. It was wrong and irresponsible and I am sorry' I told him, avoiding his eyes. I know I shouldn't be the one to apologize but I don't want him to think that I liked kissing him or give him any wrong ideas. 'It was just a kiss Laila, it's not like it meant anything. I was drunk and you were there, it was just a matter of time. I would have kissed any other girl the same way if she was there instead of you' His light response didn't reach his smile that was plastered on his face. He said those words to hurt me. I knew it the second he said it. He can't be that insensitive, can he? Everything about him in this moment was making me emotional. 'Good' I smiled back. If he wanted to be such an arse then fine. 'I'll be home late' He said quietly as he walked out of my room. There were two things that my fake husband never failed to do, first,humiliate me and second hurt me and each time he did it, it hurt me more than before.I knew there was something good, some kindness left in him but he always covered it with hate and anger. Why was he like this?

Episode_25 . The next two weeks went by really fast, Farid and I tried our best to avoid each other as much as possible. Both of us knew about each other's timings so we hardly had an encounter. Whenever he was here, I stayed in my room or went outside and he did the same thing. We had nothing left to talk about since our last conversation. Today was Sobia's birthday and Rafay asked me to invite Farid which meant that I'll have to talk to him today. I was walking outside of his bedroom debating if I should ask him or leave it. It's not like he would come with me in the first place. I was about to knock on his door when the door flew open and Farid looked stunned. 'What are you doing here?' He asked straightaway. 'It's Sobia's birthday today...'Before I could finish my sentence he jumped in as usual. He never let me speak. 'Yeah okay, tell the driver he'll pick you up from the party if it gets late' He was about to close the door when I stepped inside his room for the first time. 'Hey...' He protested. 'Would you please just listen...I wanted to ask if you want to come to the birthday party with me'. I snapped at him. He looked confused. 'You want me to go with you?' Why is he asking me this? 'Yeah I guess if you want to' I shrugged. 'Okay' He calmly replied. 'Cool' I took a step back and literally ran out of his room. Why is my mind keep on going back to him? By 4 pm, I was all ready. I wore a plain red flowy dress and left my straight hair open and for makeup, I did a brown smokey eye and nude lipstick. When I walked downstairs, I saw Farid and he didn't fail to get my attention. He was wearing a black suit and a red tie. His hair was pulled back which made him look a little older than his age but this look suited him. I walked up to him and he took my hand in his hand and my eyes popped up. He took out a red velvet box from his jacket's pocket and inside of it was a beautiful rose gold diamond ring. It was simple and elegant. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on my ring finger. It was a perfect fit. 'Farid...' I looked at him and then back to the ring. 'Do you like it? I can get something else if you don't...' 'I love it' I squeezed his hands. My eyes filled up with tears, I was feeling so many different emotions. Even though it was all fake. It still meant something. 'Why are you crying stupid girl?' He took my face in his hands and wiped the tears away from my face. 'Thank you' My voice was still shaking. This ring was a proof of our marriage even though it was temporary... 'Lets go' He didn't let go of my hand until we reached his car. I kept looking at my hands, I didn't understand his gesture...without making false assumptions I decided to ask him. 'Farid...why did you give me this ring?' 'Hmm?' He was clearly lost in his own world. 'I said, why did you give me this ring?' 'I thought you liked it.' 'I do, I just don't understand why...' 'Because every bride needs her diamond ring ...now let me enjoy the music' He went back to humming some soft rock lyrics and my eyes went back to the rock that was shining brightly in my hands. The party was small and intimate, everyone there was a close family relative or a friend. I practically knew everyone at the party. After greeting the birthday girl, I took Farid with me to introduce him to the families I knew. Everything seemed to like Farid. 'How come you know all these people?' He asked when we sat down at one of tables. 'Sobia and I are pretty close, we know everyone in each other's families' I explained to him. 'Your mother just walked in' He informed me and I looked around until I saw her in the crowd. 'We should go' I told him. 'Why?' 'I don't think she wants to talk to me' I was having an anxiety attack. 'You're okay?' He was worried. 'I just need some air' I walked outside the hall, leaving him behind. I was walking outside in the lawn when I heard my mother. 'Laila' I turned around and walked right towards my mother. 'Ammi' I didn't realize I was crying. She opened her arms and embraced me. 'Ammi' I held her tightly and she patted my head. 'Shhh Laila...dont cry. I am here' 'I missed you, I thought I lost you forever' She and I sat down on the grass and she wiped away the tears from her eyes as well as mine. 'Ammi, Farid and I...' 'I know' She answered. What? 'How?' I asked. 'Farid spoke to me, he said he is the one to blame. He told me how he manipulated you into marrying him for money' She sighed. 'Ammi, listen what happened was...' 'Laila, you don't have to explain anything, I can understand why you fell for his trap. I am sorry I couldn't protect you' She was having a breakdown. 'I am happy with him' I told her suddenly. She looked confused. 'He is a nice guy Ammi, I know he comes out very cold and harsh but he is a caring person, he's just been through a lot' I explained it to her. 'I just don't want you to suffer because of us' She weakly said. 'I am not, I know it was a fast decision, but it was meant to be' My mother and I talked for a while before walking inside, when Rafay and Sobia saw me and my mother together, she winked at me and nudged Rafay who gave me a thumps up. My mother got busy with other guests and I went out to look for Farid because he was nowhere in sight. I walked back outside when I saw a dark figure in a distance. When I walked closer, I realized it was Farid, and he was smoking a cigarette. 'Cigarette is injurious to health' I said from behind. 'Yet people die in all different ways, other than smoking as well' He fought back. I rolled my eyes. He pulled a cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it under his shoes. 'Better?' He asked. I shook my head. 'Lets go inside Sobia is about to cut the cake' I smiled at him and started walking back inside, hoping he would follow and thankfully he did. 'Are you happy with me?' He asked from behind. Maybe he heard the conversation I had with my mother a while ago. I kept walking, not sure how to answer it. Was I happy with him? 'Answer me' He demanded, he was a lot closer to me this time. 'Are you?' I turned around and asked the same question, I wanted to know this as much as he did. 'What do you think?' He tucked my hair behind my ear and walked inside.

Author, who is you is your girlfriend/wife? I can bet with my biggest treasure that she will never leave you.. The scene, use of words, everything is so romantic and im already writing some of the romantic words down, ride on

I love the beginning of this soon to be amazing love story

More updates please