Mariam returned to the palace with Saadiya and Parvina from their shopping trip which had taken most of the day. Her father had allowed her out of the palace in the company of Saadiya, Parvina, and a few guards to go shopping in Riyadh, that was what she had requested for her birthday, the little freedom that was given and her father had granted. She collapsed exhausted on the bed after ripping the abaaya from her body, the weather was hot and she imagined herself submerged under the cool waters of the pool of Al Lith.
Sometimes she hated being royalty because it limited her, there were things she couldn't do and places she couldn't go, and places she was allowed to go, she didn't go alone. Saadiya and Parvina were her only true friends and she wondered how things would be between them after she had gotten married. Did married women keep friends? If they did, would they even have the time to maintain contact?
"Saadiya? We would still be friends, right? And Parvina?" She asked.
"Yes of course, what made you ask?"
She sat up. "I'm getting married soon, we would have time for each other won't we?"
"We will all get married Mariam, my father even mentioned it to me just recently. Surely we will make out time." Saadiya replied.
"Oh, I don't know about Saadiya." Parvina plopped down on the floor. "But I'll visit you every day! To see you."
"Or to see Omar?" Saadiya teased. Parvina laughed.
"If he wants a second wife, I'm here for you Mariam."
"Parvina!" Mariam shrieked
"What? I also need to get married and we would be able to remain friends forever." She laughed hard and held her stomach. Saadiya slapped her lightly in the head and all three girls laughed.
"But Mariam," Saadiya spoke. "You are happy, aren't you? About the marriage."
Mariam sighed and smiled. "I am."
"Even with the fact that he has someone else in his heart? You still are?"
"I am." She nodded.
"Mariam honestly..."
"Do you think I am greedy Saadiya?"
"Greedy why?" She came to sit closer to Mariam.
"For wanting him. For feeling this way and wanting him for myself."
"You have the right to love and want love, it is not recognized as a sin."
"Isn't it coveting? Sometimes I feel like I am coming in between something, doing something I shouldn't be doing and wanting something that shouldn't be mine."
Saadiya picked up her hand and sandwiched it in both her palms. "Let the will of God be done. If you will be with him then you will, if it wasn't meant to be then you won't."
"Should I?"
"Enough Mariam." This time it was Parvina who interrupted. "Enough of the self-pity and all that. You want to ruin your mood?"
Mariam chuckled. "No."
"Then stop and cheer up!"
"Yes ma'am." They laughed.
They remained in the room, going through and sorting out the things they had gotten and trying them out until a messenger came knocking on the door. The king was hosting a guest and her presence was required. Omar had arrived.
She was so thrilled that she couldn't hide her excitement. It was her birthday and she had been showered with lots of gifts by her father, friends, and well-wishers but the man she was set to be getting married to in two days, her husband to be hadn't sent anything, not so much as a word. So when the message had arrived that he was here and that her presence was required, she almost ran out of the room without wearing her abaaya until Parvina yelled to remind her.
"Mariam! You have to put this on first!"
"Ohh yes. Hahaha, right." She grabbed it off the hook.
"Uhhh... someone seems in a hurry..." She teased, causing Mariam's cheeks to turn bright red. She snatched the abaaya and put it on.
"Ohh stop it!" She ran for the door.
"Calm down Mariam!" She yelled. "You're putting it on all wrong, wait let me help you."
Mariam took it off and allowed Parvina to help her. She tapped her feet impatiently, allowing different thoughts to run through her head. Parvina took her time in helping with the abaaya, a sly smile on her face as she watched Mariam. Her friend was in love! With the exact man she had sworn never to love. Somehow it looked cute.
"Ohh Parvina I feel like you're delaying on purpose! Hurry!"
"Haha, I am delaying, I want you to calm down." She laughed. "Alright, I'm done, just..." But Mariam had already run out the door before she completed her words. Parvina smiled.
Mariam paused when she got to the door leading into the room where Omar and her father would be, she breathed in to steady herself and put on a smile like anyone would see through the thick abaaya that covered most of her face, then she nodded to the guard to open up the door.
Omar stood, laughing with the King as they shared a few talks and humor, they both turned when the door was opened and Mariam walked in, bowing first to her father in greeting and then to Omar. She tried to avoid looking at him because he wouldn't stop looking at her, it made her insides turn to jelly and she blushed.
"You called for me father?"
"Haha, not me my daughter, him." He laughed heartily.
Mariam's head shot up, she looked at Omar with a questioning look. Him? He had called for her? She wondered what for but she felt happy, did he remember her birthday? He had to, perhaps that's why he had called for her, to present to her his gift personally. She fluttered her eyes lashes and looked back down, color came to her cheeks again.
"Well, she's here now Omar, you may take her."
"Thank you, your highness." He bowed and turned to face Mariam, gesturing with his hand towards the doorway, he spoke. "Shall we, princess?" She lowered her head more and followed him out of the room.
Mariam walked beside him towards another room a little distance away from the room they had come out of, she couldn't help the happy feeling that rose from the pit of her belly and she nervously played with her nails. Omar watched her from the corner of his eyes and smirked then he led her into a room, closing the door behind them. As he turned, he saw her taking off her abaaya.
"Why are you taking it off?"
"To save you the stress of saying it, I know that's what you want me to do, or you wouldn't have brought me in here so we can be alone, right?"
"Really?" He smiled and watched the now twenty-year-old young girl.
"Well, I wouldn't have asked because I don't need you to, but now that you have, hmm..." He shrugged his shoulders.
She rose an eyebrow. "So why did you want us alone?"
"Happy birthday princess."
Mariam looked at him like he'd suddenly grown a horn in the middle of his forehead. Was he serious right now?
"You brought me in here," she gestured with her hands around the room, "so you could wish me a happy birthday?"
He shrugged his shoulders again. "So? I don't see what's wrong."
"You don't? Is your wish so special that other ears shouldn't hear it or do you have a request....?"
"Is that pride I sense? Just oozing out of you."
"What? Ok, now you...."
Omar watched the girl talk, watched her lips move and her hands move so gracefully in motion with her body, explaining each of her words as they rolled out of her mouth. She reminded him of Megan, the way she would talk like she was never wrong, the way she would talk when she was teasing him, with one hand on her waist and the other moving every which way and her eyes rolling around and sometimes settling on him with a 'do you understand what I'm trying to say to you' kinda look.
Anger welled up inside of him when he remembered her leaving the house with Samir yesterday and she had wanted to leave without his knowledge, it pained him and without thinking, he took three strides towards her. Mariam paused at his sudden closeness and looked up at his face, his expression feared her and she took a step back but Omar was quick. He reached behind and seized her by the waist, grabbing her chin with the other hand, he kissed her ferociously.
Mariam's eyes widened in shock, her body went stiff, her hands remained by her side and for a brief moment, she didn't respond to the kiss. They shouldn't be doing this and she should push him away immediately but she didn't, it felt so right, it felt so good so she kissed back closing her eyes and melting into the kiss. She arched her back so that her chest pressed into his and slowly brought her hand to his chest to hold on to his shirt and pull herself closer to him.
Omar felt the contact of her palm on his chest and stopped abruptly, breaking off the kiss with a hiss. He squeezed her chin a little too hard forcing her eyes open, she looked at him, confusion and pain in her eyes. He locked eyes with her, the anger burnt evidently in them. Mariam trembled under his fierce gaze.
"I will never love you." He pushed her face away and stormed out, leaving her hurt.
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