CHAPTER FOUR
1270 Words
Zayd’s POV
I don't know why i am driving to her campus. It isn't on my schedule. It isn't part of the plan.
Maybe i want to prove to myself that I can exist in her world too. That this whole charade of an engagement isn't getting under my skin.
But then I saw her.
Zara, standing by the library steps, sunlight catching the loose strands of her hijab, laughing actually laughing with some guy.
I slowed my car without realizing it.
The guy leaned closer, clearly saying something that made her smile again, her eyes bright and relaxed in a way they have never been around me. The man reached out and gently tucked something into her hand a folded note? A paper?
my jaw clenched.
i am not being possessive.
I don’t believe in that sort of emotional nonsense. But something about seeing her like that unguarded, soft, and completely herself with someone who wasn’t me... it stirred something sharp and bitter in my chest.
I waited until the guy left before stepping out of my car, walking toward her like I hadn’t just witnessed something i wasn’t supposed to care about.
“Out making memories?” i said coolly.
Zara looked up, startled. “Zayd? What are you doing here?”
“I was passing through. Funny what you see when you take detours,” i replied, my voice emotionless.
she blinked, then straightened. “That was just a friend. Nothing more.”
“I didn’t ask,” i said simply, even though her answer had already calmed the strange tightness in my chest.
But I wasn’t going to show it.
Because Zayd El-Amin didn’t get jealous.
*****
Zara’s POV
I stared at him, baffled.
The tone in his voice. The look in his eyes. Sharp. Guarded. But under it something else. Something I couldn't quite name.
“Is there a reason you’re acting like that?” i asked, folding her arms.
Zayd shrugged, hands in his pockets. “I told you. I was just passing by.”
“Right,” i said slowly, watching him. “And it’s just a coincidence that you happened to pass by the exact time I was with a friend.”
He didn’t answer.
i narrowed my eyes, heart still pounding from the surprise of seeing him. i wasn’t used to him showing up unannounced. And definitely not on campus.
“You don’t get to do that,” I said softly.
“Do what?”
“Act like you don’t care and then show up like some storm cloud because I was talking to someone else.”
His jaw tightened slightly. Barely noticeable. But I caught it.
“I’m not here to monitor your friendships,” he replied, cool as ever.
“No,” i said, stepping closer, “but you are watching. Judging. And I don’t like it.”
For a moment, our eyes locked. The silence between us felt electric like something heavy and charged waiting to snap.
“I’m not yours, Zayd,” i added quietly. “Not yet. And maybe not ever. So if you’ve got something to say, say it. Otherwise, don’t waste my time pretending you’re above all this.”
That made him blink. Just once. But it was enough.
I turned to walk away, but his voice stopped her.
“He likes you.”
I froze.
“Your friend,” he added, stepping closer now. “The way he looked at you… I’ve seen that look before.”
I turned slowly, chin lifted. “So what if he does?”
Zayd stared at me. His face unreadable, but something in his eyes tension, maybe… or jealousy? flashed for a second.
“Then he should’ve made his move earlier,” he said finally. “Because now you’re mine for six months.”
And with that, he turned and walked away.
Leaving me stunned, confused… and , completely breathless.
*Zara’s POV (Inner Monologue)*
He said mine.
My heart’s still pounding. Not from fear. Not from anger. From whatever that was.
Six months. That was the deal. A contract. An arrangement.
Not emotions.
Not jealousy.
Not this... possessiveness that crept into his voice.
Zayd had always been cold. Calculated. The kind of man who made deals, not declarations. And yet… today felt different.
Why was he even at my school?
And that look in his eyes when he saw me with Hadi. Like he wanted to say something but refused to let the words escape.
Does he actually care?
No. He said himself this was for appearances, for family, for inheritance.
But if he didn’t care, why did his words feel like a challenge? Why did my stomach twist when he said I was his?
Why did part of me… like it?
Zara, pull yourself together.
This isn’t a love story.
This is survival. This is six months of pretending. Of pushing through.
Whatever Zayd is feeling or thinks he’s feeling doesn’t change the truth.
He’s still a stranger.
And I’m still a girl trying not to lose herself.
Besides,I haven't even accepted .why did he feel so sure that I am going to accept him?
This is going to be a long rideee
Zara’s POV – Weekend Dinner at Zayd’s Family House
The dining room was grand arched ceilings, chandeliers like crystal waterfalls, and a table too long for just six people. Zayd’s parents sat at the head, with my parents opposite. Laughter filled the air, the kind that felt rehearsed.
Zayd sat beside me, his hand resting lightly on mine for the guests to see. i let it stay.
my decision had already been made before dinner began. But now, i just had to convince myself that I could live with it.
“Zara has always been a bright girl,” my father said proudly. “But we’ve seen such maturity in her lately.”
“She’s fitting right into the family,” Zayd’s mother beamed.
I smiled, though my stomach twisted. I was quiet most of the evening, letting them speak about me rather than to me.
Halfway through dessert, Zayd leaned in, his voice low. “We’ll announce the official wedding date next week. You okay with that?”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Next week? We agreed on six weeks”
His eyes held mine, firm. “Engagements don’t last forever. We have to keep up appearances. No one needs to know the internal deal.”
There it was again,that slight shift. The charm cooling. The mask slipping.
“But we haven’t discussed anything yet. I still haven’t...”
“You agreed, Zara,” he said quietly, but his tone tightened. “You said yes. You can’t back out now. Not without consequences,for both of us.”
I turned to him fully, trying not to let my voice shake. “Is this still a partnership… or are you just pretending I have a choice?”
Zayd’s lips curled into something like a smile, but his eyes said otherwise. “You do have a choice. You’re just smart enough to know what saying ‘no’ will cost.”
And in that moment, i understood.
This wasn’t a game for him anymore.
It was strategy. Power. Control.
So, i smiled.
i reached for my glass, raised it slightly toward my parents and his, and said, “I’m ready.”
The table clapped, Zayd’s hand tightening briefly around mine in triumph.
But deep inside, beneath the silk dress and trained smile, i whispered to myself
Six months. That’s all. And then I walk away.
I am going to play my part, just like him.
- Writer
