Unwanted Attraction

Daniya's POV

I felt slightly lightheaded as I breathed in the fresh morning air. The stark contrast from the air conditioned environment of the plane was dizzying.

I squinted my eyes to look at the sky that was a blue so bright that it made me feel as if it were glad that we had come, as if it were rejoicing in our arrival. Although the thought was fanciful to the extreme, it still put a smile on my face. The low hum of busy chatter surrounded us over the chirping of birds in the background.

It was as if I was transported into another universe where everything was serene and lovely. A far cry from the hellhole that Gauhar had made me picture it as.

"When I imagined the place of your nightmares and the place that you were so averse to being at, I didn't expect it to be this little slice of paradise." I turned towards Gauhar who was struggling to single-handedly balance the five bags she'd brought on her shoulders.

My words brought a bitter smile to her face, but she continued heaving the heavy bags, her face turning red with the exertion "it does seem like a calm little land of paradise right? I guess that's why we have so many tourists flocking to this place."

She looked around at the people in their floral vacation shirts admiring the clear sky "but l, everyone has their own brand of hell and this place is it for me, it's like a poisonous jellyfish, all mesmerising and beautiful on the outside but-"

"What are you two doing over there! Stop dallying and come here both of you." The bright yet deep and oddly soothing voice that belonged to Muqeet called out to us, cutting whatever Gauhar had to say.

I craned my neck to look at him over the crowd. His bright yellow t-shirt was like a beacon that was calling out to us, on anyone else the combination of the yellow t shirt and Hawaiian tanned shorts would have made them look like a ridiculous omelette, but with his dark sunglasses and messy hair that shone like copper in the mellow sunlight, he looked effortlessly casual yet chic.

However, no matter how good he looked I would burn those clothes as soon as I ever got the chance to.

Groaning as I dragged my bags along I shook my head, I reminded myself that admiring this particular man was not right for me because he was strictly out of bounds. Just this once, admiring did hold a certain amount of risk, and that was something I couldn't afford to take. He was my best friend's brother and as such, he was my brother.

Right…right?

"What took you guys so long? I've been waiting for you for more than five minutes now, and you guys were moving as if you were stuck in a slow motion video." assessing the panting mess that was me and the effortless yet sweaty mess that was my best friend he said "I think both of you have gotten pretty out of shape. Y'all desperately need to work out."

Flinging a bag that seemed to be as heavy as a rock across her shoulder Gauhar huffed out in annoyance "We had to slug this luggage all by ourselves because the men over here are an absolute waste of space." She glared at him with a pointed look, but he looked away at the people bustling about nearby, completely ignoring her tone as if what she said wasn't worth his time.

"Anyways I don't need workout advice from someone who can barely complete a hundred squats without taking two breaks in between."

Pushing the sunglasses up his head, he popped a piece of gum in his mouth "Gauhar my darling sister, weren't you the one who was going on about how females are independent and don't need men in their lives?" he flicked her on the forehead earning a withering glare in return "I'm just being a supportive brother and letting you be the independent strong woman that you are. Also I'm gonna be gracious and ignore that petty jab you made on my leg strength, I can easily go to seventy five without a break."

Gauhar snorted loudly at his words, making him turn slightly red as he noticed me. Walking towards me he extended a hand, "Give those to me, they seem heavy."

His eyes were trained at a spot behind my head, as if he was refusing to meet my eyes and god damn it I found it attractive. "Are you sure about it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Those words seemed to irritate him further causing a vein to pop on his neck, maybe Gauhar's words did bother him more than he let it show. Making a sound of annoyance at the back of his throat, he pulled the bags out of my hands and turned around, carrying them effortlessly.

"Hey! Why are you helping her and not me? I'm your sister." Gauhar screamed close to his ear, making me suspect that her voice had definitely managed to make him at least partially deaf if not entirely.

But the sounds of the screeching banshee that was my best friend, didn't seem to have affected him in the least as he calmly walked on ahead. Not so much as flinching at her voice. Maybe twenty two years of living with her had granted him immunity against all sorts of ear damage.

"Firstly, Why did you have to bring so much shite if you knew that you couldn't carry it yourself?"

Turning back towards us, he flashed a cocky smile, his dark brown eyes glinting with mischief "and secondly, I helped her because she is a lady and I am a gentleman. I have been raised to be chivalrous and polite, seeing that we've gotten the same upbringing it's a mystery how you've grown up to such an uncouth idiot."

Giving him a look that seemed to curse him in fifteen different languages, Gauhar carried the ridiculous number of bags that she had brought with surprising ease, as if his words had actually reminded her how strong she was. I knew for a fact that she easily lifted around ten kilograms just for her bicep curls , so her whining about the weight of her bags was endearing and funny at the same time, and I was sure Muqeet knew her enough to know that she was putting up an act.

Unceremoniously throwing the bags into the car, Gauhar slipped in and banged the door shut. Clearly showing her aggravation without words. Muqeet rolled his eyes at her childish antics and tucked our bags into the boot of the car. As I bent forward to open the door for myself, he appeared beside me, pulling the door open for me.

I looked up at him, only to be startled by our proximity. He gave me a smile that I was sure had charmed the boots off of many women, and it was with difficulty that I stopped myself from blushing bright red.

"Thanks Muqeet, but I can open the doors myself, I have enough strength in my delicate arms for that. You don't have to worry yourself about it." I internally sighed with relief that my voice sounded firm and confident, as I flashed him a smile of my own.

His eyes roamed over my face for a couple seconds longer before he gave me a smile that nearly blinded me and nodded silently as he moved to take his place at the driver's seat.

"Gauhar, can't you come here and sit with me at the front? I don't wanna look like I'm your chauffeur." He called out from the front, I could see that he was not pleased by the notion through the rear-view mirror.

Leaning forward between the front seats Gauhar turned towards her brother a huge grin on her face "I think we are better off this way, I can't really leave Daniya alone at the back now can I?" giving him a gloating smile she continued "We can't let our guest feel uncomfortable now can we? It's important that I be hospitable and polite at all times, just like you had advised me to be."

Muqeet seemed to regret his gentlemanly act as he scowled at his sister, but he didn't say anything.

She plopped back down beside me giving me a wink as she continued "Before you throw a hissy fit, let me remind you that Baba and the others have already started ahead of us and if we are late, he'll go ahead and send people in search for us."

"Considering what happened the last time that had happened I'm sure you know how that's gonna turn out." The memories of what had happened brought a painful glint in his eyes that made me curious to know the details.

Clenching his jaw in irritation, he started the engine of the car and accelerated so furiously that I couldn't stop myself from gasping in alarm. As Gauhar laughed at his annoyance, he slowed the car down to a normal speed, but I couldn't stop the rapid beating of my heart.