(

"I wasn't going to do it anyway."

"Really?"

Haya asked, slightly surprised.

Usually, Aaliyah didn't say no to her. It wasn't because of who Haya was, it was only because Aaliyah trusted her enough.

"Yeah. I figured there was no point in arguing. You were angry and petty, thought you'd come to your senses at some point." She heard her cousin say and Haya rolled her eyes.

She had called up Aaliyah to tell her regarding the whole Adil thing. She didn't want to toy with anyone's life for a petty argument so she had decided to call it off.

"It's not that. I just realised it was somewhat selfish of me to want the same for you without even knowing if you want it or not." Haya expressed, telling Aaliyah the reality.

"Haya, it wasn't selfish." Her friend replied, dismissing the way she was thinking.

"You wanted me to have what you desired for your ownself. That's sisterhood." She rolled her eyes again, chuckling as the word sisterhood felt like too much.

"Oh oh, too deep for me." She mumbled, hearing Aaliyah laugh as well.

"The point is I'm glad that I'm talking to Adil. I'll see where this thing goes without thinking about any agendas like marriage." She said to Haya, who understood as well.

"Okay."

"Who knocked this sense into you by the way?"

Her father.

His message had changed her perspective and she truly didn't want to be the reason he felt disappointed in his upbringing. Not at all.

"No one. I just slept and woke up realising how petty I was being. I should have better things to worry about." Haya said instead, not telling her the truth.

"Exactly. Shaming a nineteen year old? Been there, done that." Aaliyah remarked, Haya just shrugged as she entered the bathroom.

"We were nineteen at that time too." She pointed out.

"Doesn't change the truth." Aaliyah replied.

"I'm hanging up." Haya murmured, ready to take a shower instead.

"Bubye."

"I really don't understand what the problem is over here." She stated, her voice getting louder than before.

"Don't you?" Amir asked back, his own voice much more firm than it had been earlier.

It all started when he arrived home a few hours ago and mentioned a day visit to Jordan. Apparently, there was some aid program that the two countries had started together and he needed to be there to inaugurate that.

Upon hearing about his visit, Haya told him she wanted to go as well. She had a few friends in Jordan and she could meet Hunain as well.

Amir was not the kind of man to say no to her and it had very well ended up surprising her when she heard him deny.

She hadn't even asked for his permission. She had told him she wanted to go along and he had refused.

It irked Haya to no end.

"I really don't. He is my friend and not my only friend over there. It's not like I am asking you to take me in an official capacity right now."

She said to him, the frown on his forehead that had been there for quite a while now simply deepened.

"Just a few days ago, I saw pictures of him and you. Now you want to visit?"

Amir couldn't believe that she had actually told him she'll tag along. After everything that happened, she still wanted to go and visit that man?

He could handle her being friends with men. He didn't like it, he didn't want her to be friends with them but he could handle it. He knew she loved him and was extremely loyal but he just couldn't understand why she would want to meet the one man he had seen her so close with. Even in pictures.

"Amir, it was literally 10 minutes. Why are you even thinking about it?" 

"Because you are my wife and I saw you making out with the man who was not me." He answered back, feeling his body getting warm with anger.

"Which were taken a year ago when you hardly even knew me." She argued, Amir groaned.

"Haya, I really can't." He denied, she clicked her tongue.

"I did not ask you for your permission. I told you I want to go." She insisted

"And I am telling you that I am not taking you." He stated firmly.

There was such a firmness and I have made my decision in his voice that she felt like he was trying to control her.

"Don't do this." She mumbled, staring up at him.

"Don't make yourself out to be the authoritative man, the Lord husband when you know I cannot take it." She felt the anger rise in her body too, hating the entire conversation.

"Don't ask me to do something I cannot do." Amir replied, shaking his head at her.

"If you will not take me, I will go on my own and that will be embarassing for you."

She shot back.

Amir raised an eye at her.

Was she really trying to threaten him?

"Are you threatening me?" He enquired, eyes on her as he waited for her to answer.

Haya felt the dare that he held in his voice. It was slightly intimidating. She shook her head but still stood her ground, not budging.

"You're willing to embarass your husband for someone you made out with for ten minutes?" He asked again, taking a step and coming close to her.

Haya felt his thick cologne hit her nose and she sighed, putting her hand on the side of his cheek.

"What is this really about? You're jealous?" She enquired, Amir moved his head away..losing her touch.

"I don't have time to be jealous, Haya."

He stated, continuing. 

"Although, it is wrong in my eyes for you to meet someone you were previously involved with." He came out clean with his thoughts.

She didn't understand how hard it was for him to get this. He was just a friend. Did he expect her to stop talking to him?

"Amir, don't even start on that. I really can't discuss this, for God's sake!" Haya exclaimed, annoyed.

"You knew who I was when you married me. Now you've got issues that I have male friends I want to meet?" She questioned, irked and angry.

"Haya, the male friend you want to meet is a Prince you were involved with." Amir pointed out.

So fucking what?

"Still a friend, Amir. I don't know how it works in your fucking world but in my world, I don't abandon my friends." She cursed out loud, he didn't think he could remain calm anymore.

"Don't you dare curse in front of me." He warned, she didn't really care at this point.

She was far too angry.

"Or what? What exactly are you going to do?" She asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do not test my patience, Haya. I am really trying over here." He gritted his teeth, exercising the last bit of patience he had left.

"You know what? I can't even be bothered with this shit." She swore again and Amir could not help himself.

"Did I not tell you to behave yourself?" He said in deep anger, pulling her back with his hand as she tried to leave.

Haya shrugged him off with a hard jerk.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Enough, Haya!" Amir raised his voice, she swallowed..not used to him being this loud.

He held her shoulder one more time, staring in her eyes properly.

"I told you once and I'll say it again. This is not Buredaan. This is Maraaish. You best remember that."

He said it like a warning. Haya didn't take well to warnings.

"Oh I do! I remember this is fucking Maraaish every single day because I can't even breathe here! I'm always walking on egg shells because this is bloody stupid Maraaish!" She yelled out loud, not bothering to even think about the way she was talking.

Amir stared at her for a moment, stilling.

He loved his homeland. She had told him she didn't hate it. Yet, here she was talking such ugly things.

Still, he nodded.

"Then maybe you should consider going somewhere you can actually breathe."

He advised, walking away.

Haya stopped dead in her tracks. The weight of his words way too heavy.

"I don't care. Send me a jet right now."

She said over the phone, feeling her throat close everything she spoke. She felt the heaviness and the weird ache, she hated arguments and yet she always got involved in them.

She didn't remember having such a serious argument with Amir before. Even if she was annoyed or angry, he was always calm and taking her lightly.

It was not like that this time.

This time, Amir couldn't hold onto his patience. He hadn't said it directly but he had told her to leave if she had so many problems.

It sucked.

And it hurt.

And it angered her too.

"I swear if you don't send me one, I'll call someone else or fly commerical." She threatened her own mother.

The Queen sighed, knowing the entire story as Haya had already narrated it. Still, she thought it was her daughter who was being unreasonable and emotional.

She had no control over her tongue and usually said things she did not even mean. She had managed to hit Amir where it must have hurt the most. His country. His homeland.

"Haya.." Her mother felt her quiet over the phone after that.

She was able to hear the sound breathe but she could also feel that her daughter was either crying or was on the verge to do so.

"Are you crying?" Haya shook her head, blinking her eyes a few times so she wouldn't cry.

"No, I'm not." She denied, quickly drinking a glass of water to control her emotions.

It helped but it didn't really help.

"Haya.."

"He told me I should go." She felt her daughter say quietly, hurt.

"He didn't say that. He told you to go somewhere you can actually breathe."

Her mother corrected, continuing. 

"You insulted his country. You cursed and now you want to act like a victim?"

Just great.

Would someone ever take her fucking side too?

"I'll hang up if you start with your lecture." She threatened, her mother wasn't one to take threats.

"Go ahead. It's not like I'm your mother and you need me." Haya sighed, knowing she couldn't actually hang up on the only woman who could contain her sometimes.

"We all told you that you're not compatible. You're the one who wanted to fight for this relationship. Where is that fight now?" Her mother asked, hearing her say nothing in response.

"You love him, Haya. Petty disputes happen."

Yeah.

But it was so intense.

A dispute with Amir was different than her usual arguments with other people.

"Don't you think that you shouldn't have told him you wanted to visit Hunain?"

She groaned as she heard her mother question her.

"What is the problem in that? He's just a friend." Haya argued back.

"He saw you make out with that just a friend. You told me you felt guilty because he was embarrassed because of you. Now you want to open up all of that for what?"

She understood her mother's point. Haya knew how she felt the day Amir told her about the pictures. But the situation had been handled, no one knew about it and she didn't want to compromise her friendship because people were problematic.

And besides, she would never want to embarass Amir.

"I listen to everything he says, mom. Every single fucking thing, no matter how shitty." She still argued, continuing.

"And I tell him I'll go with him just once and he acts this way? How's that fair?"

"Haya."

The Queen didn't even know how to explain to her daughter. They had spoiled her rotten, loved her to the point where she was never wrong and even though Haya had changed as she grew up, even though she had evolved with time..she was still stubborn and a little prideful.

"This isn't some vacation place you asked for. You wanted to accompany him to an official tour, just so you could meet with your friend." Her mother mentioned, Haya clicked her tongue.

"So all of it is my fault then?"

"I'm just saying that you're losing your patience because you think you're losing control. You're not."

She explained, understanding the root of her problem.

"Haya, he moved away from his family because he knew you wouldn't be comfortable. He let go of the fact that you cursed the hell out of his sister, he didn't hold you accountable for those pictures or for hiding about Hunain. Can't you do this for him?"

So?

She had changed her wedding dress for him. She had given up her perfect plans of marriage and engagement. She had not even complained about not going for a honeymoon. She had listened to him without creating issues.

And she wasn't even keeping count. Everything she had done for him, it was because she loved him. It was not because she wanted to keep a score.

"Mom, he knew who I was when he married me. I didn't hide anything. And I only cursed his sister when she taunted me. If he's been nice to my family, it's because my family has been the best towards him." Haya gave her own logic, which made sense but also there was more.

"And what excuse do you have for telling him you can't breathe in a place he loves so much?" Her mother enquired, Haya rolled her eyes.

"I was angry. I didn't mean to say that." She grumpily said.

"Well, you still did." The Queen pointed out.

"Just because you're angry, it doesn't give you the license to insult people or places." She stated, her voice much more firm than before.

"Haya, he's your husband. You're supposed to respect him.. he's a Crown Prince." She insisted, Haya swallowed.

She did respect him. Even Amir knew that.

"I do respect him, I do. I just hate that he created a big deal out of everything." She replied, hearing her mother's annoyed sigh in return.

"Okay. Let's reverse this."

"Suppose Amir made out with a girl before he married you." She chuckled as she heard her mother.

"He's a saint. He would never." She denied, her mother groaned.

"Suppose."

"Okay."

"And now, he tells you he's going to visit that girl while you're there as well. And you have already seen pictures of him kissing that girl. What would you say?"

Oh?

Haya let out a sigh.

She would be so fucking jealous that she wouldn't even know what to do with it.

Her mother had a point after all.

She was so hell bent on proving that he was just a friend that she hadn't even considered Amir's feelings. Infact, she had asked him if he was jealous in such a sarcastic way.

"Haya?" She heard her mother call her name, since she had fallen quiet in ponder.

"Yeah, you have a point." Haya agreed reluctantly, almost feeling guilty in the exact same moment.

"Right? You can't blame your husband for being possessive of you." Her mother explained.

"This doesn't mean you have to let go of your male friends. It just means you need to respect Amir enough to understand how to handle things."

Haya nodded, even though her mother couldn't see her.

"You don't have to stop being friends with Hunain or even stop meeting him. But you're Amir's wife now. Think with him in your mind too."

She further said, putting Haya in a fight with her own conscience and guilt.

"So all this lecture was because you didn't want me to come there and ruin our country's diplomatic relations or because you worry about me too much?" She questioned her mother, who let out a soft chuckle.

"Because I know my daughter might act all smart but she's very dumb when it comes to understanding her emotions."

Haya rolled her eyes one more time. She had been doing that quite alot lately.

"I should talk to him, no?" She asked her mother.

"You should."

"I don't even know what I'll say." She muttered.

"You'll figure it out." Her mother said, with a voice that soothed her nerves.

She didn't know whether she could figure it out or not, she didn't know if everything was her fault or not but she felt damn guilty for acting the way she did with Amir.

She did not know why but the way he had ignored her on his way upstairs, it hurt her more than she could have imagined.

She wanted to call his name and stop him, she wanted to solve things but he simply ignored her entire existence and walked upstairs. When she did find him looking at her, it was with a look of such indifference that Haya never wanted her Amir to look at her in this way.

He always looked at her like she was the most special, the most beautiful girl in the world. He looked at her like she had hung the stars and moon. He looked at her like she had taught him how to breathe.

Now, he simply ignored her as he walked away upstairs.

Haya didn't want to cry. There was no need to cry. She was a strong woman who didn't care about such arguments.

Except, she wasn't.

When it came to Amir, she was literally the same love stuck stupid girl that she found most women to be when in love.

She felt the tears in her eyes burning and causing her a headache. She wiped them off and rubbed her face hard, trying to be calm..

But when Haya cried, her nose turned red and eyes too. Her cheeks puffed up and she hated her face when she cried because she looked more vulnerable than she was.

And she wasn't even crying right now. There were just a few tears because Amir was making her feel not so special.

She swallowed, hearing his footsteps as she found him coming down the stairs again. He was wearing the same coat he had been wearing before their argument.

She rubbed her face to avoid him seeing her look like that and stood up, stopping him midway as he reached down the stairs.

"Amir,"

She whispered his name, trying to get a hold of him but the Prince only avoided looking at her.

"Wait." She tried to stop him

"I have to go." Amir replied, still looking down at his phone and not at her.

"Why?" Haya asked, a little bit panicked that he was leaving at twelve in the night.

He was usually a punctual man who didn't stay late till night and ever since they got married, he was always home by nine. He never really went out anywhere after that.

"Where are you going?" She questioned, hoping he would atleast answer her by looking up at her.

When the Crown Prince did look up, he saw her face and felt his heart ache at the sight.

"To find some peace."

He said automatically, even though he felt the most peaceful when he was with her.

___

Thoughts?