All is Fair

Chapter 22

Rasheed gave her a look of glorious boredom. "Are you actually serious about this?"

It was three days after Sanaa's talk with Feroz. She had somehow gotten hold of Rasheed. And had him come to the ice-cream shop they usually met at.  She gestured to the paper on the table. "Come on, humour me."

He raised his brows. "There's no point to this. You can't change the conditions now."

"There is a point to this. And it's not about changing the conditions. Just read it out loud. Not too loud; just for the two of us." Sanaa held her breath as he took his time.

He finally picked up the paper. "Okay, fine. Whatever." He huffed. "'Condition number 1'," he read out. "'I, Sanaa Handi, promise to be okay with anything Rasheed does'. And in brackets it says 'as long as it doesn't cross the lines of decency'. 'Condition number 2: I, Sanaa Handi, promise not to tell anyone, especially Ameena, about me and Rasheed (that we are girlfriend-boyfriend). Condition number 3: I, Sanaa Hamdi, promise not to tell anyone, especially Ameena, the truth about me and Rasheed (that we are girlfriend-boyfriend because of this deal)'." He looked at Sanaa. "And your signature at the end."

"That is not the end. Read the rest of it too." She prodded him.

He gave the paper a shake of annoyance. "'I, Rasheed Zafar, also promise to stick to conditions Number 2 and 3'. Are we having legal practice right now?"

"Those conditions were your idea "

"Having them in paper, in print, with signature, was your idea." He countered back.

"Can't trust anyone these days." She looked away. "We are not getting into that fight again. What else does it say? Humour me." She asked with her brows arched up. He gave in.

"'I, Rasheed Zafar, promise to leave Ameena as long as Sanaa Hamdi sticks to the above mentioned conditions and as long as she remains mine'. Which has not changed. Good job on your part. 'Breaking Conditions numbered 1, 2 or 3 by Sanaa gives Rasheed full liberty to go back to Ameena; to be her lover, for as long as he wishes'. That would be my favourite part."

Sanaa bit down on the words at the tip of her tongue. "When was this framed?" She asked instead.

"Four months back. In August."

"Four months back, when you were cheating on my little sister."

"I was not cheating on her. Like I said, you weren't specific or clear in your words."

"Oh, right. My bad. I should have taken notes from you. After all, you know how to sway people the wrong way. So of course you know how to clearly mess up a conversation."

He sat glaring at her. "There was a point to my reading this out?"

"Yes, there is a point to this. According to this, you could go back to being with Ameena. If I broke any of those conditions. Right?"

"Right."

"But, as we know, my sister patched up with Feroz two weeks back. Right?"

"Right." He drawled, eyes narrowed.

"So that means you cannot go back to her as her lover. Right?"