Double fire🔥

//59//: FAROOQ'S POV

My masculinity.

Work.

Modelling.

Three friends.

Betty.

Businesses.

These were my top priorities. I never cared about anything else other than these six things. Why should I? Nobody gave a valid reason for me to regard other things or people. Not even my own parents and siblings. They all pinned my own best friend's death blame on me and assumed everything will be okay? Come on, that's not how my cells work.

I realised that the world wasn't as beautiful as Noor always believed it to be. You could be the nicest and most selfless person ever to people but they would still stab you behind your back. Trust takes years to build,seconds to break and forever to forget.

I figured out that without friendships,there is no betrayal. Showing too much kindness denotes vulnerability. Sometimes kind people may lack the ability to put boundaries in place, and may set themself up for disrespect or abuse.

That was when I changed. I set boundaries. I built borders. I became arrogant, rude, crusty, gruff and in your special case, a jerk. I turned abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner.

I knew how I was, I know what I was doing and I was well aware of how much I was hurting the people around me. I can never forget how Amma would cry in the night just because of me, Abi would sit me down and give me a one hour long speech but all he said were meaningless to me, Harisa and Arianna were afraid of me. They could talk to me, joke around sometimes, try to have a decent conversation with me but I would never budge. That stone cold expression always scurried them off. But that didn't stop them from wanting to flaunt my wealth to the world, they were girls and also my sisters after all, I didn't have a problem with that.

Tareeq on the other hand was the hardest to deal with. The boy was cocky and too adamant to handle. Despite my coldness, harshness, and infamous glares, it never kept him away. He didn't care about how I treated him, all he did care about was the fact that I was present most of the times. He would always disturb my peace in my room by telling me about his day and whatnot, not that I cared. But he still did. I would usually give him a simple nod, shook my head, or replied with my eyes. That was my language to people after all.

Tareeq though never took any of it to heart, he was my younger brother and slowly I started opening up to him. I don't know how he did it, but he did. It was when I had a vasovagal attack in his presence and he was the only one that could help. I couldn't decline his help then because I felt like I was dying. After, I narrated everything about myself to him. Trust me, it was unwillingly because he threatened me.

Stunning yeah? Threatening a whole Farooq Khaleed. That's Tareeq for you.

He threatened to tell everyone about my vasovagal syncope which I couldn't ever let anyone know, but unfortunately for me, he found out. So I didn't have a choice nor could I bribe him out of it. The eight years difference didn't bother him, he still managed to squeeze himself into my life.

The day that altered with everything in my life was my first day at the office. I had just recently opened my own company and it was the first meeting I organised with the workers and employees. I overslept that day so I woke up really late. The meeting was set to be by ten in the morning and I was almost tardy. I hate tardiness with every fibre in me, so I had no other option but to follow the wrong lane.

Unluckily, I almost hit an old woman. Well I and the other person driving the black Jaguar. The rage I had in me at that moment was indescribable and couldn't be quenched. But the beautiful creature that stepped out of the car swept me off my feet. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever set eyes on, and that's not even arguable.