Chapter 20: Chapter 20

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JAMAL.

I don't want to think of what just happened, I don't want to imagine the kind of trouble I might have put Sarafina in. I just want to savor this moment with her because I don't know when next I am going to spend time with her like this.

We got to the secret garden that is at the far end of the palace and sit on the grass. Seconds pass as we stare ahead in silence. "Sarafina" I finally said after almost a minute of uncomfortable reticence.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked without sparing me a glance. She is not looking at me. Is she upset?

"I know you will be in some kind of trouble because of me... But I tend to act on impulse because ___"

"You cant feel" she finishes my sentence.

"I am cursed, I don't know what Ditya might be feeling at the moment" It's not a lie but it's not totally the truth either. I'm not supposed to know what Ditya might be feeling now but I somehow I seem to know that she will utterly and dangerously furious.

Sarafina stays mute for a while, she then turn to me. "Jamal, do you have any idea why you were cursed" she asked.

I look at her and my eyes start traveling down her face, down to her lip. Instead of answering her, my eyes is tracing the movement of her lips, the perfect upturning of her lower lip and then dazzling pink color on display.

Suddenly I'm leaning in close, too close for my sanity.... I am few inches away from her now and our breath keep fanning each other. The feeling is intoxicating.

"Jamal, what... What are you doing" she stammers. But I am way past hearing her. There is only one thing I want to do now. Kiss Sarafina.

And kiss Sarafina did I do as I grabbed her by her waist pulling her close to me. I slam my lips on hers.

Her soft gasp is enough to make me plung in hard and demanding I move. She is not kissing me back, neither is she moving. My hands trail down her hip and she gasps again.

I take lead, savouring the sweet taste of this woman who has done nothing but confuse me ever since I met her. I hold her tight and miraculously she is responding and almost taking charge. Her hands travel up my chest and then is tangling into my hair pulling me close. Clearly telling me she wants more.

I can't stop, no I won't stop... Because this woman does not just have the ability to make me feel.

She is also driving me insane!

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SARAFINA.

I can't explain the sudden change of the atmosphere. I can't explain how the air suddenly becomes so thick with desire.

I don't even understand how this is happening. One minute Jamal is telling how he can't feel, how he has been cursed his entire life...

And then like a flash he is kissing me like is life depended on it, and stupidly enough... I'm kissing him back.

Yes —Stupidly enough...

Because no matter how much this kiss affects me.

No matter the emotions it stirs up inside me

No matter the realization dawning on me now, that I might be in love with him. That I am so foolish enough to have fallen for Prince Jamal.

I have to remember that he is no least affected, because Jamal can't feel.

Jamal is cursed and he can't even understand my emotions. More so Jamal is engaged, engaged to a princess. And I am in no way in his league.

Jamal is still kissing me, His lips were soft and gentle, his touch turning my body to jelly.

I know it is wrong but I’d be damned if I wouldn’t take this chance. So I am doing the only thing that might look sane to a person with a flee as a brain like mine would do and I am kissing him back. My tongue sneaked out and traced his lower lip. He opened up, and once our tongues met, my insides exploded.

I didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, I have never been kissed my whole life but I will be only lying if I don't say that was a kiss for the history books.

We are breathing heavily as we break apart, I immediately stand and move back, avoiding his eyes as I do so. "I should get going now, prince Jamal" I said laying emphasis on the 'prince', my voice coming in a raspy, breathless tone.

Jamal stare up at me and stand, I look away —avoiding his stare yet again. He grabs my hand and pull me to himself. "Look at me Sarafina" he said.

I want to talk, I want to tell him this is wrong.

I want to pull my hand away and run as far as I can but I am doing none of that... Because even his simple touch on my hand, his gentle hold on my skin is sending fireworks to my ovaries. My feet's are buckling beneath me, as if I have just been dropped into a bucket of cheesy jelly-O.

"Sarafina" he called again. I finally meet his eye and I swallowed hard as he stare at me, his eyes piercing mine as if he is seeing the whole of me, as if he can read everything going on inside me.

I should run, because this strange feeling is as toxic as a deadly poison and it can kill me anytime soon. But I am still here, staring right at him.

It only amounts to one thing. I am nothing but foolish.

"Why do you want to leave like that, after what we...." He started to say but stopped. "After something like this, is it normal for my heart to keep beating fast that I might think it will burst out" he whispered.

My eyes widens as he said that and I immediately take a step back, even though he is still holding me. "P.... Prin..." My mouth can't even form a simple sentence as I try to assimilate what he has just said.

I am not deaf, but it's like my ear has just encountered some kind of magic that it seems to be hearing unreal things. "You are not talking Sarafina" he said again, joggling me out of my hallucination.

Hallucination? "I don't know about that" I replied lowly. His hold tighten on me.

"Why? Why don't you know? You are not like me so you should feel something right?"

I can't stay, no.... I cannot stay. And even as much as I hate to lie... I do the one thing I have never thought I will do. I look into Jamal's eye and tell him a straight lie.

" I don't feel anything Prince Jamal" I said and pull my hand away from his grip.

I don't look back as I take to my heels and run.

Run— something I should have done before I would have to lie.

"It's for his own good, there is nothing I can offer him" I tell myself... Even though I am still lying outrightly even to my own self —yet again.

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The contibous pounding of her head was enough to wake Naja from her induced sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy as she fluttered them open... Her throat was already sore from whatever was given to take her out.

She couldn't move, obviously she was tied to the chair. And unfortunately too, whoever had abducted her had already made sure she couldn't invoke her powers.

Her vision wasn't clear enough as her eyes scanned the room where she was. It looked like a deserted place, maybe nobody had lived for a whole century.

Who could have abducted her, who in Zedora knows of her plan of coming here that they could even recognize her even with her disguise.

Naja sighed tiredly, but she had to leave because time was not even on her side anymore.

The door swung open with force and a small gasp of surprise escaped Naja's lips. She raised her eyes up to see who had entered and another gasp left her parted lips as she stared at them.

Her long lost friends.

No.... Her friends turn enemies!

Her backstabbing, betraying friends.... Her foes in form of friends.

Her doom and damnation in the shape of humans.

Kayla and Maximus..

Only that there was one person left to complete their circle of backstabbers.

Milanie.

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SARAFINA.

I stop running when I get to the front of the maid quarters. I close my eyes as I try to catch my breath, placing my hands on my knee as I do so.

I stand upright after some seconds, running my hands through my hair I glance around and my eyes catch Pooja coming my way. "And here is the princess' maiden" she drawled sarcastically as she got to me.

I laughed."Pray tell me dear friend, how was your first day with our noble princess" she continued.

I laughed again. "You are an hopeless case" I tell her. She flicked her hair to the back dramatically and patted me.

"So they say, so they say" she replied me. I shake my head at and start walking inside, but Pooja grab my hands and start to study my face. I move back immediately, swatting her hand away.

"Pooja what is it again?" I asked her. She looked around and then whispers to my ear. "You look you just got kissed".

My eyes widen in surprise and I immediately took two steps back. "What... What are you saying" I stammered.

Her lips stretch with a knowing smile. "Give me all the juicy details, Sarafina" She said with a smirk.

I blink my eye rapidly and bit my lips as Pooja starts dragging me to wherever she is taking me to. "There is no juicy detail, leave me Pooja" I tell her but she keeps on dragging me that I have no choice but to follow her.

How on earth did she know, is it that obvious. My free hands instinctively reach out to touch my face or is she a witch? I ask myself.

I want to ask her where she is taking me to but before I do so, Pooja stops. "And here we are" she announced. I roll my eyes at her overdramatic behavior.

We are at the palace waterside. "Don't you have something to do Pooja?" I ask her.

"Pretty much... But I won't miss a good gossip for anything" she answers nonchalantly a grin plastered to her face as she taps the floor beside for me to sit.

I sit down and stay silent, I know I can trust Pooja it's a knowing based on my instincts but yet where do I start from? How do I tell her that I got tangled with the prince of Zedora and that I got kissed by him. How do I even tell her that I think I might be in love with him too.

How? Just how?.

"Hey you are not talking" she says, snapping out of my train of thoughts. I start to stand up.

"There is nothing to say Pooja" I reply her firmly. She drag me back down.

"You think I don't know huh? Everyone knows that you meet with Jamal secretly, only they don't know why"

I immediately clamp my hands over her mouth, looking around to be sure no one is lurking in the shadows. "Are you crazy?" I whisper yelled.

"Nobody is listening Lovey, just tell me what I need to hear and I will be off like the puff of wind" Pooja replied grinning widely.

My face heat up as I try not to remember what happened, I start to shake my head. I won't talk about it.. No I won't.

"Yes you would" Pooja says.

"Did I say that loud?" I ask.

"Obviously, we are going to be here for the rest of the day if you don't say anything, and girl will I be stuck to you like a cloth for the rest of your life"

"You are insane" I mutter, scratching my neck. "Fine, Jamal kissed me, is that what you want to hear" I say begrudgingly.

She claps her hand chuckling loudly. "Pray tell me dear friend, what kind of a kisser is he? A good one? A bad one? A perfect one... And the list goes on and on like that" she taps my hand. "Tell me Sarafina"

I sigh loudly, this girl will be the death of me. "I don't know about that and I really have to go now" I tell her standing up.

Her lips form a pout as she stands up. "You are no fun at all! But make sure you hold on to him... Ditya does not deserve him at all" she says holding my arm.

"I am not his match" I reply sadly. "That kind of dream can never come true" I added.

"You love him" Pooja says in realization.

I smile sadly. "It is hopeless" I tell her.

"Permit me to say you are stupid, if that's what you think... You don't know that as long as he loves you too, nobody else is his match"

She doesn't know, she doesn't know that apart me not being in his status... Jamal can't love me because Jamal can't feel.

Jamal is cursed.

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JAMAL.

There is a tugging pain in my chest as I watch her run away. I want to stop her, I want to run after her.

But I do nothing but stare as she leaves me alone. Is it tears that I feel prickling my eyes. I have never cried my whole life.

But what else would I expect, everything about Sarafina makes me do things I have never done. I don't know what this is but one thing I know is after now...

I am never letting Sarafina go. Ever again and that's why I have to chase after her. My feet's start moving hurriedly in the direction she went. I won't let her go because she makes me feel.

Sarafina is my cure.