Dangerous Liaisons [✗]

𝟎𝟒 | 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 | 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄

THE LAST THING I EXPECTED AT MIDNIGHT, was to be caught off guard by the sight of my childhood best friends sister, high off her head. What was worse was that right now I was watching her jaded ass trying to climb over her gates, when they were already open. She was spewing profanities at an alarmingly fast rate, which was bringing out her Australian accent all of a sudden.

I had never heard her speak so much. Elyas was the one who couldn't get rid of his accent, because he had been older. It made sense that her moments were selective, in this case while she was on intoxicants, suddenly more confident than ever anticipated.

The Khanum's were that lovable, functional family that everyone in the neighbourhood were curious about, the type of people who would invite everyone to their Sunday evening barbecue, in hopes they would learn more about their roots.

They were the talk of the town when they first showed up because, despite Terence's diverse population, people were not used to seeing a brown couple from the Indian subcontinent and their fifteen-year-old son, having dropped off their youngest daughter to her new prep school for boarding.

They were sooner or later embraced, with my father being the first to greet them with open arms, considering the fact their uncle was one who was a Political leader, already settled in town and acquainted with the State regency.

Shortly after, I was inviting Elyas Khanum to soccer games and helping him settle into AP classes, he was a cool kid that naturally made friends wherever he went. He claimed his sister was the opposite. She was quiet, but snarky and mostly stayed cooped up in her own world, reading books about anything and everything, —she didn't like anyone willingly seeking her out or disturbing her peace.

The one occasion we came face to face, Audrey was hiding from Elyas in the garage, back for summer break, seemingly on something and glaring hard at me when I called out for her by her family name —and even that was one out of the two real conversations I ever had with her. I hadn't known she was capable of being so hot-headed, but I wasn't going to argue with a seventeen-year-old I had no business communicating with.

I had my own problems.

My father had high expectations of me, and I wanted something more that couldn't be found in Terence, not even Philadelphia, no matter how many hours Elyas and I spent there. Eventually, he packed up his bags and accepted a job offer, all the way in the Middle East.

Before I could let it sink in, I found myself applying and being enrolled into the FBI academy, in Quantico, pressured to the hilt, straining my brain and heart every chance I got because I wanted it so bad. If I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I could even remember the exact process of Hogan's Alley.

Every moment brought me to this inevitable moment.

Home.

❥