Dangerous Territory [Completed]

The Drive

I was entering the house after giving Father's office a visit when I found him walking out. With an awkward strut I passed him, not knowing what I should say, or whether we were at the position where I simply offered him a smile. He was getting into the car when Adil called my name.

I turned around and gave him an expectant look. 

"Bilal dropped by." Placing an arm on the top of the open car door, he informed. 

"Oh. I'll call him." 

"You better. The dude looked pretty concerned." 

"Okay." I said and turned, but before I could start forward he spoke again. 

"Hey, Mashal." 

I turned my gaze back on him. "Yeah?"

"He's a nice guy. Good for you, and," he shrugged, "well, he really seems to care about you a lot." His mouth curled up into a small smile as he finished.

I couldn't recognize what I felt more; sadness, that he wouldn't even want to consider the possibility of us, or relief that he had begun to care enough. I didn't even know for sure why I wanted for things to work out between us that way. There were other ways to mend our relationship, to be close, to care. Maybe that's what he was doing, giving our bond it's actual name; family. "I was thinking about it."  I smiled back. 

"Right on track." Commenting in a playful way he got into the car.

It was the time I had to bring my thoughts to words. I strode to him and looked down at him. He hadn't yet closed the door. "Adil?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you please do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"We need a CEO." I saw his expression and immediately added in a hurry, not wanting him to refuse. I knew I sounded desperate, because I was, and I didn't want to hide it. "I don't know anything about the business. Please, I don't want any outsider to be the head of what our parents, and their parents built. It's all as much yours as it's ours. You can't deny your rights, Adil." 

He looked ahead through the windscreen, his face taut. 

"Adil, please."

"I'll think about it." he said with an air of finality. Taking my cue, I took a step back and let him close the door.

"Thank you." I voiced with as much sincerity as I could find in me. If he wanted to refuse, he would have done so immediately, but he didn't. He would really consider.

He gave a curt nod, and brought the car to life. Inhaling a long breath I stood by the porch and saw him wound the car out of the house, a trace of contentment slowly ebbing into my veins.

---

The sky was a shade of pink, the remnants of hues the sun spreads. Darkness was slowly taking over, as if taking the earth under the shade. In a few minutes, azan would be called. Bilal had brought me out, taking me for a drive. We had stopped by a cafe for some refreshments, and seeing another day slipping out of our sights once again, I had walked out to the terrace. Bilal had followed.

"I can't decide what to do now, Bilal." I glanced at him. "I've always wanted to be a doctor."

"Do you still?" He asked, peering into my eyes.

"I would if someone would take me back from where I left off. I can't go over all three years all over again." 

"Why did you want to be a doctor?"

"I don't know. I just," I shrugged, "I wanted to help people in pain, relieve them in whatever way I could, however I could."

"You can work for the education of those who can't afford it. Maybe open up a school, free of cost. Take children out of labor, bring them to school, provide them with the course, uniform, so their parents wouldn't have any excuse to send them to work. You have all your Father's money, Mashal, you can put it to good use. Give them everything, the standard we got as a privilege in the private schools."

I found my mind already working, going through a mental map of the city, trying to locate the best place for my school. I saw excited children coming to school, I saw many bright futures ahead. The pink of the sky was slowly ebbing away, half moon shone like a jewel, peeking from between the leaves and branches of the tree. I turned to Bilal and saw him gazing at me with an expectant look. My hand went up to his on the railing. 

"It's not going to be easy though, is it?" 

He glanced at our hands. "No. But we'll make it easy."

"I can't do all of it alone."

"I'll be with you, Mashal, at every step. Whenever and wherever. "

"But you'd have your own work."

"If I can't personally be there, I'll make sure you have people who can."

I nodded, averting my gaze, analyzing what my first step should be. 

"How are things with Adil … and your aunt?"

Looking at the horizon, I found myself saying. "Aunt pretends the last fifteen years didn't happen."A wave of frustration spiked my heart. I turned to him. "Bilal why are people so kind when you aren't with them? I don't know what to do, how to bring the lost time back. I don't know how to give her all the love she's giving us."

"You don't have to right the past. Just," he shrugged, "just give her all that you know she deserves without her having to ask for it."

"I'm trying." I mumbled. "I'm trying, and- and Adil and I, we're catching up."

"Do you-"

I knew what he was going to ask, the question wasn't worth being voiced. "No."

"Mashal, are we-"

"I guess, yeah."

His eyes shone.

                                   THE END