Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

7 years later

 

Sofiah and her family were invited to the birthday celebration of His Majesty The King. She’s very excited to meet Mazid and both of them had agreed to meet at the royal hall before the event.

 

“Fiya! Long time no see! I miss you!” Mazid greeted Sofiah as he walked into the hall.

 

“I miss you too. But how come you never visit me in Russia??!” Sofiah playfully raised her voice and widened her eyes.

 

Actually, after 5 years in Ireland, she went to Russia to continue studying medicine, specializing in the military for 2 years.

 

“I'm sorry, babe. You know, I am always busy with polo tournaments and royal duties.” Mazid put his hands together as a gesture of apology.

 

“So many excuses.” She rolled her eyes.

 

“Since you've come home, we'll hang out often after this. Is it okay? Smile please.” Mazid showed his cute face to her.

 

She couldn't resist his cuteness and a smile appeared on her face. Mazid always found a way to make her smile.

 

“By the way, you look gorgeous tonight,” he complimented her as he’s eyeing her from head to toe.

 

“Thank you. You look handsome too.”

 

Her heart skipped a beat when seeing Mazid in his white suit. He’s looking more handsome than years ago.

 

“Thank you, pretty. Anyway, when is your reporting day?”

“Another 2 weeks.”

 

“Awesome! We should hang out together before you start the job. I will free my schedule in these two weeks just for you.”

 

“Are you sure? How about your girlfriend? Is she okay with that?”

 

Mazid had a lot of girlfriends and Sofiah knew each one of them. He always told her when he got a new girlfriend. No wonder his new nickname was a royal playboy.

 

“Don't worry about her. She's not here anyway. Just you and me, okay.”

 

“Thank you, bestie. You're the best!”

 

While they’re chatting to each other, Matin was walking into the hall in his black military formal attire.

 

“Bro! Come and greet Fiya! Both of you haven’t seen each other for a long time,” Mazid called his brother.

 

Her face suddenly turned pale and she widened her eyes in shock at Mazid.

 

“Mazid! Why are you asking him to greet me?! You know we always bicker with each other!”

 

“Chill, okay. He's matured now,” Mazid whispered to calm her down.

 

“Oh, Fiya is here. How are you?” Matin greeted her as he’s eyeing her from head to toe.

 

“Hmm good.” She rolled her eyes as she’s not pleased to see him.

 

“Guys, I want to go to the toilet. Fiya, wait for me here, okay.” Mazid excused himself.

 

“Mazid, don't leave me alone!” she whispered to him, grabbing his hand.

 

“Just a minute, okay. Bro, don't make any troubles,” Mazid warned his brother.

 

“Don't worry. I’m not a kid anymore,” Matin replied, looking at Sofiah with a smirk.

 

As Mazid left them alone, things were getting a little awkward.

 

She’s looking down while playing with her fingers with a blank mind, while he’s staring at her with both hands inside the pockets.

 

“I heard you're a Lieutenant. When is your reporting day?” Matin broke the silence between them.

 

“Next two weeks,” she answered, coldly.

 

“Actually… I'm quite surprised that you dare to enter the military world. I don't think someone like you will survive. But I'm looking forward to seeing how long you're going to survive. It must be fun,” he said, mockingly with a smirk.

 

She slightly chuckled at his remarks as she thought he had changed.

 

You start this, Matin. Game on! she said in her head.

“Oh! Please continue to look forward because I know that you're my die-hard fan,” she replied with a wink.

 

He suddenly burst out laughing as if she had said something very funny.

 

“HAHAHAHAHAHA. I never thought that you would be this funny. I guess these past 7 years not only made you become a doctor but also a comedian. HAHAHAHA.”

 

She clenched her teeth in annoyance while looking at him and took a deep breath. She needed a lot of oxygen so that she could think properly to win this fight.

 

She tried hard to keep her composure and gave him the loveliest smile she ever had.

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”

 

After he calmed down from the laughter, he’s getting ready for his next attack.

“By the way, have fun with your work because you would never know that I might be your commanding officer,” he said as he launched his attack.

 

“What?!” Now, she couldn't control her emotion. She’s confused and surprised at the same time.

 

He smirked when seeing her shocked expression.

 

“You obviously don't know that I'm a Captain in the Baqiah Air Force.” He proudly showed his wing badges and military rank on his attire.

 

Words can’t describe her feelings right now and her jaw dropped at the sudden news. Matin almost died laughing when seeing her reaction.

 

Yes! I won tonight! he said in his head.

 

“Welcome to BAF! See you, my little enemy.” Matin winked and left her speechless.

 

What the hell is that?! He's my Captain???!! Somebody, please tell me this is just a joke!

 

The news caught her completely off guard. She’s starting to regret her decision to join the military.

 

Both Matin and Mazid had brown eyes, a muscular body and a sharp jawline. However, it’s not hard to differentiate them.

 

Mazid was someone who always had a smile on his face and was friendly with fairer skin. Meanwhile, Matin was someone who always looked serious and cool with tanned skin due to military training.

 

Within these two weeks, Sofiah and Mazid hung out together almost every day. Mazid fulfilled his promise by freeing his schedule only for her.

 

“Woah, Mazid. It's been a long time.”

 

They visited their favourite hang-out restaurant and Sofiah was reminiscing about their good old days. As they walked inside, she found that the table arrangement had changed. But the restaurant still had the same vibe.

 

The memories kept on playing in her head as she looked at one side, where she fought with Matin during her 16th birthday. Matin purposely ruined her birthday cake before she could blow out the candles. The restaurant had witnessed a lot of their bickering moments.

 

Suddenly, a pair of hands closed her eyes from behind.

 

“Mazid, what are you doing?” she asked in confusion.

 

“It's a surprise. Now, just keep moving forward.”

 

“Mazid! Don't play around!”

 

“Shh. I guarantee you'll like it.”

 

Mazid led her into a private room inside the restaurant. Once inside, he pulled his hands away from her eyes.

 

Sofiah opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was...HER OLD FRIENDS!!!

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!”

A loud cheer was heard from her friends with balloons filling the room. Sofiah couldn't contain herself on how happy she was.

 

“PM squad! I miss all of you so much!”

 

She gave each of them a fist bump. There were Amin, Danny, Sean and Faris. They were very close friends since childhood and they named their group, PM squad.

 

“Fiya! Happy birthday and congratulations on your graduation!” they wished her.

 

“Thank you, guys! I didn't expect this!”

 

After cutting the cake, all of them sat together reminiscing about the old days.

 

“Fiya, you're a Lieutenant and Matin is a Captain. Meaning that you're just one rank below him. So, what if you're under him?” Danny asked with a teasing smile.

 

“Danny, don't joke around,” Mazid warned him.

Sofiah just chuckled at his question and replied, “There are a lot of captains and I'm sure I won't be under him. Even if I need to be under him, do you think I'll listen to him? Absolutely not.”

 

Her answer brought laughter to all of them as they could imagine what would happen if that came true.

 

“You both still don't get along with each other. I can still remember that you both fought a lot in the past.” Sean grinned.

 

“We'll never get along with each other. Never.” Sofiah shook her head.