"The Jealousy Club (TJC) #1- Archenemies"

sits in her class thinking about how in less than two years she will be out of this place. She isn't sure if she will miss this place but in her heart, she knows she will.

Her second last year in management degree.

She sighs.

She looks over at her friend who seems busy taking notes while she thinks about her life after this. There is so much to her life than just passing a degree and doing a job.

She is stuck in a bond.

She doesn't really want to think about it because it brings back memories she locked deep within her.

"Today we have a newly transferred student, please welcome him". She heard her teacher voice in the back

She didn't care about who decided to join them seemingly uninterested until her friend nudges her making her glared at her but she gestures towards the front of the class and her eyes travel towards the boy standing in front of the class.

What is he doing here?.

Her eyes widen as she looks at him but then before he can trace her emotions she looks at him bored. She can see he is looking for someone until his eyes meet her eyes.

He smirks.

She can see the trouble around her because as he takes steps towards her the whispering around grow louder but quieter because she only focuses on him.

"Will you take another seat?". He asked the person who sits beside her

She keeps looking at him as she sits beside her, "Stop staring".

She shakes her head passing one confuse glance at her friend then going back to look at her book with her mind filled with even more thoughts.

*****

"What is Laith doing here?". Her friend- Sara asked

She shrugs, "I don't know".

"Well, there is something wrong". Sara said

"What do you mean?". She asked taking things out of her locker

"The way he was looking at you seems like he is here for some reasons". Sara explained

Even she noticed that.

"Yeah. Best is I stay far away from him". She mutters sighing

"If he is this close to you how can you possibly stay away from him?". Sara asked

"I don't care. I don't want to deal with this. You know how much I have on my plate". She said softly

Sara side hugs her, "I know. I am sorry I am just worried that's all. Don't worry I am sure he can't do anything".

"I hope so". She said walking to her next class

******

She walks outside of her school biding bye to Sara. She holds her Jacket tighter to herself because being in a foreign country with extremely cold temperatures seems to be bad.

She can barely handle cold.

She starts to walk down the streets enjoying the lighting on the various house.

It's the time of the year.

Where she can enjoy the lights and smile of people around her. One occasion simply changes everyone mood.

Perhaps not all but some.

She always volunteered to help the poor enjoy their occasion.

She enters inside her silent house looking at the darkness. She turns the light on cleaning the house for about an hour or two. She opens the door to her mother room to find her sleeping peacefully.

Her heart clench.

She wishes nothing more than for her to be happy which seems to vanish years ago from her face.

How can loving someone do this to you?. She thoughts

She walks outside of her room kissing her forehead one last time. She starts to do her assignment for about hours when she heard the bell ringing.

She frowns.

There is no one who visits them and Sara is busy with her work so there is no way she is here. She walks towards the door opening it to reveal the people she doesn't want to look at.

"What are you doing here?". She asked

"Is this manner your mother give you?". His mother said angrily, "No doubt though".

"Don't talk about my mother like that when you are standing in our house". She said

His mother pushes her away entering inside her house. She watches him taking steps inside with his mother.

Uninvited.

"Where is your mother?". His mother asked rudely

"She is not well". She said shortly

"Don't you have the basic manner of asking your guest for water?". His mother said annoyed

"You are not my guests". She said not wanting to deal with them

"You are same as your mother". His mother said looking around the house

"I said not to speak about her like that". She said angrily

"Short-tempered, arrogant, ignorant, mannerless and most of all a witch who lure innocent boys". His mother stated

She closes her eyes taking a deep breath, "Leave my house right now".

"I will leave this house when you leave my son". His mother yelled

She heard the door opening and her heart stopped when she sees her mother stepping down. To find a strong beautiful woman who was her role model into a petite, dull and weak woman is always heartbreaking.

"What is it, sweetheart?". Her mother soft voice said

She watches her stumble on the stairs and immediately hold her hand steadying her.

"Mom, you shouldn't have come out". She said hurriedly

"Who is here, baby?". Her mother asked brushing her hair away from her forehead

"I am here". She heard his mother said

She watches the colour further leaving her mother face as she turns to them.

"You?". Her mother asked, "I think you already have everything you wanted. Why are you here now?".

"You took my son from me. I am here to take him back". His mother yelled angrily stepping towards his mother

But she covers his mother protectively.

"Don't". She said stern

"Or what?. You should have taught her some manners just look at her. She is nothing what I want in my son's bride". His mother said, "Manner less like you, sharp tongue like you, glaring like you and trapping men like you".

She watches her mother slapping his mother hard.

"Don't speak about my daughter that way". Her mother said angrily, "Leave my house".

"I will have my son divorce your daughter soon. Just wait and see". His mother promised

"I cannot believe the last thing he asked from me was to sacrifice you". Her mother cried in her arms, "I am so sorry, baby".

"It's not your fault". She said patting her back

"It's my fault I have you married her son when I knew it will only ruin you". Her mother said crying harder

Yes, she is married to Laith.

"It's not your fault you loved the wrong man". She said softly

******

The next day she walks inside her university exhausted from the night thinking and watching his mother changing.

She is building herself back.

She said she hates how one man seems to turn her life around and cries apologising for neglecting her for so long.

She sighs.

"If it isn't the person I don't want to see". Latih said smirking

She sighs again, "What do you want?".

He shrugged, "I don't want anything".

"Then leave". She said walking to her class but he follows beside her

"Where the fun in that?". He asked smirking, "Your fire seems to die down today".

"You-". She started when she heard her senior Alexander calling her name

She turns around looking at him as he steps near her.

"What's your score in your subject?". He asked in French

"They are pretty good. Why?". She asked back in fluent french

Living all her life here taught her the language pretty well.

He stands there watching them talk in their language comfortably making him uncomfortable for some reasons.

"Good! Please meet me then". He said finally as their words turn to the normal language he can understand

"So, you have no shame in discussing your date in front of your husband?". He said as he sees Alexander leaving drilling a hole in the back of his head

"Are you even my husband?. I don't think so". She said shrugging

"You seem to be too comfortable with the divorce process. Then again you shouldn't be worried because it is pretty easy for the woman who lives abroad". He said

"What do you mean by that?". She said angrily

"Everyone knows the woman who is in foreign countries how they are". He said

She steps closer to him too close that he can see the anger in her beautiful brown eyes, "You seem to know a lot about a foreign woman. I wonder how maybe you idealized them that you know so much. I can say much more mean words especially after everything about the men who stay back in their land but do you see me being judgemental".

He was about to speak when she close the small gap in between them and now her scent seems to close all his senses.

"Maybe for once you should try looking from your own eyes instead of your family". She said walking away leaving his heart to skip several beats

*****

He sits in his apartment they rented just for this trip. He looks around to find nothing that seems to interest him.

The only reason he is here is her.

He looks at his mother who seems to be gossiping and telling everyone especially him about ill-mannered she is.

He sighs.

"Maybe for once you should try looking from your own eyes instead of your family"

The words seem to be imprinted in his brain and no matter what he cannot get them out.

He has no one back home to speak to so he decided to call his one true friend instead.

Ali.

"What is it?". Ali asked

He explained everything and her words which seems to be following him around.

"So, it's not that hard to understand. Maybe you should give this marriage a chance. Doing Nikkah is not a joke and you can work on it. What's so hard by throwing all your conception about her and her family away and focusing on her alone?". Ali asked

"But Ammi (mother)-". He started

"It's either your mother or her. It's clear every time you do something there will be a choosing in between them. Trust me this time trying doing something on your own". Ali pauses, "And if you actually start doing something don't think about leaving halfway breaking hearts".

******

He follows behind her to the university library watching her sitting with her senior. He looks at the distance she places between them and Alexander seems to not mind it either.

She starts explaining the topic one by one to him.

For hours, he stays sitting looking at her without any thoughts but how she sometime scrunches her nose when Alexander doesn't understand her words but still she patiently teaches him.

"Thanks, Zaina, you saved me". Alexander said smiling

She nodded.

Alexander walks away and she still sits there looking at the book in front of her.

He can feel the exhaustion on her face and soon she lay her head down on the table. He sits there waiting for some time but then she sees some of his classmates pointing at her coming near her.

In a swift motion, he sits beside her placing his bag on the other seat glaring at his classmates who walks away quickly.

He sighs.

He looks at her sleeping peacefully and his heart compelled him to not look away from her. He places his hand on the table putting his head on it as he keeps looking at her.

What seems like hours she opens her eyes blinking a few times then she looks directly in his eyes.

He can see something....pain?.

She shakes her head walking away and he follows behind her. Their classes are over so he follows her as she smiles looking around the lights enjoying the walk herself.

The smile looks so precious.

She enters inside her door still him following her inside. She didn't say anything instead start her daily routine.

After she cleaned the house, she starts to work on her university assignments again.

He keeps looking at her and now that his mind is clear he can see through her innocence. She doesn't look like someone she was told about.

Sly and cunning woman.

She heard her phone ringing but didn't answer because she is writing a very important point until she heard her father voice booming through the small house.

"How can you do this?". Her father yelled angrily

She looks at Laith who answered her call putting it on speaker.

"What-". She started

"How can you behave like that with my sister-in-law?. Did you really learn no manners?. Do you have to insult me by showing that attitude?. Do you even know how insulted I feel when they said my daughter is no better and that she will never build her own house?. They went there to give you one chance and this is what you did. I am so disappointed in you". Her father said without even waiting for her to speak

She gulped her tears not wanting to show both the men that the words cut through her innocent heart.

That each word affects her in so many ways. That when she worked so hard to build herself without a male presence around her is crumbling.

Laith sees it.

He sees how her head remained high but the pain in those eyes is just too visible.

"I cannot believe you would do this to me". Her father said cutting the call as the silence fill the house once again

She heard the front door opening she immediately pushes Laith into her room closing the door.

She looks at her mother grimly walking inside and she knows she is going to break any moment.

"Mother". She said softly taking steps near her

"H-He called me". Her mother said as her voice crack," H-He said all these words to me. He said he is humiliated because of the way I brought you and that you show all the same attitude as me. H-He said-"

Her mother breaks.

She falls on the ground crying once again and Zaina wraps her arms around her trying to gather her.

"Was our love that weak, Zaina?. How can he do this to me?. After years he calls just to say all this and not even ask if I am well?. He didn't even say he missed me all this time. He just accused me of things I never did just like before. Why?. Why is he doing this to me?. Why is he hurting me?". Her mother cried, "Was it my fault?".

She held her mother tighter not allowing herself to cry, "No, it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault".

He heard all of it.

He wasn't sure about the history between the families. All he remembers one day his Chachu (father's brother) came back home with a broken heart and soon asking him to marry his only daughter.

After that, all he heard was how cunning (her mother) this woman who is crying outside like a person in love was and how she betrayed Chachu (father's brother).

He stays sitting on her bed until he heard the door opening and she rushes in closing the door and leaning on it.

Then, she cries.

She falls down bringing her knees to her chest weeping silently as if she is scared that her mother might break further if he heard her.

For a long time, he stays in his place not sure of what to do. Not sure of what the truth really is.

He just stayed.

Until he heard the soft snores telling him that she finally went to sleep.

He holds her in his arms placing her on her bed wiping the tears that were still on her cheeks.

"I don't know what went wrong but I think it's about time we find the truth". He whispers, "Wait for me until then".

*******

The whole week she didn't find him anywhere until she came to know he went back home.

Her heartbreaks.

She walks back home tired of the day and the stressed that she is in. Her body feels weak.

"Beta (daughter)". She heard the voice she never thought she will hear

"Baba (father)". She said looking at him standing in front of her

Just as she said the words the world shut down on her and she faints.