Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 9 - Khaleel

My father led all the men into the women's hall and took a seat next on an extravagant sofa set in front of a garden wall. His bride accompanied him. Everyone watched while the hired photographer insisted on getting all the family shots in one go. Then there were the bystanders, holding up their phones and snapping pictures for their own digital albums. What the hell were we? A celebrity family? I hated every second of it. Even Maha and Yumna looked miserable having to pose for so long.

It was such a big relief when the bossy photographer told us kids to fuck off. I hurried past the gawking bodies and searched for my date. I had left her alone for too long. I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to skip the Walima tomorrow. I wanted to skip it too. I didn't want to make another appearance after my scary cousins threatened me. Wassem and Taheer stuffed their faces by the serving tables while Riyad made moves on some random girl. Good. I couldn't afford to let them find out about Arisa. The last time someone assumed her relationship with a guy, she was kidnapped. I was not going to let that happen again.

I barely made it to the exit when a bright-eyed girl appeared out of nowhere and blocked my path. "Hi," she beamed. "Mubarak on your Papa's wedding, Khaleel."

"Thank you—" I stared at her, hoping she would tell me her name.

"Farha. I'm Kiran's younger sister."

I nodded. "Right, right! So, uh, did you happen to see a white girl in a blue and golden lehenga anywhere?"

Farha's smile vanished. "Yeah," she drawled hopelessly, before pointing out the door. "She's hanging out with Sumaya in the courtyard."

"Thanks!" I said, patting her shoulders. I was off before anyone else could stop me and headed through the long corridor to the front of the building. I spotted Arisa and Sumaya chatting by a water fountain when I headed down the wide steps. It brought a smile to my face. I was so nervous that my date was having a horrible time but it seemed like she was enjoying Sumaya's company.

I took a second to admire my crush. "Stop!" Arisa was saying. "He did not! He couldn't have! That is so out of character!"

Sumaya laughed. "He did! I swear! Khaleel dressed up as Raphael from TMNT for his first Halloween in Canada. I have the pictures to prove it."

Panic found me. "Fuck!" I cursed, running over to grab Sumaya's phone before she could throw me under the bus. The girls were surprised to see me there. "Put that shit away, Sumaya! She does not need to see me wearing green spanks."

Arisa chortled. "No! I want to see it! Don't take this away from me!"

I ignored my date and glared at Sumaya, "Why the hell do you have that picture anyway?"

My cousin snatched her phone back and shrugged. "Mama finds lots of photos from your childhood in our house. Don't worry, Arisa. I'll send it to you on Instagram."

I couldn't fucking believe it. "You two exchanged socials? Really? You sure you want to get to know this crazy person, Arisa?"

My crush nodded before leaning her head on Sumaya's shoulder. "She's so great!" she gushed.

"Yeah, I'm great," Sumaya beamed, leaning her head onto Arisa. I was ready to lose my shit. I wanted my date to stick by my cousin's side for protection not to become her new best friend. What the fuck? Sumaya was five years older than us. Why would she show interest in a high school girl? She was making fun of Arisa for being white the other day. What changed? Had they bonded? Over what? Me? Fucking hell.

I grabbed Arisa's wrist and brought her aside. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long," I said. "Do you need to go home? It's almost eleven."

"It's okay," Arisa said, her eyes falling to watch me hold her hand in mine. My body relaxed when she didn't refuse my touch. "Sumaya and I took a selfie together. I texted it to my mom to let her know I was safe and sound."

"Oh, okay, cool," I nodded, trying to keep the butterflies in my stomach under control.

Sumaya stood up behind Arisa and winked at me. I instinctively pulled my hand away and glared at my annoying cousin. "Let me know when you're ready to head home," I said to my date. "It's been a long night for you."

"Okay," Arisa said softly. Her cheeks were full of colour and her plump lips were tempting as ever.

I quickly averted my eyes and strolled off. "Okay, bye."