Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 107 - Khaleel

Arisa spoiled me with tender kisses. Her tongue ventured to find mine and collided with it. Her small mouth felt so soft and clean, I couldn't help but gently bite down on her lower lip. Arisa backed away and I got to admire her flushed expression. I knew what she was doing, and why she was doing it, but I didn't dare to stop her. Only a madman would think to get in the way of this tenacious girl.

I lifted her up and forced her on my lap, stroking my fingers over her inviting thighs. I dropped my head to peck her knees and worked to leave a mark on the side of her calf. I enjoyed the sound of her enticing moans as my tongue sucked on her flesh. It's not like I hadn't thought about stripping that towel off her the second she sat on the bed. It's not like I didn't want to have my way with her since we arrived at the hotel. I wanted to be good. I wanted to behave but the fear of losing her made me want to claim her over and over again. It made me want to mark every inch of her. I knew where I stood. I knew I couldn't bring this beautiful girl with me wherever I went, but I wished I could enjoy these blissful moments with her forever.

"K-Khaleel," she said softly.

I got a hold of her ankles and pulled on them until she fell on her back. I hovered over, my eyes hungry and wild. I yanked the towel off her and dug my face into her sensitive neck. More. I had to leave more marks. So much fucking more that even if I was forced back to the homeland, by the time I returned, they would still be there. Arisa would still be here waiting for me. No matter where I went, or how deep I sunk into my old man's world, when I resurfaced Arisa and Kumar would both be...

My head throbbed and my body froze in place. I snapped out of it and stared down at my vulnerable girlfriend. She was crying. My angel was crying. Why? Had I hurt her? Had I been too rough? Had I sucked too hard?

My eyes widened. "Baby, I'm sorry."

Arisa covered her face with her palms and shook her head. "No, it's okay," she said, clearly lying. It wasn't okay. I had covered her in hickeys. "It's not you...it's what you said earlier, it's the thought of losing you, Khaleel. I can't lose you. I'm sorry. I don't want to be selfish right now and put this on you when you're going through so much, but I really can't lose you."

I lifted her up right and hugged her tightly. Her breasts pressed against my chest and her warm body comforted me all over again. "Please don't leave," Arisa sobbed, grabbing my neck. "Please don't leave everything that you have worked so hard to build behind."

We couldn't bring ourselves to finish what we started that night. Arisa fell asleep in my arms, butt naked, which was hard to ignore but I miraculously managed it. This was exactly why I didn't tell her about the plane ticket. I didn't want to worry her, or talk about my leaving when it could just be a threat. My old man was really good at fucking with my head, and I wasn't quite sure how serious he was about sending me back, so I kept that particular information to myself. I shouldn't have let it slip out. I shouldn't have told Arisa everything that I did. The truth was brutal and sometimes it was better off being buried. Being friends with Loyal for such a long time had clouded my judgement about that.

I kept tossing and turning on my side of the bed, my mind running a mile a minute about what was to come. How many days would it take for Kumar to contact me? How long would I have to live in this hotel agonizing over the loss of my friends and my girlfriend? It was times like this when I wished my old lady was around. Mothers were supposed to be good at consoling their kids, right? They were more in tune with their feelings, which made them good advice-givers. At least, that's what Hino and Zander always told me. They had the best moms, hands down. I knew not everyone was lucky. I knew sometimes it was about personal preferences and not maternal instincts. Loyal and Tomasia were a good example of that.

My father was an even better example.

Did he really think I would welcome Rida and her kids with open arms? Did he think I wouldn't be reminded of what we lost every time I had dinner with them? It was so easy for him to walk around calling Maha and Yumna 'his kids' that he started to prioritize their needs over mine. It was a fucking joke. My whole family was a fucking joke. I rested my elbow over my eyes and tried to suppress the tears from surfacing.

Fuck this. Fuck all of it.

The next morning, Arisa woke me up with breakfast in bed. She had her hair done up in cute pig-tails too; it was my first time seeing her with that kind of hairstyle. Too adorable for words. We ate our avocado toast and turkey bacon in bathrobes and watched morning cartoons to pass the time. It was nice. So nice in fact that I almost forgot about my miserable night. Arisa called her mother after breakfast to ask for more time with me but Mrs. Hoffman never picked up. I attempted to reach Kumar but he didn't answer either. My anxious ass couldn't handle much more of this. I thought about reaching out to the boys using the new phone but I couldn't bring myself to involve them. Zander was still suspended. Hino and Loyal fought on school grounds for me, which meant they were probably on probation. I was on my own. This was my reality.

A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts.

Arisa and I both exchanged a concerned glance before hopping up. We took turns looking through the peep-hole and were amazed to find Hino Matsunaga standing on the other side with the Wilson twins. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. What the hell were they doing here? How did they find us? I had so many fucking questions, but more than that, I had to admit I was relieved to see their stupid little faces.

"What's up Abdul?" Hino grinned, as soon as we opened the door. "You two look pretty cozy. Are we interrupting something?"

My nerves settled and I rushed to give my friend a massive hug. "You fucking idiot!" I cursed, tightening my hold. "Who the hell told you to come looking for me?"

"Who the hell said I wouldn't go looking?" Hino laughed, hugging me back.

I moved to awkwardly give the ice princess a hug too, but when it came to Loyal my feet stiffened. He was not the touchy-feely type. I knew that. I also knew finding me in a hotel with a hickey-covered Arisa was not on his bucket list.

"The next time you get the urge to steal a car, don't," Loyal said. He took me by the neck and pulled me in for a hug. "We got your back, Khaleel. So, no more running off. Got it?"

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Got it," I replied.