Sweet Obsession (30 page)

I looked at Loula, and I saw raw pain in her eyes. Tears were streaming down her lovely face, and she was unconsciously pulling her hair. I took her in my arms and held her tight. I never wanted to let her go. I kissed her tenderly on her soft lips. I loved her so much, a bold, breathless, never-ending love. This was, by far, the greatest love story that will ever be told. She was my soul mate in every way possible. If I lost her, I would kill myself, for there was no life for me without her.

“Loula, I promise you that, no matter what, I will remain faithful to you.” I meant every word that I said to her. I pulled her closer to me as I continued professing my love. “I have never willingly betrayed you, and I never will! I promise you on this day that I will love you and only you forever until my last dying breath! All I ask in return is that you never betray me either.” I waited for her confirmation on this.

Without hesitatation, Loula said, “I have never betrayed you, and I never will. You are the love of my life and I will love you till my last dying breath. I promise this to be true, Nidal.” And she sealed it with a kiss.

At that moment, there was a hard knock on the door, and a voice said that the king was requesting my presence in the ballroom immediately. I froze, knowing exactly why the king wanted me. I did not know what to do. I was afraid not to abide by the king’s orders. He had threatened us, and even though I did not care what happened to me, I was afraid for Loula.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from Loula and looked down at my clothes. They were soiled with blood. I found some clothes in Billal’s closet. Since we wore the same size, they fit perfect on my body.

I pulled Loula into my arms and said, “I want to make an oath to you, a binding oath, the kind that will seal our love forever, Loula. I know that our souls will be together to eternity. I also know that the dreams I had all those years ago were real. We have lived in other lifetimes as lovers, and even after this lifetime, Loula, we will find each other again, I am sure of it!”

I looked into her beautiful eyes. “Loula, please, I need you to be patient. I will find a way for us to be together. I promise. Do not be bothered with what the king says tonight. I will never marry Shaeena! But we must play along until we come up with a plan,” I whispered. “I love you, and I promise I will love you until death do us part,” I told her passionately, holding her tight in my arms and unable to let her go.

Loula looked up at me, and with love shining in her eyes, she said, “I love you too, and I too promise you my love and loyalty until death do us part.” We sealed our promises with a loving kiss one more time, but somehow I felt as if it were the kiss of Judas. My heart tightened, but I pushed the feeling aside. I wanted to focus on this moment.

I was beside myself with happiness at this moment as we walked down the long staircase that led us to the main floor. Back to the ball! Back to hell! I gave her one last kiss, not caring who saw us. Then I let go of her hand, and we walked into the ballroom together. I allowed Loula to walk in front of me. Everyone was staring at us. Loula held her head up high as she gracefully walked through the guests and all the way to the other end of the ballroom, where Billal waited and took her hand in his. The knife twisted again in my gut. I could not stand the sight of him touching Loula. The bastard’s face looked broken. His clothes were stained with blood, and he probably had not changed them so he could remind Loula what I was capable of.
Sneaky bastard! I need to watch my back
.

Billal leaned close to Loula and kissed her on the cheek. One day, I was going to rip out his throat.

At that moment, my father, the king of Arabia, started his speech. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make, one that is long overdue. As you all know, Shaeena will give birth to my grandchild in a couple of weeks.”

There were cheers in the ballroom at this announcement, but there were also people confused and disappointed.

“My son, the crown prince, your future king …” The crowd cheered. The king smiled. “Prince Nidal will wed Princess Shaeena in two weeks, hopefully before the arrival of his child, and you are all invited to the wedding. It will be an event that will go down in history!”

There were loud cheers and applause, and at that moment, the king walked over to Shaeena, took her hand, and pulled her to where I stood. He placed her hand in mine and raised both our hands up in the air.

The guests went wild. They clapped, cheered, and sang our national anthem. I looked around to find Loula, and my eyes rested on hers. We both had tears in our eyes. Life was not fair, but I was the captain of my life, and I would steer my ship in the direction that I chose and not in the direction my father dictated for me. I smiled coldly at the crowd. They could cheer all they wanted, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want the crown. I wanted Loula. And I was going to have her. She was mine, and I would not give her up. I would rather die than live a life without her.

I looked at Shaeena.
What the hell is she smiling about? She knows I do not love her. She knows what my feelings for Loula are! Her baby is not mine, and she still insists to marry me. I will play her game. I will play everyone’s game until the right opportunity comes along. And then bam!

As night wore on, it was unbearable for me. I felt sick to my stomach. My father and mother, along with Shaeena, seemed oblivious to what was at stake here. No one asked me how I felt, what I wanted. No one cared. I looked over at Loula. Her head rested on Billal’s shoulders as they danced on the dance floor.

I swallowed a double shot of arak, one of many tonight. Drinking made life’s blows more bearable. I almost stumbled to the floor as I walked over to the table where the liquor was and grabbed another bottle of arak. I cradled the bottle in my arms. I knew I had too much to drink, but my heart was full of pain, and I knew not how to make it go away. Arak helped to temporarily ease my pain. I lifted the bottle to my lips and drank. I felt the sting of the liquid as it made its way down my throat, burning my insides. I kept drinking until I felt the room spinning. I leaned against the table for support.
This is going to be a long night
, I thought wearily.

My father walked up to me, and his smile faded as he whispered for my ears alone, “Son, I have been very patient with you tonight. In fact, I have tolerated too much from you, and I tell you now, Son, that, if you do not stop your childish behavior, I will punish Loula. She will have to suffer for your mistakes. And do not think for one minute that I won’t carry out my threat!” he said in a threatening tone. “Now go get Shaeena, your betrothed, and dance with her. It is your duty to bring a smile to her face. Go do the right thing, Nidal. Now!” he growled.

And so the king had spoken, and I marched to his tune. I clumsily walked over to Shaeena, took her in my arms, and danced the night away. She happily complied and settled comfortably in my arms with the biggest smile on her face. I almost felt sorry for her. I could feel her pain. She loved me, and I did not return her affections. She must be in a lot of pain herself. I pulled her closer. I was not in love with her, but I did not want her to suffer. I did not want anyone to agonize, especially on my account. Her huge stomach prevented us from getting too close, but she still tried to push as close to me as possible. I closed my eyes and pretended it was Loula I held. I was so drunk that it almost seemed real that it was her in my arms and not Shaeena.

I caressed her back lightly, loving the feeling of her skin. She snuggled closer to me, and my lips kissed her neck. She smelled different. I quickly opened my eyes surprised at who I held in my arms. I searched around the room and could not find Loula anywhere. I gently pushed Shaeena away from me and stumbled over to the table to grab another drink. I drank a river and got very drunk. The king ordered his men to take me to my chambers before I made a fool of myself again. Shaeena followed behind us. A smile was on her face. My vision blurred, and then I passed out.

Next thing I knew, I was thrown in bed. Not on the floor, on my blankets, but on the bed. I heard the men’s laughter as they left, and then Shaeena walked up to me, sat on the bed, and removed my boots and socks. She then started to take off my clothes. I resisted, but I was so drunk that I had not enough strength to push her away, so she won. My pantaloons came off, and she was working on taking my shirt off. Just then, I saw Loula’s face. I blinked a couple of times, but Loula, my love, was here with me, undressing me and caressing me, and almost immediately, my shaft hardened at her touch.

My vision was blurry, but I could feel her playing with my shaft. I called out her name. Loula did not answer, but she pulled my shaft up and down aggressively. She missed me as much as I missed her, and she was the horniest I had ever seen her to be. Aroused by her aggressiveness, I called out her name and pulled her closer to me. I kissed her with passion, and she begged me to take her.

I flipped her over, got on top of her, and entered her with force, plunging deep inside her. I was crazy with lust as I lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her passionately. She moved her body along with mine and cried out like a wildcat as her nails dug into my skin. I felt the electricity course throughout my body as I shuddered in ecstasy. I was wild with passion, blinded by reality, and then my world came to a halt. The door opened to our room, and I turned to see Loula staring at me with a horrified expression on her face.

“Nidal, no!” she cried out. “How could you betray me like this?”

Loula put her hands on her heart and fell backward into Billal’s arms. Confused, I looked down at the woman in bed with me, and I saw Shaeena’s face for the first time, smiling right up at me. The blood drained from my face as I realized that I had just betrayed the woman I had promised to love forever.

I quickly jumped up from the position I was in and called out, “Loula, please, let me explain. I thought it was you! I thought I was making love to you, please,” I cried.

But it was too late. Billal had whisked her away, slamming the door behind them. I could not believe what I had just done. Mortified, I tried to get away from Shaeena, but she pulled me back to her.

“Let go of me!” I demanded. “You tricked me into having sex with you!”

“And you enjoyed every minute of it, Nidal! I know you were pleased with my lovemaking.” She dared me to deny her words.

I was at a loss for words because she was right. I had enjoyed her lovemaking, but I thought I was having sex with Loula, not her. Suddenly, I was disgusted with myself. I did the one thing I had promised Loula that I would not do. I had betrayed her. I grabbed my chest. The pain was unbearable. I dropped my head onto the pillow and cried out in pain. That was the last thing I remembered that night before I passed out.

Chapter Fourteen
Loula

I
was having a terrible day today as it was, and to top it off, Billal told me that today there would be a ball in honor of Nidal and Shaeena’s engagement and the wedding date would be announced. My heart could not hurt any more than it hurt already. I didn’t understand what exactly was happening. Nidal promised me his love and loyalty, and I believed him. He would not betray me, especially for Shaeena. He did not love her. He wasn’t even attracted to her, according to him. The king was probably forcing this upon him. Nidal would correct it at the ball. He would tell everyone the truth that I was his one and only love. He would announce to everyone that he wanted to marry me, not Shaeena.

Today, Billal had brought me to an ancient, old village because he had ordered a gown to be made for me to wear to the ball. I hoped it would be appealing to the eye. I wanted to look beautiful so Nidal would not be able to take his eyes off me.

Walking alongside Billal in this beautiful village, I could not help but admire the surrounding beauty. The hundreds of trees and banks of colorful flowers that surrounded the village captivated me.

The homes were made of stone and they were painted white all around. Flowers were displayed on their window ledges and on the steps of their front doors. The women proudly swept the street surrounding their home and chatted with their neighbors as they glanced curiously in our direction. As we walked along the pavement, Billal greeted them with a smile, which made them blush with excitement, and I could hear them whispering behind us. This would be the highlight of their day. I could envision them drinking their tea and chattering away happily to their friends about the handsome prince who threw them a smile to die for.

As we approached the village square, the merchants happily displayed their merchandise outside their shops. And many shops there were, lined up next to each other all the way down to the very end of the village. I looked excitedly about and admired the way everyone was smiling at each other, as if they were happy and without a care in the world. I envied them. I thirsted for such peace and tranquility in my heart.

Children were playing in the cobbled streets as their laughter filled the air. Mothers held their wee ones in their arms while taking a walk, admiring the displays in the shops as the owners bustled about, preparing for yet another day of work.

“I remember when I was but a child and my father brought me to the village with him,” Billal chirped happily. “My friends and I played in the outskirts of the village, until Father announced our departure.”

I could only imagine Billal as a little boy, running up and down the cobbled streets of this enchanting village with his little friends. I stole a sideways glance up at Billal, admiring his handsome, chiseled looks. Billal’s head turned, and his eyes gazed down at my lips hungrily. I quickly averted my gaze, embarrassed that he had caught me staring at him. Billal grabbed my hand and held it in his as he gently pulled me alongside him.

That was when I saw her, a little old lady dressed in black from head to toe. Even her head was covered with a black scarf that was wrapped around her head and face, leaving only her eyes exposed. Her dark, piercing eyes were gazing right at me. I shivered as goose bumps ran up and down my spine.