- Recap -

"Does your breathing get heavy when I touch you?" He held her hand, "and when I stand this close?" He took two steps, creating less of a proximity, "and when I meet your eyes like this?"

He looked into her eyes and she was met with a different emotion. He was content, he was fearless, but he was also confused.

Her heart started racing and she didn't know how to respond. But, she didn't need to because he confessed,

"Because my breathing does and you're the first person to have this effect on me. You created this effect."

Anisa was speechless. He really did just do that and confess. She gulped before responding and looked down at his hands.

"I do as well and it's also been bothering me."

She looked up to meet him in the eyes again. They were both lost. None of them knew what falling in love was like. They hadn't experienced it before, nor did they believe in it.

"When you're in pain, I wish it's me that's in pain," she said, "When you risk your life to save me, I want to save you."

Her tone held such honesty that took Tahir away in awe. He always thought he was the one being delusional. But, it turns out, Anisa felt the same.

"But then reality strikes me and I know that what's between us, isn't permissible. The very fact I'm holding you like this makes me happy, but we both know we're overstepping boundaries," she explained.

Tahir nodded as he tilted his head down to look at their hand. He slowly released them and said, "It's why it's so hard. It's gotten harder for me to control myself. And I went crazy after you said you lost your trust in me. I wanted it back. But, most importantly, I felt I needed it in order to breathe. You realize what I'm saying, right?"

Anisa took a deep breath. She nodded and told him, "I just wish there was another way."

There was a knock on the door and Reem rushed to get it. She found Anisa at the door in a terrible state. She held a poker face and wasn't phased by Reem's gestures. Normally, she'd thank her in this situation, but she didn't.

"Is everything alright? Where's your bodyguard?" Reem asked, taking a hold of her hands and assisting her in walking.

Anisa didn't respond. She went straight to the couch in the living room and Reem helped her take her heels off.

After placing them down to the corner of the room, Reem took a spot just beside her and looked at Anisa.

She finally said, "Reem..."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever gotten yourself into something knowing the outcome? Or did you reject it and move on?"

Reem was confused as to what she was talking about but she knew better than to answer her with a question.

"No one ever knows the outcome of anything because you're surrounded by an ever-changing world. You think you know the answer, but then it always changes," she explained, "So the answer to your question is, I've always moved on and accepted whatever came my way. It never mattered the outcome."

"What about Yasin?" Anisa asked, "Do you both realize the reality you'll have to face?"

Reem sighed, "I'm aware that I'm never going to be accepted by his parents. I'm just a maid at the end of the day and there are already tons of other girls waiting to get married to him. But, I don't have parents to get acceptance from and I listened to my heart. I believe that one day, the outcome of our relationship will lead to something better, something permissable."

Anisa turned to look at Reem. She too had teared up a bit so she wrapped her arms around her, comforting her in a hug.

"I'll always help you two, you can trust that," Anisa told Reem.

"Thank you. But, I want to know what happened with you." Reem pulled apart from Anisa to see that her in deep thought.

"I grew feelings for someone for the first time. Here, I thought it'd be impossible. But, I'm afraid. I know it's not allowed, but he's different and it's so hard to face reality," she finally explained.

Reem still couldn't tell who she was talking about, so she had to ask, "Who is it?"

Anisa looked at her and answered, "Tahir, my bodyguard."

Reem's eyes widened. Out of all people, she wasn't expecting it to be him.

"Where is he now?"

Anisa sniffled from all the crying she had been doing and Reem stood up to grab tissues for her that were on the table in the corner.

"He said he wanted to sort his mind out so he went for a drive," she replied.

"Oh dear. I'm guessing your confessions didn't go well," Reem sat back down.

Suddenly they heard the doorbell ring and Reem got back up to see who it was. After looking through the glass, she recognized that it was a bodyguard from the palace. She opened it and he introduced himself to her.

"I'm Agent Saif, here to take Agent Tahir's place for a few hours. He wanted me to look over the princess until he got back."

"Oh, of course," Reem nodded

He followed her to the living room where he saw Anisa wiping her tears. A lot of reasons were playing in Saif's mind about the possible reason for her tears.

It could be that she found out Tahir knew something and she didn't, or Tahir blew his cover and told her the real reason he's here. Either way, he knew that one factor remained constant — Tahir.

"You guys must be hungry, I'll go prepare some food," Reem excused herself, leaving Saif and Anisa in the living room.

The silence was awkward and Saif tried to hold himself together. He hated being in an awkward situation.

Just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, Anisa grew the courage to ask him, "How long have you known Tahir?"

Ha paused for a few seconds before replying, "Ten years, your majesty."

"Don't call me that. Anisa is fine," she told him and received a nod in response.

"In those ten years, has he opened up to you about his family?" She asked.

"Of course. I'm considered his brother,"

"Than what am I if he told me about everything?"

Saif froze at her question.

"He told you about his family?"

Anisa nodded, "Mr. Amin, his father. Waliyah, his sister. And his mother, I only know, is ill."

Saif couldn't believe it. Only certain people knew of Tahir's family and his past. What was he thinking, revealing this information to someone who's needed for the mission, not in the mission?

"But, I wanted to ask you about his mother," she said, "If she's still alive, where can I find her?"

Saif stuttered and was only able to tell her, "I would ask this question to Tahir himself."

Anisa stood up and properly faced him. She stood a couple of feet across from him and explained, "This is a serious matter that I want to discuss with her. I just have one question. If you're willing to make my life easier, please...tell me where she is."

Sighing, Saif couldn't decide. Her persuasion abilities were strong. Something Mr. Amin had taught him back in the day. But there were too many grey areas for him. He didn't have any details.

"How should I trust you with her location?" He finally asked.

"If you want, you can take me there and see for your own eyes. I just want to meet her and ask a question. I'm no harm to anyone," she reassured him.

He did some thinking and out of everything Tahir explained to him about her, not once was there stories of Anisa being a threat.

"You might not be a threat, but do you have any idea what Tahir will do if he knows?"

Anisa shook her head. She didn't know how he'd react. But she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. She was only going there with good intentions.

"If Tahir finds out, I'll vouch for you. You did nothing but answer my questions. He'll understand. And I'll also take care of myself if I happen to anger him," she sighed.

It took Saif a couple seconds to comprehend what was going on. He didn't know how she got him convinced, but a part of him trusted her and she seemed desperate.

"Alright, I'll take you to her. But, you must be ready in two days. That's when Tahir has to do the monthly report evaluation among other guards at the palace."

Anisa paced back and forth from one end of the main room to the other. It had gotten late and Tahir was nowhere to be seen. She worried for him and couldn't rest until she saw that he was well.

Scenarios crossed her mind and didn't help. God forbid, he could've gotten into an accident, fought with someone, or hurt himself in any other way.

Just then, she paused after she heard a code being entered from the front door and hurried over to confirm it was him.

He walked through the door and looked firm and serious as ever. Once he saw that she hurried over to the door, he asked, "Why haven't you slept yet?".

"I couldn't sleep knowing you were still out there," she said, "I didn't feel safe."

Tahir close the door behind him to walk past her as he said, "I sent Saif here. He should guarantee enough safety."

Anisa turned to be welcomed to his muscular back, with wide shoulders. She never actually realized how intimidating he was up until this moment.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. It was obvious that he was avoiding her gaze. She got the hint and decided not to give him a hard time. So, she started walking to her room after she said,

"I'll go rest now that you're back,"

Tahir turned to grab her by her wrist. Anisa was startled by his sudden move. She met his eyes as she turned to face him and her breath hitched.

The scent of his cologne engulfed her and he was just inches away, making her face turn a crimson color.

"Don't overthink and get some rest. I'm not sleeping until I've made sure you are."

She nodded in response and slowly released her hand from his. As much as she'd like to hold it, there was something she had to do before she was able to give herself up to him.

Tahir watched her disappear up the stairs and sighed in defeat. Containing his feelings had become harder than ever.

Then, Saif appeared from the stairs and walked up to him, "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Tahir simply said.

"Oh, that's why she finally went to rest," Saif took a seat on the stool by the island. He took notice of the state Tahir was in and couldn't help but ask, "Long day?"

Tahir didn't respond. He just took a sip of his water and looked into the distance without turning to face him.

"It's not a coincidence that both you and Anisa are this way. What happened between you two?" Saif questioned.

"It's complicated," Tahir sighed

"If you think I'm stupid, I can tell that you lost control of your emotions. But, I didn't expect that you both had the same feelings for each other," Saif put his hand on his shoulder.

"She woke me up and made me realize I lost control. I know we're not allowed to do this as part of our mission. But, this wasn't something that intentionally happened," Tahir explained, finishing the water in his glass.

"That's what makes our job so hard. We have to be manipulative and we can't be consumed by the mission on a personal level. At the end of the day, we're both undercover spies who won't stay long enough. Afterall, it's just a mission..." Saif stood up and walked away, giving Tahir some space to recollect his thoughts.

A/N:

Here's another quick update guys. I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think of Tahir and Anisa's situation?

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Thank you~