Edited by WhiteHeart 💞💞💞
Instinctively I ran after them. I wanted to march over to them before they left the building and physically remove Ian from Toby, if that was what it took to stop Toby from whatever he was planning.
"Ian!" I called out once I had reached them in the parking lot.
They both stopped but he didn't turn his red head self around, but Toby did.
His head bobbed back and forth between Ian and me almost like a bobble head.
Had it been at any other moment I would've be seen laughing my head off.
"Clearly you have something to deal with here." He drawled slowly his eyes twinkling with the anticipation of new knowledge.
"I'll wait in the car. Deal with this." Toby commanded before he departed for the car waiting nearby.
"Ian O'Brien if you don't turn your ass around I will legit delete you that you'd be making so much digital noise you're going to wish the Internet was never created." I let out in frustration before realizing what I had said and mentally smacking at my idiocy
"Digital noise? Seriously now Maria? Is that the best you could come up with?" He asked finally turning around and looking at me with an amused grin on his face.
"Ian forget that and stop changing the topic what are you doing with him."
"He hired me to help him." He answered as if that made perfect sense.
"He hired you?... Are you in some kind of trouble Ian?" I asked stunned
"No. It's just some personal business he wants me to handle."
"I could help" I pointed out
"No! Maria... I need you to stay out of this." He said harshly and he walked away.
As if that would stop me. I was going to get to the bottom of this one way or the other. I just had to get off work first.
So, I went back inside to complete the task they offered me. Grumbling and sighing inside my head all the while.
By the time I was done it was late that I went back home to indulge my time with my Asian shows and get my dose of addiction. After blowing time trying to find a show I decided on re-watch my favorite Taiwanese Drama.
~*~*~*~*~*
I woke up the next morning with my alarming blaring and my head banging. I tried to blindly search for my phone to put it in snooze mode before managing to hit it and somehow have it fall.
"Maria, get up and pray." Hanaan called out knocking on my door.
"I'm up!" I yelled out dragging myself out of bed.
I've never been a morning person and was always more of a night crawler, so more often than not getting up for fajr was a mission.
Sometimes, no in fact often, I envy Hanaan's morning sunshine.
After performing wudu and praying I drank a can of redbull to wake me up so I could start my day and track down Toby.
Once I knew where he was going to be this morning I decided to get dressed with a black maxi skirt and a white T-shirt that I ADORED with the words 'Talk Nerdy To Me' written in black bold letters on the chest and a black leather jacket with my black punk high heels ankle boots and grey Hijab.
Looking at the mirror I carefully put on my fake silver nose ring and slipped my classic superman ring. And took my backpack looking purse after touching up on my bold makeup. Sometimes a girls gotta feel like a hero.
I called Toby and asked him to meet me at the Italian restaurant across from Billy's diner at noon during my lunch break.
~.~.~.~
Right now, thirty minutes had passed since noon and I was starting to lose hope in him coming.
I was looking down at my phone deciding if I should stay any longer when I heard the drawl
"Hey beautiful." He murmured close in his husky voice. Way too close.
"Your late." I snapped irritated.
"Usually I'm not but I had to check if it wasn't a trap, you do work for the Donut Patrols." He laughed off before sitting down "So tell me what can I help you with Maria Asim." He emphasized my name in a way only he knew how to.
"I'm quite flattered you tracked down my number. I would have given it to you chula if you had only asked." He continued with a smile in his eyes and a smirk on his face.
He was wearing a white shirt and black pair of dress pants a mixture of semi-casual clothing that he somehow managed to make work for him. Had it been anybody else and I would have accused them of being unable to make up their mind when dressing. Now I wouldn't be surprised if a trash bag looked dashing on him.
"Why did you hire Ian?" I questioned getting straight to the point and pulling my eyes away from his clothing.
I didn't appreciate him calling chula or saying my name the way he did, or even dressing like that. It was too distracting it made me focus on him too much.
"Ian?" He repeated slowly as If I had shocked him with my question
"Yes Ian you big oaf." I repeated again feeling more and more frustrated with each passing. Minute.
"Huh..." He harrumphed slowly gathering his wits about him.
"Tell me." I demanded sounding very aggravated.
"First, tell you me how a girl like you knows someone as notorious as Ian O'Brien?" He asked again in the drawl I had come to associate with him.
"I've been wondering that ever since I met you last night." He continued glancing around and adjusting his volume. "He's never been to this town before so how do you know him?"
"Ian? notorious? Look who's talking." I said scoffed whilst ignoring his question.
"I never said I was a saint" He retorted "How do you know O'Brien." He questioned again his voice and face hardening
"He's my friend." I answered simply. Whilst I had come to interrogate him I knew I wasn't prepared for one.
"O'Brien doesn't have friends. Only Allies that can protect him. You don't seem like his typical Allies." He said a bit sounding amused whilst looking down and unwrapping a strawberry lollipop. I didn't understand how he was projecting this façade of calm when I knew curiosity must be killing him inside.
"Looks can be deceiving. Ever heard of the phrase don't judge a book by its cover." I retorted knowing that I was beginning to lose my very schooled calm.
Had it been a Korean drama I know for sure sweat would be dripping down my spine and I would begin to stammer in anticipation of either the slap to the face or a cup of water that was sure to ruin the small specs of my makeup.
Looking me up and down he answered slowly, "Chica if I judge you by your covering I'd be stupid and blind. Especially since you obviously you got a beautiful body that compliments your mind under all those layers."
"Excuse me?!!! I don't care who you think you are but I demand that you respect me. Apologize right now you or I swear I'll you'll regret ever being born." I voiced in anger. It was official my pretense calm had slipped I swear my heart skipped a beat, or two. I was shook by his comment for a moment like for real how could he say that to me. Who does he think he is talking to me like that
"Wow chica calm down I just trying to say you're beautiful." He said while putting his hands up in surrender.
"Calling me beautiful and talking about my body are two different things, you sexist pig. And don't call me beautiful don't call me anything. And don't you dare make crude comments like that." I demanded beyond vexed.
"Can't promise you that chica. Especially when you look that adorable angry." He mockingly smiled. I had to cool down but I also had to figure out what he wanted from Ian.
"Are you going to answer my question or are you going to keep trying to flirt with me to soften me up? Because if that's your plan it's not working." I informed him silently counting to ten in my head over and over again just so I don't end up in prison for murder. I never wanted to strangle someone has much as I wanted to strangle him at this moment in time.He seemed to be enjoying getting me infuriated.
"He knows the Tracer and I need the Tracer to track down someone." He said suspiciously nonchalantly.
"The tracer?" I asked to confirm with my heart beating against my chest as fear washed over me.
Now I knew why Ian was trying to keep me in the dark about this. Someone had found out that Ian knew the Tracer.
I tried to keep my expression unchanged before I dismissed him with the excuse that I had to get my butt to work because the donut patrol disliked late comers.
I knew that I had just screwed things up and that Ian was now in trouble. We're both in trouble if anyone knew who the Tracer was.
~.~.~.~.~
I asked for the rest of the day off and decided to go to my parents' home to check up on my little brother. Adam had been alone with Talha for a few months and I tried to drop by whenever I could since my parents went on a trip back to Columbia and Talha was staying with Adam. When Zubair died my parents needed a break from everything and going back home for the first time since moving to the U.S to visit family seemed like the ideal thing to do.
Some people had wondered why in the world my parents would live in the same four room apartment I had grown up in, considering most of their kids worked high paying jobs. Sarina being a cardiologist and Seth being a Lawyer and such.
Here's the thing most people don't know my parents. Especially my mom. If they had an iota of knowledge about her they would have known that my mom was one of the least materialistic people in the world. She has this incredibly strong belief that there was no need for materialist things in life and my dad often followed my mom's direction and thus they had tried to raise us in that fashion, trying to avoid materialism.
She had even turned down the house my sister bought for them after saving up months just for so my parents to move out of that neighborhood to a 'safer' place in the suburbs.
The way my mom reacted was amusing and despite the rejection it was worth watching.
Sadly no one was home as I walked into the apartment and looked around so I decided get some grocery shopping done before going back to my condo and try to do some thinking.
When I came home, I heard sound and laughter spreading coming from our condo before I reached the door. As I walked inside a little kid came rushing over to me with his face and hands full of brown mushy stuff.
"No, no, no kid get away from me." I desperately chanted and repeated in my head as I backed away towards the door.
The kid was very adorable looking even with all the brown stuff covering him with his chubby face mostly because of the baby-fat and the out of control dark golden brown hair and sparkling big grey eyes looking up at me as he hugged me tightly officially ruining my skirt.
For some bizarre reason, I couldn't stay mad at the kid he was just so adorable smiling at me with the few teeth he had. Awww! Who am I kidding I knew the reason. I loved kids.
"Yusha get away from the door." Someone called out from the living room.
"Mama....mama." The kid said letting me go and running back.
I followed him back into the room full of people where the sound and laughter was coming from.
"Mia!" Isabel squealed jumping up and tackling me.
Once I was able to get her off me, I could see that Muhammad standing with a worried expression plastered on his face where she had hurtled from.
"Awe geeky!" I yell whispered taking in his appearance. "how you been? I see Isa hasn't drove you nuts yet." I jokingly pointed out.
"Anyone who can survive you can survive her." He replied laughingly
"Ahh that hurts." I said holding my chest in mock hurt
I hadn't seen the both of them in what felt like forever and I had missed them terribly as the English would say.
They had been my best friends in high school and they had had a thing for each other since the day they met so it's not hard to believe that they had gotten married.
Then again what do I know of marriage I still but a single woman with no strings attached.
Looking around and finally turning my attention from the koala in my arms I began to notice the other people there as well.
There were two other guys in the room. One with extremely long blonde hair who looked a lot like the kid that finger painted my clothes wearing casual clothes and another who looked like he should be working in an office instead of surround by hijabis with babies. He had a nicely trimmed brown Klingon beard with a suite with combed over short hair. Sitting next to Hanaan were two women. One was wearing a blue wrap around hijab who looked around my age and was currently struggling with cleaning a kids' face while the other was dressed in black from head to toe even covering her face seeing her.
It took me awhile but I finally figured out that they were all Hanaan's college mates as she had told me she'd met a niqabi who was aspiring to become a doctor in our freshmen year and they'd hit it off really well.
I walked over to greet them properly being careful not to step on little Anisa who Isabel and Muhammed's daughter crawling all over the floor.
"How it is you're not going to introduce moi." I said in my very butchered British accent. While crunching down and kissing Anisa's forehead. She was a bit too preoccupied to notice much so I let her keep playing.
"Guys this is Maria, The Maria." Muhammad introduced me putting an emphasis on my name as if he had talked about me.
In recollection, they all smiled at that point and looked at each other so I should have known.
"You are that Maria! It's nice to finally meet you I've heard some very amazing things about you and I'm so sorry about Yusha he ran away before I could clean him up" The baby cleaner apologized.
"It cool, no problem. is he your son?" I asked
"Yeah his name is Yusha" She replied
"He's so adorable." I gushed at the adorable little boy who currently decided to try playing with Anisa.
"I'm Rayaan and this is my cousin Sophia." She continued as she introduced the niqabi while pointing to her.
"Salaam 'Alykum." She greeted me in a very clear, strong, soft but powerful voice.
"Wa Alykum U-Salam" I replied. This must be why guys love niqabis I thought. I continued to stare at her mesmorized for a few seconds.
Coming to my senses I began to apologize. "Sorry, this is not me being rude or anything but I just crossed something off my bucket list" I began to explain
"You're the first niqabi I've officially met and I've been wanting to meet you for a while now. I love your voice by the way and I'm sure your just as beautiful inside" I voiced causing all of them to laugh.
"This is my husband Michael." Rayaan told me gesturing at the long-haired guy confirming my thoughts from earlier.
"And I think you already know Ethan Sanders." Hanaan said pointing with her palms facing outwards.
"Ethan as in that Ethan Sander." I asked shocked and almost with my mouth wide open.
The rest looked at me as if I was about to blow a gasket or something along those lines.
There was only one Ethan I knew and he grew up in the same town most of us here did, but he was Toby's inseparable cousin they are both Major's only nephews.
'Why the hell is he here!' I wanted to say out loud but held it back in.
Staring at him cautiously I set my bag down and sat on the floor next to it with the bag of food in front of me.
"I saw Toby today." I told him looking straight at him to see his reaction. He sat up straighter and looked down trying to avoid eye contact
"How was he? -" He asked sounding worried
"Wait you know Toby?" Sophia the niqabi asked me interrupting him.
Ethan looked frustrated and as if he wanted to ask more but was holding back. Looking at me to see which question I would tackle first.
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