5
The moment the front doors swing open, my heart races as I stare at three men dressed in black suits. Most of them have tattoos on their hands like Xavier and they look like they belong to an Arab biker gang or something. Farrah takes my hand and we walk towards the silver Mercedes SUV. One of the guards smiles at her as he opens the door for us.
“Farrah.” He dips his head and I smirk between them. Farrah is naturally gorgeous. Her long dark straight hair is pulled back under the hijab, but she’s still absolutely stunning. I think she’s of Middle-Eastern background, but I’m not sure. I watch as she tucks a strand of hair under the fabric that covers her head.
“That’s Carl.” She says as the door slams shut behind us.
“He’s been with Xavier for years now, ever since his parents —” she pauses as she lowers her voice.
“He told me that they died in a car accident,” I say as I fasten my seatbelt.
“They did, unfortunately,” she says, staring out the window.
“Did his sister die in the accident as well?” I ask and her eyes shoot over into mine quickly.
“No, she—” I watch as she pauses and glances out the windows.
“I think he should be the one to tell you about that,” she gives me a sympathetic smile and I nod.
“That bad?” I ask quietly.
“It was pretty bad, Lina,” she says.
“Xavier was always the life of the party, ever since I can remember. After his parents died things changed and the party-life completely consumed him. He was doing all kinds of drugs to ease the pain. Then when Nora died, then he shut everyone out. His distant family blamed him for what happened and to this day, he still hasn’t forgiven himself.” She exhales.
The rest of the car ride is quiet as various thoughts rush through my mind. I understand now why he is the way he is. And in a way, Xavier and I are currently in the same boat, utterly alone in such a screwed-up world.
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Farrah and I walk with our arms linked together through the mall. Carl follows close behind with his ear-piece and dark sunglasses. I smirk when I look back at him because he looks like the typical bodyguard that you’d see in movies. Very serious and very badass-looking.
“So what are you going to buy?” Farrah asks excitedly as we both pass various stores. I’m not going to lie, being dressed like this makes me feel invisible to the world. Not that I have anything against it, my family has always been welcoming—culturally. It just feels like my identity is gone as I hide under this thick cloth.
“I have no clue. Comfortable clothes I guess. I won’t be leaving the house until—” I pause as her eyes hold mine.
“I know.” She nudges me.
“How long does that take? How long did it take last time?” I ask and she goes silent.
“Unfortunately I don’t know how to answer that,” she says and my face falls.
“What?”
“Lina, all I know is it could be a long and thorough process.” She says and my heart shatters as I think of my family wondering where the hell I am. My mother’s sleepless nights. Having no answer about me, nothing. My heart breaks for all of them, but especially for my mother.
“How about this one?” Farrah stops in front of a boho-looking boutique. How she knew this was my style is beyond me, but we venture inside with smiles on our faces. My hands trail over the wooden hangers as I look all around. I pick up a bright-red cotton maxi dress, it’s soft and would be comfortable to wear around the house. I grab some cream lounge pants and a matching sweater.
“What about this?” Farrah holds up a small black dress that looks like it would barely fit my body.
“Absolutely not,” I laugh.
“Xavier loves fancy restaurants so this would be perfect.” She takes the other hangers from my hands and continues walking ahead of me. I watch as she grabs various dresses and throws them over her shoulder.
“Is he a good guy?” I ask quietly and before she can say anything Carl walks up next to me and hands me a pair of black stilettos.
“He’s the most genuine and loyal man you’ll ever meet,” Carl says as he places the shoes in my hands. His face is expressionless, like a Royal Guard. I watch as he goes back to the front of the boutique. His head turns side to side slowly making sure nothing suspicious is going on.
“He is—a good guy. Now that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his quirks, but he is a good one.” Farrah smiles before she ushers me into the dressing room.
“You’ll be needing these too, I assume.” She pulls back the curtain slightly, handing me lace bras and panty sets in various colors.
“Yes, thank you,” I say taking them from her.
I basically get all of the clothes that we have picked out. The two of us walk around the mall as Carl holds my four bags of clothes. My eyes peer over to a group of teenage-looking girls as they laugh between each other. Then I flashback to Alex and Grace. My heart becomes heavy as I think about what possibly happened to them. Where are they? Have they been sold like I have? I know Alex and Grace weren’t virgins, they had boyfriends in the past. I knew everything they did. The three of us always told each other everything .
The group of girls walks past us as their laughter echoes throughout the noisy mall. Farrah hooks her arm in mine again and the two of us make our way back outside. Back to the lonely castle I go.
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Later that evening, I find myself walking down the halls of the empty house. Xavier hasn’t come home yet. He told me earlier he had business to attend to. I already knew what he meant by that. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he meant by that. My mind starts to overthink as I imagine a scenario where he gets killed. What would happen to me if that indeed happened? Would I be able to go back home? And even if I did, how long would I last before someone else would come for me? I walk down the spiral stairs and into his study where he keeps his books. My fingers trail over his magnificent book collections. I swear he has at least a few hundred books in his study. He told me on my second day here that I could take any books I wanted from here. I take one that looks intriguing and make my way towards the balcony. The moment I open the doors the outside lights kick on automatically and the Jacuzzi lights up. Seconds later the Jacuzzi jets turn on, starling me. My eyebrows raise at his fancy and expensive setup.
Ten minutes later I find myself sinking deep into the warm jets of the Jacuzzi, they pound hard against my back as I open the book and begin reading the first page.
Sweat drips down my face as I continue reading page after page trying to escape this reality and dive into someone else’s.
The stars now shine above me. It’s pitch dark out here. No other homes or lights for that matter can be seen from this house—this castle. In a way, it’s eerie, but also peaceful. After finishing the first four chapters I close the book and my eyes as I sink deeper into the water with my head barely afloat.
As I begin to fully relax, the door to the balcony swings open and I see Xavier walk out quickly. I correct my posture as I watch him stare down at me. He walks down the stairs with his eyes gazing up at the stars. He’s wearing black slacks and a black button-up shirt that rolled up mid-arm, showing off his extensive tattoos. The closer he gets the better I can see his blank and expressionless face.
“May I?” he dips his head towards me and I nod.
“Of course, it’s your home.”
“I know, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he says as he unbuttons his shirt. Tattoos scatter over his arms, but his stomach is bare from ink. Only dark chest hair and chiseled abs. He unhooks his belt and his slacks drop to the floor. I swallow hard as I turn my head away nonchalantly. He walks into the Jacuzzi in his black briefs. His tight black briefs that conform to his thick quad muscles. He grunts loudly as he adapts to the warmth of the water, easing in slowly.
“Is that new?” He points to the red bikini that I’m wearing and I nod.
“It is. Thank you for that little shopping spree today. I needed that.” My eyes hold his and he shoots me a quick smirk.
“I hope you got what you needed.”
“I did,” I say, turning my attention back to the darkness that surrounds us. We both sit there in silence as the jets make hundreds of bubbles around us. I want to ask how things went today, but deep down I’m unsure if I really want to know or if he’ll even tell me. Silence continues as my heart pounds over the question that is taking up unwanted space in my mind. Screw it, I think to myself. What’s the worst that could happen?
“How was your day?” I hold his stare and his caramel eyes crinkle as a smirk slowly appears on his face.
“It was a good day.” He puffs his lips out as his eyes narrow in on me. I swallow hard as the brisk night air hits my face.
“Good.” I clear my throat. His eyes glance over to the book that lays behind me and he smiles.
“I see you’ve got another one of my favorites.” His eyes glance down at the book then back to me.
“It’s pretty good so far, very dark—but good,” I say as my nerves begin to take me over. We continue sitting there for a moment as the nightly sounds of crickets echo in the distance.
“Have you had dinner yet?” He asks as he reaches for his phone.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well, would you like to get out of here and get something to eat?” he asks, puffing his lips out.
“Not if I have to wear the hijab.” I bounce back quickly. Wearing that at the mall today was incredibly uncomfortable.
“Deal,” he smiles, “But I do hope Farrah helped you to at least get something formal to wear.” He says and I grin as I flashback to Farrah and me in the dressing room earlier. I didn’t think I needed anything formal or classy, but she insisted.
“She did.” I laugh softly. I watch as he gets out of the Jacuzzi and puts his hand out to me. I take it gently, trying not to stare at how strong and broad his body is. His skin-tone reminds me of desert sands. Tawny with hints of orange-brown. His complexion is a tad darker than mine. Alex and Grace would be jealous. I half-way smile. They would always pay a hefty price for tanning.
As I emerge from the water, I notice his eyes jump up and down my body. This bikini is a little more revealing than the one I wore yesterday.
I dry myself off as we both make our way inside and up the spiral staircase. “I’ll meet you down here in an hour,” he says, following me to my room. “See you in an hour,” I say, shutting my door behind me. Butterflies now fill my stomach as my cheeks turn hot. What the hell has come over me? I swallow hard as I make my way over to the edge of the bed with my mind now on overdrive.