Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 101

A Secret

My heart hammers in my chest as I hear the click of the doorknob. It only takes a second before Zaid’s door swings open.

I can feel my breath hitch in my throat and he just stands there, staring at me like I’m at ghost. His dark eyes flick over me, from my face to my toes.

It’s slow, deliberate, hot. His jaw tightens, and I lick my lips as it draws my attention.

“Can I…” I hesitate, my voice quieter than I intended. “Can I spend the night with you?”

He doesn’t answer immediately, and I press my lips together, wrapping my arms around myself, suddenly unsure. Should I just walk away?

His frown is slight, but it’s there, barely noticeable if I weren’t so attuned to him. He watches me for a long second, those dark eyes melting my insides. Then he exhales through his nose and steps aside, pushing the door open wider.

I walk in, feeling the heat of his presence behind me as the door clicks shut. The silence

settles around us is almost too much to bear. He walks around me, toward his bed, where he begins to pick up the books he has scattered across it.

I take in his appearance. His damp hair, the way his grey sweatpants sit low on his hips, the faint sheen of water still clinging to his skin. My gaze drifts lower, tracing the jagged

scars that stretch from his abdomen to his back and over his shoulder blades.

I swallow hard and finally break the silence. “You’re upset.”

Zaid shrugs, shaking his head.

“You are.”

“Why would I be upset?” His voice is flat, carefully neutral.

I hesitate before whispering, “I’m sorry I pulled away from you.”

He stiffens, keeping his gaze locked onto the floor.

My fingers tighten around the fabric of my shirt. “I just… I’m not sure I want your father

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A Secret

to know.”

He snaps his gaze to me and something flickers in his eyes. He huffs out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Why?” he asks, his tone edged in frustration.

I part my lips, but how am I supposed to answer that? I don’t want Jake to know because he has been begging me to let him in, too.

“Am I not good enough for you?” His jaw tightens as he watches me.

I blink at him. “What?”

“Are you afraid of tarnishing your reputation by being with the bad brother?”

I inhale sharply. “No, Zaid. That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?” His voice is quiet, but there’s an intensity in it, a weight.

There’s a sea of uncertainty and insecurity in his eyes and my chest aches. I want to take

it away;

I want to reassure him that I don’t feel like that at all. The pain in his eyes steals

my breath and I find no words.

“Because from where I’m standing, it feels like you’re willing to keep me hidden while you

get to have Aiden out in the open.”

I shake my head, feeling my chest tighten. “No, Zaid. No. It’s just that -I don’t know how to navigate this.”

His chest is heaving, his nostrils flaring, but he says nothing.

“I’ve never been in a relationship like this before, with two people. And I don’t know how to handle the judging. I don’t know if I can.”

His eyes darken. “And what? You think keeping me a secret is the solution?”

“I just need time.”

He frowns. “I can understand you needing time to be with the both of us out in public. But this is my father.”

I stare at him. This is so much more complicated than he thinks. Part of me just wants to

My lips tremble. “I don’t- I don’t want to hide you.”

“But do you think people won’t talk? That they won’t treat us differently? This isn’t exactly a normal relationship.” The words come out of me and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from adding the fact that Jake would be another added taboo,

I don’t want to choose, but I don’t get the chance to tell him that because he kisses me.

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