Trust Me (An Islamic Love Story)

Chapter 27

"Hello? Azar?" I hear a sweet feminine voice, and I feel sick. Of course, it's Mishal.

The gravity of what I am doing comes to me. Azar's impulsiveness is rubbing off on me. I'm becoming crazy. That's when the devil himself snatches the mobile from me. "Hello? Mishal, are you there?" He asks her, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

He sees the line has disconnected and then advances towards me, and I stumble back. "Don't you dare touch my things or answer my phone ever again!"

"Azar, have a little shame," I retaliate, even though I am scared. "If you love Mishal so much, why isn't she standing in the place I am? Why did you drag me into your mess? Or maybe you married her too?"

"Abeer, your jealousy is driving you insane," Azar exclaims in frustration. "Just listen to yourself."

"I'm just stating what I'm seeing," I say even more furiously.

"Do you hate me?" His tone is suddenly very calm.

"Yes," I answer, mirroring his calmness after a pause, not entirely true. For some reason, it feels wrong to say it especially when an hour ago I was cleaning his cut.

"How much?" He asks, stepping forward, and I move back, afraid of him. "How much do you hate me, angel?"

"I-I..."

"Do you hate me because I don't care? Do you hate me because I love Mishal and not you?"

"I hate you because you are heartless." The words hang in the air, and Azar becomes still.

For a fraction of a second, I see a strange look in his eyes. It makes me want to move closer, to apologize immediately. Maybe I went too far. Maybe calling him heartless was a heartless thing to do. Then it passes away as fast as it came, and I hold myself back.

Azar's mobile rings, snapping us out of the conversation. He hesitates, glancing at me but answers the call anyways. "Yes? I can't. Sorry. Maybe at night?" He pauses and then sighs. "Okay, okay. Bye."

I am about to leave the room when I hear Azar say, "Angel, wait." I halt, tired of Azar and tired of the overwhelming anxiety I feel when he calls me angel. What now?

He takes out a box from the drawer and comes and stands in front of me. "I got you a new mobile," he tells me, a little awkwardly.

I reluctantly take it wordlessly and go to the bedside to put my SIM in it.

Azar heads out of the room, and I follow after him. Soon we all leave for his home. As soon as we reach, Mama shows Maliha and me our rooms while Baba, Ahmed, and Azar remain outside having a discussion about something.

I start unpacking my suitcase, wondering how unfamiliar the house feels. "Abeer?" Azar startles me from behind. When did he get here? "That's my side of the bed, and that's my side of the wardrobe," he simply says.

"Okay."

Since our last conversation, we have both been acting very weird around each other. I feel a little guilty about calling him heartless, but then I push it away. I am not going to say sorry. He will just make fun of me if I did, and it will lead to another useless argument.

I open the sliding wardrobe and keep my clothes while Azar sits on his side of the bed and goes through some files.

I look at my parents' picture, and there is a pang in my heart. I keep it away in the wardrobe drawer and turn to find Azar standing behind me. I hope he didn't see it.

"Is the new mobile working well?" He prompts.

"Yes."

"How is your fever?" He asks, confusing me. It feels as if he wants to start a conversation. Why? Does he ever get tired of arguing?