Page 6 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

Careful,she chided herself. Relying on people never ended well, no matter how handsome and smart and funny they were. People always let her down. Foster family after foster family had promised that things would be different, but nothing ever had been. Friends, classmates, and romantic interests were no different. Despite the fact that TJ was amazing, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t let her down someday.

“Thanks,” she said simply.

TJ took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze, and they headed out into the brisk spring day.

“The cherry tree is starting to bloom,” Emelia pointed out, gesturing with her free hand to the tree outside TJ’s dorm. Indeed, little pink blossoms has started to unfurl along the branches.

“Time for my daily bud report,” TJ joked and Emelia knocked him with her shoulder, laughing a little.

“What do you mean, bud report?”

“You know, when we walk around campus and you point out which trees and flowers and bushes are growing buds or blossoms or leaves. It’s adorable.”

“Hey, when you grow up someplace with long, cold winters, you really appreciate spring coming,” Emelia said, pretending to be stern. “Not all of us grew up someplace where it’s always warm.”

“Al Salyah isn’t always warm,” TJ protested. “At night it can be a little chilly.”

They walked on, laughing and teasing each other, until they reached Stonebridge’s garden. It was a large section of campus that was used by the biology students for their projects and generally enjoyed by the students for walks and, in warmer months, a nice study spot. There was a small greenhouse in the center with a few more exotic plants that stayed warm year-round. Without any need for discussion, they headed for the greenhouse.

“Do you think we’ll see the turtle today?” Emelia asked as they stepped through the doors into the warm building. There was a small green turtle who lived in a pond in the middle of the greenhouse. Emelia loved to see him. TJ’s feelings were, well, more complicated.

“We’ll see what mood he’s in,” TJ said solemnly. After one visit to the greenhouse, when the turtle had apparently ‘looked at him strangely,’ TJ had grown suspicious of the creature. Just as Emelia was about to reply that she was pretty sure that turtles didn’t have moods, TJ’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

“Oh no, I forgot that I’m supposed to talk to my parents now,” he said. He glanced at Emelia sheepishly. “Do you mind if I answer and just tell them to call back later?”

Emelia waved her hand. “Of course, talk as long as you want. I’ll just be around in the greenhouse.”

“Thanks.” TJ flipped the phone open with one fluid motion and pressed a button to answer the call. “Hi Ummah, Babi.” Emelia was pleased that she recognized the Arabic words for ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ Hopefully, that would be a good sign for her Arabic midterm next week. She was also surprised when the conversation continued in English, but maybe it was too hard for TJ to switch back and forth. She certainly struggled with switching languages.

Emelia gave TJ a thumbs-up and slowly strolled away towards the turtle pond. TJ followed a little behind her. Emelia was doing her best not to listen in, she really was, but she still caught a few words.

“Yes, school is going well. Don’t worry, I’m studying hard.” She heard TJ laugh and grinned to herself. They were studying a lot. Only after they’d finished everything did they share a kiss or two.

“Could we talk a bit later today?” TJ was asking. Emelia considered turning back to remind him with gestures that he could talk as long as he wanted, but decided against it. It was probably best not to show that she was eavesdropping.

“Yes, yes,” TJ continued. “I’m just out with some friends right now.”

Some friends? Emelia felt her heart constrict and quickly walked out of earshot. She shouldn’t have been eavesdropping anyway. She hadn’t meant to. But she had. And now she’d heard TJ lying to his parents over the phone. Why would he say that he was with friends instead of with her? Emelia knew that Al Salyah could be a little more traditional than the United States when it came to relationships, but dating was still allowed. Was TJ ashamed of her?

Emelia felt her cheeks flush as her mind filled with memories of all the times foster families had introduced her as their foster daughter, instead of just their daughter. Or, worse, as a friend of one of their children or just someone they were ‘looking after.’ No matter how hard she tried, those foster families had never wanted to claim her as their own.

Now, neither did TJ. This relationship meant a lot to Emelia, though that was hard to admit. She’d never been in love before, but she thought she might be now. Of course, she also understood that TJ was an exchange student. They hadn’t talked about it, but she knew that he’d go back to Al Salyah at the end of the semester. If he wasn’t even telling his parents about her, that probably meant that when he left, everything would be over.

“Em?” Emelia turned to see TJ standing behind her, his phone now in his hand. “Sorry about that, I’m done now. Did you find the turtle? Was he looking for me?”

Emelia thought about confronting TJ and asking him why he’d lied to his parents about her. But it wasn’t that big of a deal, and she shouldn’t have heard it anyway. She thought about asking whether they could continue their relationship once TJ went back home, but decided against that, too. She didn’t want to be clingy. That was the fastest route to losing the people she cared about. And she had her own dreams for the future, dreams that didn’t rely on a guy. No matter how great he was.

“I haven’t spotted him yet,” she said, instead of any of the questions her heart wanted to ask. “Maybe he’s in a tree, spying on you.” She made a spooky hand gesture and TJ glanced around with dramatic fear, then chuckled.

“Even I agree that turtles can’t climb trees,” he said, holding out his hand. Emelia took it, feeling his strong, warm fingers encircled hers. This was good now. No matter what TJ was hiding or why he was lying to his parents, this was good now. Emelia would enjoy it. She didn’t want to risk the time they had left together by accusing TJ of anything.

She cared about him too much for that.

CHAPTER4

TARIQ

Tariq woke up with a sinking feeling in his heart. It took him a moment to realize why. As of today, there was less than a month left in his year at Stonebridge. He groaned, rolling onto his side and pulling the pillow over his head. He wasn’t ready to go back to Al Salyah. He was going to be the sheikh soon, and his days would be filled again with meetings and events. His one year of freedom would be over.

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