Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 91 - Khaleel

The ride to the condo was quiet. I was surprised that my old man came to Arisa's place without a chauffeur. He was usually so adamant about not getting behind the wheel but it looked like tonight he made an exception. Maybe it was in a fit of anger or some other bizarre reason I was better off not questioning. I couldn't worry about his shit when my head was spinning with thoughts of Arisa Hoffman. She said she loved me. It wasn't a confession to me but to my old man. My heart pounded at the reminder. That girl never ceased to amaze me. Damn it, at this rate, I wasn't sure I could ever let her go. It wasn't every day someone stood up to Yusuf Abdul like that, and even after his cruel response, she held her ground. The only other person who had the balls to challenge my old man was Hino.

By the time we returned to join the dinner festivities with Rida, her daughters had fallen asleep on the couch, and Kumar was left to load the dishwasher by himself. My dad glared and demanded an apology right away. I didn't budge. I didn't fucking tell Rida to stick around and wait. She could have left if she wanted to. Why should I say sorry about something I never wanted? No one asked me if I was free or if I was in the mood to socialize—they just fucking expected me to show up and smile.

I moved to retire into my bedroom when my old man stopped me. "Don't you have something to say?" he asked, insisting on hearing an apology.

"Yeah," I replied, blankly staring at my stepmother. She was for once out of her traditional salwar kameez and had a modest red dress on. "Next time you want to hang out, maybe ask to see if I'm free."

My father looked like he was ready to slap me but was too far away to reach. Kumar immediately took his place. I was struck behind the head harder than usual, it made me wince, but I didn't let it change my stance on the matter. "Watch your mouth," Kumar leered. "I didn't teach you to treat women like this."

"No, but you taught me to stand up for what I believe in," I retorted, looking right at Rida. Maha opened her eyes and caught onto the awkward situation pretty quickly. I could have held back. I could have filtered my words so they didn't hurt the little brat but I was pissed. I directed all my words at my old man while glaring at Maha. "You wanted me to fake sincerity and act like I gave a shit about your wedding? I did. You wanted me to go to dinner and get to know Rida and her daughters? I did. And now you want me to become this brat's caretaker next year? You expect me to drop my plans at the drop of a hat because you want to play house? Fuck that. Fuck all of it."

I saw through my old man's movements this time. They were fast and precise but I was able to hold his wrist before he could strike me. It alarmed everyone who was conscious in the room. My body stiffened and my pulse raced uncontrollably. It was probably the adrenaline at work. Sometimes, I forgot that I could fight back, that I could retaliate against what my old man and Kumar wanted. I was so used to depending on them, so used to cowering at the thought of their age and experience, that my confidence shrank in their presence.

"The weak and meek don't survive in our family," I said, glaring daggers at my old man. "Isn't that what you said to Arisa? I think it's time you stop underestimating me. I'm an Abdul. I'm your Khaleel. My life has been decided. Set in stone and not to be budged, which means this family's entire future rests on my shoulders. I think it's time I earned a little respect for that."

My old man's anger subsided and was slowly replaced with pride. I released him and cautiously backed away. "Respect, huh?" he said, taking a deep breath. "Well, I won't pretend to be impressed, Khaleel. You are my son. I should expect retaliation from you. I should expect resistance but if you're suddenly so confident about your place in this family, then try dodging this."

I got in my fighting stance prepared to take him on.

"Yusuf, stop it!" Rida shouted in Urdu. Little Yumna was forced to wake up. "I will not stand by and watch father and son throw fists at one another."

My old man straightened up when he noticed Yumna's big eyes widening in surprise. He walked over and kneeled to her eye level, his entire demeanour softening. "It's okay, Beta," he said, stroking the top of her frizzy head. "Papa and Bhai are just having a little disagreement. It's nothing that can't be fixed."