preference delights

A Game Of Shadows

Meanwhile, another accomplice, expertly mimicking Salaar's handwriting, left a note for Fahad, claiming Salaar had left for an urgent meeting.

And then came the fun part.

Salaar's unconscious six-foot-something frame was stuffed into a sack, alongside a few other sacks of freshly cut grass, and loaded onto a vehicle. The guards at the exit didn't even bat an eye.
Jalil, who was exactly your height, wore one of the suits he took from your bag, put on a mask, used a fake key to unlock your car, and drove away.

By the time the army guard returned with the medicines, Zarmeena had finished tutoring his son, who now beamed with newfound confidence. Seeing his son's face glowing with hope, the guard sighed in relief.

Zarmeena took the medicines from his hand with a bright smile. "Thank you, uncle! May Allah bless your son's future!"

And just like that, she walked away, completely guilt-free, while poor Salaar remained unconscious, wrapped up like a burrito in the back of a truck.

FLASHBACK ENDS
"Jalil's father is a mechanic and owns a garage. This serves as a junkyard where vehicles that cannot be repaired are kept," Zarmeena concluded, feeling proud of herself and her gang.

"What? Zarmeena, are you out of your mind?! What you did is a crime!"

Salaar was in disbelief. He still couldn't wrap his head around her actions. He wondered where on earth she got the guts to pull off something so reckless, so absurdly out of line.

"And you didn't just put yourself in danger, but those kids too! Did you even stop for a second to think about what would happen if you got caught?" Salaar tried to knock some sense into her.

"Of course, I thought about it!" Zarmeena shot back, completely unfazed. "I figured that even if we did get caught, you'd come to save us."

Salaar blinked. "And why, exactly, are you so sure that I'd save you?" Her confidence in him was... baffling.

"Because," she pointed at him accusingly, "you said it yourself, you _______ me."

"I _______ what?" Salaar squinted at her, noticing the sudden change in her expression. Was she... blushing?

Oh. Oh. This was a once-in-a-century event.

He smirked. Zarmeena, blushing? This was too good to let go.

"You fill in the blank yourself," she muttered, looking anywhere but at him.

Salaar, enjoying every bit of her flustered state, decided to push further. "Okay... I..." He deliberately dragged out the words.

Zarmeena leaned in slightly, her heart pounding like a drum. She couldn't even hear anything over its rapid beats.

"I..."

She was all ears.

"Don't know you?" Salaar finally completed, dumping a bucket of ice-cold reality over her expectations.

Zarmeena gasped, staring at him in disbelief. "Seriously?! Sometimes I wonder... can you do anything like a normal person? First, you got me beaten up by your gang, then you got me arrested, and now, you've kidnapped me! Have you ever, just for a second, taken me seriously?"

Salaar exhaled loudly. "Oh, I took you seriously. That's exactly why I did all those 'abnormal' things," Zarmeena said without missing a beat.

Salaar narrowed his eyes. "Explain how."

Zarmeena immediately clamped her mouth shut. Uh-oh.

"I'm waiting," Salaar pressed, leaning forward despite still being tied to the old tractor's trolley. "I'm not forgiving you until you explain how you're serious about me."