Conveniently His Princess

He cradled her face in his hands, made her look at him. “B’Ellahi, ya hayati, if I ever needed your unconditional belief, it’s now. My life depends on it, ya habibati. I beg you. Tell me you believe me.”

Her reddened eyes wavered, then squeezed in consent.

Relief was so brutal his vision dimmed. He tightened his grip on her, reiterating his love.

Then she was pushing away, and alarm crashed back.

Her lips quivered on a smile as she squirmed out of his arms. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”

He clung to her. “I’m coming with you.”

“It’s not that kind of bathroom visit.”

“Then call me as soon as it is. There’s these new incense and bath salts that I want to try, and a new massage oil.”

Her eyes gentled, though they didn’t heat as always, as she took another step away. “I’ll just take a quick shower.”

“Then I’ll join you in that. I’ll…”

Suddenly the bell rang. And rang.

Since they’d sent the servants away for the night as usual, so they’d have the house and grounds all to themselves, there was no one to answer the door. A door no one ever came to, anyway. So who could this be?

Cursing under his breath as Kanza slipped away, he ran to the door, prepared to blast whoever it was off the face of the earth.

He wrenched the door open, and frustration evaporated in a blast of anxiety when he found Shaheen on his doorstep half carrying an ashen-faced Johara.

He rushed them inside. “God, come in.”

Shaheen lowered Johara onto the couch, remained bent over her as Aram came down beside her, each massaging a hand.

“What’s wrong? Is she going into labor?”

“No, she’s just worried sick,” Shaheen said, looking almost sick himself.

Johara clung feebly to the shirt he hadn’t buttoned up. “I talked with Kanza earlier, and I think I put my foot in it when I told her how we proposed her to you.”

“You think?”

At his exclamation, Shaheen glared at him, an urgent head toss saying he wanted a word away from Johara.

Gritting his teeth, he kissed Johara’s hot cheek. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. It was nothing serious,” he lied. “She just skewered me for never mentioning it, and that was it. Now rest, please. Do you need me to get you anything?”

She shook her head, clung to him as he started to rise. “Is it really okay? She’s okay?”

He nodded, caressed her head then moved away when she closed her eyes on a sigh of relief.

He joined Shaheen out of her earshot. “God, Shaheen, you shouldn’t be letting her around people nowadays. She unwittingly had Kanza on the verge of a breakdown.”

Shaheen squeezed his eyes. “Ya Ullah… I’m sorry, Aram. Her pregnancy is taking a harder toll on her this time, and I’m scared witless. Her pressure is all over the place and she loses focus so easily. She said she was celebrating how well everything has turned out for you two and only remembered when she came home that Kanza didn’t know how things started.” He winced. “Then she kept working herself up, recalling how subdued Kanza became during the conversation, the amount of questions she’d asked her, and she became convinced she’d made a terrible mistake.”

“She did. God, Shaheen, Kanza kept putting two and two together and getting fives and tens and hundreds. But right before you came she’d calmed down at last.”

Hope surged in his friend’s eyes. “Then everything is going to be fine?”

He thought her spiraling doubts had been arrested, but he was still rattled.

He just nodded to end this conversation. He needed to get back to Kanza, close that door where he’d gotten a glimpse of hell once and for all.