Chapter 28

-------------Los Angeles, California.

-------------------- Three weeks later( Olyster residence)

I was finally out of the hospital and was back home. Well not my home. The Olyster home. " Home sweet home Faryah" Sophia called as the door to the mansion was opened up for us. It was a weekend so everyone decided to come take me home from the hospital I was really getting sick of. I had recovered, the scar from the stab was still there but the pain was gone, and I haven't had another headache since the last one. The doctor prescribed some drugs for me in case I got another headache. He said I was fine, I recovered fast. That I needed to exercise and eat healthy and the usual health stuff.

I was hospital schooled and I was finally going to be going to UCLA to finish my course. I was given a thesis to complete in July so as for me to graduate. I couldn't graduate without the Thesis. I also wrote some exams and tests for me to be able to adjust within their field and I caught up pretty well. Everyone was proud of me.

Khalid and I grew closer day by day, I knew his likes and dislikes and I began to wonder. When I was still a kid I was allergic to cheese, but I still eat Pizzas and Burgers now and nothing happens to me. I changed I guess. I also told him I wasn't into Lemons. They were so sour and horrible. He loved chocolates, pretty normal, he also loved stars, like I did. I was still finding it hard to talk to him about Islam. Anytime I tried bringing the topic up, he always found a way to change it. There were times that I really wondered if falling in love with him was the right thing. But deep down I really believed I could talk to him. I believed he was going to listen to me if I tried harder.

I grew closer to all of them, Grandpa July, Papa Brandon, Mama Zainab and Sophia. It's a pity I didn't get to interact will with Neill. Even though we weren't on good terms. I still prayed to Allah to forgive him. He needed it.

" Thank you" I answered as Khalid handed my bags to Anna. She was back. " Anna how are you?" I asked before she walked away. " I'm fine now, thank you ma'am" she answered and smiled at me. She was shot because of me. " I'm sorry for what happened" I apologised and she still smiled at me. " It's okay ma'am, No one wanted it to happen ma'am so it's alright, at least I'm better now Ma'am. Thank you for your concern" She responded and I nodded and hugged her. I knew she needed it.

I opened my room door with Sophia and Khalid behind me. " We went shopping before your terrible incident remember so I told the maids to arrange them in your closet" Sophia said as we walked into my closet. " I did add a few things, you know accessories, more shoes, bags" She chirped as she showed them to me. My hangers were full, each one of them. " They'll suit you" Khalid whispered into my ear and I smiled at him. " You like them?" she asked as I took a look at them again. They were all so expensive. " Yeah I guess, but aren't they too expensive?" I asked as I looked at one of the flats on the shoe rack. " that's really not a problem" she answered and smiled at me. They really weren't what I was used to but I could adjust.

" I'll go see if Lunch is ready, if you want to freshen up and get all the hospital cooties out of you, do that and come downstairs" Sophia said as she pinched my cheeks as she walked out of the room. I was left alone with Khalid. " I'm glad you're back " he began as he walked closer to me, holding a bag. " I am too" I answered as I watched him take out a book. " I got you this before you had the accident, I was planning on giving this to you that night, but here, you can have it now" he said as he handed me a medium sized flower printed diary with a modern lock. " The Password's 'My voice' " he added as I looked at it. This was my very first gift from someone. I was really grateful. " Thank you" I said as I opened it smiling. " I got it for you that time to you know, express your feelings and thoughts, since you couldn't speak then, I'm guessing it won't be that much of a help now"

" It is, I really need one of these, thank you" I said and watched him laugh. " Good, so I'll go downstairs and let you freshen up okay, I'll see you " He said as he turned to leave. He turned back again and gave me a small kiss on my forehead before smiling like a two year old and leaving. He was in love with me.

I quickly freshened up and prayed my Salatul Zuhr and made my Zikr. I was at peace as I did that. I always felt closer to Allah when I made my Salah. I finished up and went downstairs after wearing a hijab that reached my waist with a new white flay skirt of mine. There was no one in the living room or at the dining room. I walked further and found a door slightly opened. Maybe they were there. I walked to the door and peeped in before opening it and I found GrandPa Julius on his seat doing some work. " Hey, come in, close the door behind you" He called as I walked into the office. It was a study actually. " Good Day GrandPa Julius" I greeted as I walked in and sat on the chair in front of him. " It really is a pleasant day Faryah, you're doing okay right?" He asked and I nodded. " You are a cheerful lady, just like Musa" He said with a big smile. " I am?, I thought I was boring?" I Jokingly asked as I batted my eyes. I watched him smile and laugh a little. " You know, the first time I saw you in Indonesia, in the hospital with Musa, you know how you took care of him, I really felt pleased and I prayed you were the one that was going to marry my Grandson" He began as he kept the files he was working on. " And luckily, it happened" I answered brightly.

" Indeed, even though Khalid really by blood isn't my grandson, I still see him as mine, the boy went through a lot in Turkey with his mother. When I saw you, I felt like you were going to make him feel complete, because even though he acts all happy and all, there's this emptiness in Khalid that I feel you can help fill" that was a huge confession. I didn't know what to answer him with. I swallowed my saliva before I could speak up. " You have this aura that I like, and I know the both of you can work, you can build a family" He stopped as he looked at me. " But like I told Khalid, don't force yourself into this, if it isn't what you want..." my mouth couldn't keep shut as I cut him. " It is what I want" I blurted out and watched him smile.

" Khalid feels the same way too, I see the look in his eyes, but you two should take it slowly, don't be in a haste to do anything, explore your feelings and let your heart decide" He said again. Old people always knew how to give advice. I couldn't wait to be old.

" The others are outside, beside the pool, we're having lunch outside today" GrandPa Julius as he got up from his seat and I followed suit. " Thank you GrandPa Julius" I thanked as we walked out of the office together. " Call me GrandPa, no need for the long name" he replied and I smiled. " Thank you" I said as we headed towards the back of the house and into the garden.

The smiles on their faces were so genuine and fresh as they all arranged the table. Papa Brandon and Mama Zainab were handling the grill. They were still very much obviously in love. Khalid and Sophia were setting the table that was in the middle of the garden, teasing each other. " I wouldn't trade this family for all the millions in the world" GrandPa said as he stood beside me, staring at them with a big smile. " Let's go join them" I said and we walked further in and got separated.

" Faryah, come try these grapes, they're good" Khalid said as he nudged for me to open my mouth. I was so used to him feeding me already. I chewed on the grapes as he fed two to me. " Mmmm, they're good" I answered and smiled at him as I watched him stuff more into his mouth. A grape hit him on the neck from Sophia's direction. " Yeah, we've not even started eating and you're already exhausting the grapes" She scolded as she threw another one at him. They were wasting food. " Sophia stop that, you're wasting food" I called as I bent down to pick the grapes from the grass. " Many poor children out there would die to have just one of these" I scolded as I got up from the grass with the two grapes in my hand. I looked for where to wash them and came back to Sophia and Khalid. " Open up" it was my turn to feed him. He responded almost immediately as we both smiled widely and I felt a flash come from beside us. I didn't even realise that Sophia was with a camera. We both blushed as I looked at Sophia as I saw another flash.

" Take more" Khalid said as I was pulled into a hug from the back and a hold on my belly. I felt awkward at first but I felt comfortable. He was my husband after all. I smiled to the camera as she took some more.

" You guys are officially my couple crush after me and Ethan, you guys are so cute" Sophia chirped, making me blush as we set the table well. " Can we see?" Mama Zainab and Papa Brandon asked as they walked to Sophia. I blushed at their facial expressions as they looked at the camera. " Aren't you tired of blushing, I mean it's okay for me to watch you blush all day, but don't your cheeks hurt?" I heard Khalid say from beside me. When was he really going to profess what he truly felt for me. I was tired of waiting, I wanted to say it out loud.

We ate in perfect harmony and peace as we shared stories. They were all smiles through out the lunch. " You want to go somewhere?" Khalid whispered to me as we were done eating. " Where?" I asked as I drank my water. The meal was so yummy. " Somewhere serene" he added and gave me a perfect smile. " Sure " I answered.

" Guys, I want to show Faryah a little bit around LA, we'll be back" Khalid said as he got up. " Hey wait, I haven't eaten my dessert yet" I whined as I saw the perfect chocolate cake on the table. " I'll get you some on the way, let's go" he called again but I wasn't just going to leave this cake behind. " No" I whined again and heard the others snicker. " Fine" He said as he took a small cake knife and cut a large piece of the cake as he placed it on a small plate for me. He handed it to me and I smiled like a baby. " We can go now, we'll see you guys later" I said as I got up taking a fork from my seat and walked behind Khalid. " I'll go get my phone and bag from my room, I'll leave this with you" I said as I handed the slice of chocolate cake to him.

I took my phone that was on my bedside drawer and took one of the new side bags I could find and put my purse and phone in it. I was ready. My dark blue shirt was underneath my pink hijab. I found a pair of black sneakers and I decided to put them on. I looked good. I hurriedly got out of my room and rushed downstairs to find Khalid stuffing his mouth with my chocolate cake. He was hurriedly eating to avoid me catching him but there, I caught him red handed.

" Khalid, you didn't want to wait for some dessert" I scolded and heard the fork fall to the ground. He was frightened. " The cake kept on telling me to eat it" He answered as I collected my plate from him. " Are you serious?" I asked and rolled my eyes at him. " Sorry, It looked so good, I just couldn't resist, I'm sorry" He apologised and I smiled at him. " Well I'm ready, let's go" I said as I picked up the fork and he nodded. I followed behind him like a lapdog as we got into his white car. The one that had his name on the plate number.

He drove out of the mansion as I continued eating my cake. " You sure you don't want to share some of that with me?" Khalid asked with his eyes still stuck on the road. " Well you ate a quarter of it. Isn't that enough for you?" I asked as I put a forkful in my mouth as I savoured the nice taste of the cake. " Pretty please, you're not the only one that loves chocolate, come on" He pleaded and I rolled my eyes. " Fine, open up" I said as I cut a tiny piece of chocolate and nudged for him to open up again. " Are you seriously giving me that?" He asked as he took a closer look at the piece of cake on my fork before setting his eyes back on the free road. " You better appreciate it" I answered as I nudged for him to open up and he did. " Thank you" he answered and continued driving down the free road. It was surrounded by lots of tall trees. Nature was beautiful.

He finally parked inside an opening surrounded by trees. Not much people were around. Just a few. " Come down" Khalid said as he opened my door. I was still licking the chocolate off from my plate and I stopped as he opened the door. He was watching me. " You seriously don't have to do that" he said as he watched me use my fingers to lick the chocolate off the plate. " Eh I'm fine" I answered as I found a place to drop the plate and finally got down from the car.

" You'll love where I'm taking you to" he said as we walked side by side through the bushes. We were walking further into the bushes. " Where's this place?" I asked again. " My hideout, I feel at peace whenever I come here, whenever I have troubles, I come here" He answered as we continued walking. It looked like a peaceful area, somewhere I would love to be.

We finally stopped in front of a small stream. There were Daisies, Lilies, Roses of different colours, Tulips all around. It was so beautiful and majestic. The rays of the sun made everything look so perfect. The area was quite lonely and perfect for a picnic. It was so beautiful. " It's so beautiful" I remarked as I kept my mouth wide open and looked round. "I know right" I heard him say as I continued looking around. " You obviously find peace here, it is so amazing" I said again as I turned to look at him and I found him seating on the bare grass beside the stream, watching me. " Your presence makes it more amazing" He said as he looked at me intently and I walked over to sit beside him.

" How did you find this place?" I asked as I sat beside him. " Well, I was still a teenager back then, I dodged Geography class and always wondered around the city with my friends, we found this area but I went further and found this beauty" he said as we admired the place. I watched as he picked up a red rose from the bushes and smelt it. " I don't smell anything, anytime I come here, I always sniff these roses and get nothing, what do you ladies smell from these?" He asked as he looked at me. " Well No one has actually offered me a rose to smell" I answered as I turned to look at the view.

I suddenly heard him get up from where he sat and walked over to the bushes to pick some more roses. He came back and sat beside me as he offered the roses to me. Pink, Purple and White. " Thank you" I said and smiled at him. He was still looking intently at me. " I love you Faryah" I felt the world stop as he said those words out loud. Was he really serious?, after all the trouble I brought upon his family, he still loved me. " I've never been more sure about anything Faryah, there's this feeling inside me that makes me happy and content whenever I am with you, you know the first day I saw you, I admired your beauty and I didn't think I was ever going to fall in love with you, but here I am, professing what I undoubtedly feel towards you, I love you so much" I didn't even realise that I was crying.

I have never felt this immense feeling in my heart towards someone that wasn't part of my family. " I love you too" I answered and watched him smile. "You do?" he was happy. Very happy. " I do" I answered and laughed at myself a little. " oh my God" He called as he hugged me tight. He was laughing, out of joy I guess. " Are you ready to build a family with me?" He asked as he let go of me. I nodded almost instantly. I couldn't believe I was going to have my own family to come home from work to. A family to take care of, a family to always love and cherish. My family. " Thank you so much" He said again as he hugged me tighter. He finally let go and pulled me in his arms. " I'm never letting go of you" he whispered into my ear as we admired the lake. " I'm not planning on letting go either" I answered. I couldn't feel more at peace at this moment. All the problems I had to solve escaped my mind. " I want seven children" I said as i sat in his arms. " Isn't that too much?"

" You can never have too much children" I answered. " Sure" he answered and I smiled widely.

It was almost Asr time and I convinced Khalid to let us go home. We got home a few minutes to Asr and Sophia was the only one at home. I made my Salah, made my Azkar, recited the Holy Qur'an and went down stairs to meet my husband. Pamela was still finding it hard to move on but I believed she could handle it.

" Hey, wifey" Khalid called as he let his hand out for me to collect and I watched as Sophia looked closer at us. " So what do you call him now, hubby?" She teased as I sat beside Khalid on the couch. " No, Habibi" I replied and watched as Sophia gave me a questioning look. She didn't know the meaning. " It's Arabic for My beloved" Khalid answered and I watched Sophia form an Ohhh with her lips. " How did you know that?" I asked him. " Well, long story, it's what my mom used to call my father back in Turkey" He answered and I watched his smile slowly fade away. The room became tense.

" where is Ethan?" Khalid asked Sophia, breaking the silence. " He went to San Francisco, to see his parents" Sophia answered as she concentrated on the movie she was watching. " oh" he said as Anna walked into the living room.

"Ma'am, Sir, there's a man outside, he said he wants to talk you and the Madam" Anna said as she walked in. Yay! . A visitor. " Who is it?" Khalid asked as he slowly let go of me. " It's me Son" we heard a manly voice as he walked into the living room.

I took a closer look at him from the shoes, he was wearing snickers, jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I looked at his face and all the pain I felt that night came rushing back to me, the pain and anger all rushed in.

I thought no one could survive that kind of explosion.