Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Zian held Emma's hands and walked out of the cafe and he could still hear his siblings laughing at him.

How dare they reveal his most embarrassing secret just like that!!

"Wow!! Which one of them is yours??" Emma asked, looking at the motorcycles parked over there. She was very much thrilled about her first motorcycle ride.

"This one," Zian said pointing at his Ducati.

"OMG!! I love you!" Emma screamed and Zian froze. He couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth just now.

He turned to look at her and saw her looking at his bike with googly eyes.

Did she just declare her love for his bike?? Seriously?

As if she heard his unasked question, she stepped towards the bike and wrapped her arms around the gas tank of the bike and professed her love again.

Damn!

"Aww.. I already love you. Does it have a name??" She asked looking at him.

"Yeah. Ducati" Zian said, still disappointed that her love declaration was for his bike rather than him.

"No, silly. Any personal name??" Emma asked again.

When he thinks about it, all the Ahmed vehicles do have names.... Courtesy, his Aunt Cami. She has this weird habit of naming everything. Even her sandals.

"As a matter of fact, it does. My bike's name is Ya ‘amar , I guess," Zian said, recollecting the names his aunt gave when he and Zahir got their new bikes.

"You guess?? You don't know your own bike's name??" Emma asked frowning in confusion.

"It's Ya ‘rouhi or Ya ‘amar. One is mine and the other is Zahir's," Zian said with a shrug.

"Cute names haa! What do these names mean?” Emma asked curiously.

“Ya ‘amar means ‘my most beautiful’ and Ya ‘rouhi means ‘my soul’.” Zian said with a smile.

“But why are you confused with the names?"

"Because it's our aunt who named our vehicles. Not us."

"Awww. And because both of your names starts with the same letter, she named your bikes too with the same letter." Emma said with a hearty smile.

"Actually, all the vehicles in our family is named with Ya in it. It means my or mine. Aunt Cami has a fetish with endearments. She was most fascinated with the arabic language and culture when she came to Zidra for the first time. Maybe a bit more fascinated than she was about Uncle Salim." Zian said, with a chuckle.

"That's also cute. And your Aunt Cami seems super cool. Just like me. Actually I am the coolest person I have ever met. Don't you think so Zi - Zi. My papa also thinks so. He is also very cool like me. But my momma is very strict. She says, one parent ought to be strict. But she is not that strict when that stupid Mila comes home. She behaves as if Mila is her daughter and she took me in from the streets. Is that fair?? She should love me more than that Mila, right?” Emma asked, totally deviating from the topic they were actually discussing about.

"Okay. Enough for the day, Emma. Do you want to go on a ride??" Zian asked, wanting to put a break to her ever running thoughts.

"Of course I do."

Zian got on his bike and wore his helmet and passed the spare helmet to Emma who wore it and grinned.

"Don't I look Badass Zi Zi??" Emma asked and Zian felt his heart brimming with love.

Zian couldn't help the smile that formed on face.

He held her elbow and pulled her towards him gently and buckled the strap of the helmet.

"You look cute. So damn adorable," he said huskily, looking into her eyes intensely.

Emma sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn’t understand what was happening with her.

"Don't look at me like that," Emma said as a pretty blush crept up her cheeks.

"Why not??"

"Because I feel weird. Like my heart is going to come out of my ribcage. Like someone is jumping around in my stomach. Like I am having goosebumps all over my body." Emma, never the one to keep things in her heart, blurted it all out.

Zian felt his heart hammering against his chest.

"And why do you think it's happening??" He whispered, leaning closer.

"I... I... " they broke out of their trance when they heard the shrill ringing of a phone.

Emma looked down awkwardly and dug into her bag for her phone.

Zian looked away and took deep breaths to calm himself.

Emma saw the caller ID and a wide smile broke out on her lips

Emily!

Emily Langston. Her cousin.

She picked up the phone.

"Hello, Em. How are you?? How is Emil bro. How’s Uncle Seb and Aunt Violet? I miss you so much. I was going to call you to ask you how to make friendship bands. I made a lot of friends here, Em. And I want to give them bands made by me. Can you send me a video of making one, Em?"

"Oye my darling Greenwich express. Put a break on your talks. Let me at least say a hello." Emily said, chuckling, making Emma pout.

"Don't pout," Emily said and Emma looked around.

"Are you here?? How did you know I am pouting."

"Because I know you very well Emma. You are my little sis. Okay listen. I am coming to London. I am joining an automotive design course there. I will tell you when and all in detail when everything is confirmed." Emily said and Emma squealed in excitement.

"Wow!! You are coming here. That's so great. What about Emil?" Emma asked.

"He is saying that he is also coming with me, getting a transfer from his college. Apparently he doesn't want his sister to go alone. As if I can't look after myself." Emily scoffed, though she is touched by her brother's care.

But her ego is too big to admit that she might need his protection in a new city.

According to her, she is the stronger one among the two. She is the protector and her softie twin brother is the one who is in need of protection.

"Wow, Em. You two here. I can't wait to see you." Emma said and talked for another minute before hanging up.

Zian had been waiting for her, happy to stare at her happy face while she had been talking to her sister.

"You have a brother and a sister?? You never talked about them." Zian said conversationally.

"Actually they are my cousins. Not first cousins. My momma and their momma are cousins. But we are very close. They are coming to London." Emma announced happily.

"That's great. Now let's go for your first bike ride, shall we?"

Emma got on the bike and wrapped her arms around Zian's waist.

"Hold on tight, darling." Zian said and Emma blushed hearing the endearment.

Then the motorcycle purred to life and soon they were moving through the countryside.

Sunshine, fresh air and riding with a beautiful girl. Zian grinned.

"It's so wonderful. Can you take me on a ride everyday??" Emma asked from behind him.

"Are you planning to bunk classes everyday Emma??" Zian asked with a tone of disapproval.

"Spoil sport," Emma grumbled.

"Maybe I can take you for a ride on all weekends," Zian said and Emma grinned happily.

"Aww. Thank-you. You are the best Zi - Zi,i" she said pressing her cheeks against his shoulder.