“And you said you could handle it?” Malik frowned at his brother.
“Well, I didn’t exactly say so. I said I would make things better. Give you a better chance at getting her back.”
“Did that happen?”
“It would have if he had not been there. I was already getting her to warm up,” Zayed replied.
“It was a bad idea from the start. What was I thinking. Coming back after a year? I should just let it go.”
“Are you kidding me? We can’t do that. This is the reason why you told our father that he could do whatever he wanted with the throne. You are not giving up.”
Malik glared at his brother.
“You act like I went to her house and came back to give you a report. You were there when he strode out, walking like a man who had marked his territory. You don’t expect me to contend with that, do you? It’s clear that he loves her and she is happy. I’m not going to ruin it.”
<Genie sighed, for the umpteenth time that morning and then sighed again. What was she to do? Making decisions had never been her thing, but when it came down to it she made them and stood firm to whatever decision it was she had chosen.She loved him, she liked him. He made her happy, he gave her heart palpitations. He was the calm she needed, he was whiskey in a tea cup.The easy way out was to chose who wouldn’t let her go in the end, right? The outcome she was sure of, the stability she would get at the end of the day. Jake gave her that. He was the calm in the storm, the anchor she knew she could rely on to never give up.Malik, she wasn’t the least bit sure about. He had given her up once before. But she could not blame him for it, he never knew she loved him. Maybe if he had known…She could not think about maybes right now. Maybes tend to screw up logical thinking and making rational decisions. But she could not let
Three years and counting…Malik walked out of the building, a smile on his face. Finally, he could have a good night sleep. He had been trying to close the deal for months now without any success. The sponsors had been uncooperative on his terms but he knew that his company needed it.Who knew that only a visit from his younger brother could make things different? Zayed had dropped in, as he did from time to time and had walked into the board room. Few minutes in and and he all of them laughing.But Zayed had not stayed, from the looks of things. His brother came and went as he pleased, and to places undisclosed. Trying to pin Zayed down to one place for as long as a week was a feat that could not be achieved.It reminded him of the time his father had asked Zayed to come back home so he could make him the next Sheikh. It had happened after several attempts to bring him, Malik back had failed.
Zayed knew he would get an earful from his brother and the truth was, he probably deserved it. He had been away for six months without telling anyone where he was. He didn’t expect them to understand why he had done so, because he had doubted his decision so many times in the past six months.But it was something he had to do. He had to find himself. Explaining that to Malik would be hard because his brother had offered him a position in the company and Latifah had requested his help, or offered to make him a diplomat on many occasions.There were just some things he needed to do by himself and for himself.He walked into Malik’s office and plastered a smile on his face.“Who’s excited to see me?”His brother’s scowl was enough to bring down rain.“Where have you been, Zayed? And don’t tell me someplace. You leave for that long without sending word to your family, then you should be able to ex
“I have to ask the obvious question here,” Genie said.They were all in Zayed’s house.“Which is?” Zayed asked.“Whom did you, you know, last? Or to be specific as this baby looks to be about eight to nine months old, can you remember who you were with a year and eight or nine months ago?”“You’re asking who I had sex with a year and eight months ago?”“To put it plainly, yes. We have to find out who this baby belongs to.”“I can’t remember, Genie. That would be like asking me what I ate nine months ago on a Friday,” Zayed told her. And he truly did not remember who in particular.“So, you must have been with over ten women that month?” Genie asked I’m disbelief.“Yes. Is that a bad thing?”“No, no. Not at all. It’s your choice. What it means though, is that we have a lot of work to do. A lot to figure out.”“And that’s
“So, how did it go?”Zayed jumped, startled. He had been deep in thoughts and had not noticed his brother standing in the middle of his office.“I swear, you’re everywhere. In my head, in my house and now In my office. It’s like I can’t get rid of you.,” Zayed told him.“Well, that’s true. Because I’m family and also your boss.” Malik smiled.“Such a sad reality.”“How did your first play date go? Did you get a kiss?” Genie asked, walking into the office.“You too? Do I expect this every time I walk into the office. Because I swear you two are ganging up on me,” Zayed groaned. And it was the truth. All through the week, he had been seeing them everywhere and hearing their chipper voices in his head. “My head is getting a little crowded as it is.&r
Zayed smiled at picture on his phone, his concentration momentarily shifted away from work. It was a picture of Moonbeam with Star and she had captioned it , “while daddy is away.”Apparently, she had also taken a week off from work because Star had gotten the flu. Over the past week they had juggled their schedules; work, home, the hospital until Moonbeam had decided to step in and be the stay at home mom.Zayed knew that it took a lot from her because it also meant that she had to put her part time course registration for theatre arts on hold too. So, he sent a reply , “you two look adorable “ and smiled at himself.Looked around his office and smiled even wider. Who would have thought? Was the question that kept popping into his head each time he walked into the office or had a day with his daughter, for the past month.The plan for his life did not include a behind the desk job or a child for at least the next t
“And then she grabbed my fingers and tried to stand!”“Really?”“Yup. I think you have a daughter eager to explore the world,” Moonbeam was all smiles.“Well, I think she takes it from her mom,” Zayed smiled at her.Moonbeam rolled her eyes at him.“You don’t have to be so modest, I know you want to say it.”“She came from good genes,” Zayed said smugly.“There, there,” Moonbeam laughed, “How did that make you feel? Proud, right?”“Damn, right,” Zayed said, feeling his heart swell. His heart was full and light at the same time. There was one thing he looked forward to every time he woke up each day- it was the thought that he had a daughter and an amazing woman as her mother. The two of them as a pair made life worth all of its inconveniences. No that he mattered anyways. He had them, and so he had it all.“Penny for your thoughts?” Moonbeam a
Zayed sat on one of the chair in the waiting room, his head in his hands. His only thought was on Star. After they had brought her to the hospital, the doctor that met them in the ED had told them that she required surgery.So, with Moonbeam pacing around and his thoughts scattered, the were both waiting on the results.“Zayed, how’s she ?” Genie asked, walking to meet him with Malik beside her.“Still in surgery. We don’t know what is going on yet,” the words came out of his mouth like a cry for help.“She’s going to be fine,” Malik placed a hand on his shoulder.Zayed nodded. He looked at the direction of Moonbeam and saw that Genie had her hands around her shoulder. Family- that was why one had them. You did not have to be strong around family.But he could not let himself break down, even though his brother’s firm hand made him feel secure. He had responsibilities now.