Sweet Obsession (24 page)

I lost my zest for life. I had lost my appetite and had no desire to drink and get drunk like most men did. The king, my father, was losing his patience with me.

“Nidal, I demand you marry the lovely Princess Shaeena,” he said gruffly.

“Impossible, Father, I see her only as a brother sees a sister!” I declared.

My father laughed in my face. “Son, do you have eye trouble? Have you taken a second and third look at her? Maybe you have missed something! She is one of the most beautiful maidens in the country, not to mention the fact that she is a princess.”

I simply ignored him and walked away.

Every night when I closed my eyes, I thought of Loula, her lovely face, her big, black eyes, and soft, full lips. I imagined running my fingers through her thick hair and bringing her head closer to mine, and our lips touching as I caressed her lovely breasts. I whispered my love for her in her ear, and she whispered it back to me. I entered her with a passion above and beyond anything I had ever felt in my whole entire life.

I had masturbated every night since I had seen her, and it was only the memory of her on my mind that I shared these moments with. I told no one because I knew no one would understand the love I felt for her. They were precious moments, and I treasured them.

I was a prince obsessed with a girl who was a world away. I begged the king every day to allow me to sail back to America and bring her here to Arabia. He only laughed in my face. My mother begged me to stop thinking of her. I told them that they need to understand the depth of my feelings for her. I would never love another. They did not believe that. Even Billal, instead of siding with me, laughed too. So I kept to myself, and I accepted all the criticism from everyone. I did not care that they laughed. What was that to me? They were fools! They did not know what love meant. I continued to bring her memory into the bedroom every night. It was there that I felt her in my arms. It was there that I shared my thoughts and feelings with her. It was there that I made love to her every night thereafter. It was during my dreams that I lived the happiest.

Another four years passed, and I was really feeling the pressure to marry the princess, my best friend. I held my ground and told them that I would not even consider her or any other woman. I wanted Loula and no one else. By now, the people of Arabia were crying for me to get married. The pressure was tremendous.

One day, my mother took me aside and cried in my arms.

“Nidal, you do not smile anymore. You have lost your zest for life! All you do is obsess over this American woman! You are getting older and you must choose a bride soon! Reconsider Princess Shaeena. She is a perfect match for you!”

“I would never marry anyone but Loula, Mother. It has to be her or no one,” I told her.

“I want grandchildren! You are depriving me of a happy life. You are selfish, Nidal! she said, and she ran out of the room crying.

I went back to the king, begging him to reconsider.

“Father, you will be waiting for years, because I will not change my mind! I am not going to marry Princess Shaeena! I want Loula and no other!” I told him sternly.

“You are an obsessive, self-centered fool!” the king growled, but in the end, after much deliberation, he gave up and finally agreed.

I sailed away a week later, and I could not contain my excitement. My mother begged me not to go, but I refused to listen to her, telling her that I was going to bring her back a daughter-in-law. She gave up the argument and stalked off to her room, but not without saying first that I had broken her heart.

My father, the king, laughed at me and told me, “It has been ten years since you last saw Loula. She is most likely married with ten children.” I flinched at this possibility.

“If you come back without her, I will have you marry Princess Shaeena,” he said without blinking an eyelash.

And I agreed, knowing deep in my heart that I would not come back without Loula. I would move heaven and earth if I had to. I would cross mountains and oceans and kill anyone who stood in my way. I would do all that, but I would not come back without her.

Every day on the ship, I stayed in my cabin and tried to figure out ways to tell Loula that I was back and wanted her to marry me. There was a good chance she was married, as my father had said, and even if she weren’t, she might be in love with another. It had been ten years. Anything was possible. My nights were the same as always. I lay in bed, closed my eyes, and thought of her. My excitement was released in masturbation, and I would fall asleep with her on my mind.

The dreams never came back. Ever since I saw her ten years ago, the dreams had stopped. I did not know what that meant. It worried me.
Am I chasing a dream that was never going to become real?
I would die if that happened. There was no life for me without Loula. I could not explain it any better. It was just simply Loula or no one. I would not yield. I had to find her and make her mine.

The weather was perfect, and that allowed our ship to make good time reaching America. Almost two months later, we docked at port, and I could hardly contain myself. I jumped off the ship and ran to town to the little bakery to find Loula. To my dismay, she was not inside, and when I asked the young girl who worked there if she knew where I could find her, she stood silent, not saying a word.

I went to the house where I knew she had lived the last time I was here. I knocked on the wooden door, but there was no answer. My heart pounded drastically as I walked around to the side of the house and peeked inside through the window. The house was empty. No one was home. The reality was that I had taken too long to come for her. Ten whole years had passed, and she probably did not remember me after all this time.

Sick to my stomach, I roamed the town like a chicken without a head. I knew not what to do. So I went to the corner cafeteria to have a cup of coffee and gather my wits. It was there that I overheard the conversation between two older men that tore my heart out.

They were discussing the wedding that was to take place an hour from now. I heard them say the names Angelo and Loula. I jumped off my seat, ran up to them, and demanded they tell me where the wedding was to take place. The two men looked skeptical about telling me a single thing. I pulled five gold coins out of my pocket, and I got all the information I needed from them.

Loula and Angelo were getting married in a little chapel about a mile from here. The wedding party and all the guests were on their way there now. My heart pounded in my ears as I ran to find a horse and try to get to the chapel to stop the wedding. But first I needed the help of my men.

I bought a horse, rode back to the ship, and told my men what was happening. They all wanted a piece of the action. Even Billal was excited to steal the bride from the groom. I could hardly contain myself as we all rode as fast as possible to the chapel. We had a plan. We were going to kidnap my woman. It was a little risky, but I had no other choice. I wanted her, and I would go to any lengths to get her.

Some men stayed behind to prepare the ship to sail away as soon as we returned. We couldn’t waste any time on our way back. The law would probably be after us when we kidnapped the bride. Our plan was set in action, and we were on our way to the chapel to steal the bride.

When we got there, the plan was set into motion. My men very quietly surrounded the little chapel, just as we had planned, and we waited for the best opportunity to grab the bride. I peeked through the little side window, and my heart tightened. The chapel was full of people, the groom stood proudly by the side of the altar alongside the minister, and they all waited for Loula to walk down the aisle.

Loula was taking little steps as she walked toward her groom. She was wearing a simple white gown with short sleeves that were trimmed with lace, and she was holding a single white lily in her hands. Her hair was pinned up in a simple updo that showed off her beautiful facial features. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but no sparkle was in her eyes. No smile on her face. In fact, she looked very sad.

I caught my breath as I watched her walk closer to the altar. The love I felt for her at this moment overwhelmed me. It had been ten long years. Ten years of torture! Frantic now, I acted quickly. I just wanted to get this over with and put this day behind me. My men were all in position. All was set. Nothing could stop me now. This was my fate, and Loula was my destiny. I took a deep breath and opened the side door to the chapel, the one closest to the bride, and walked in.

Everyone’s head turned, including the groom’s. I ran to Loula, swept her up in my arms, and started running as fast as I could out of the chapel. Behind me, everyone was screaming and yelling, and the groom chased after me. As soon as I stepped outside, my men barred the chapel’s door from opening. That would give us ample time to ride away.

My men were outside with the horses they had stolen from the guests who were inside the chapel. They held on to Loula as she was kicking and screaming for help. I jumped on my horse, Loula was handed to me, and off we rode. All my men rode behind me, and we raced toward the ship. Loula was holding on to my waist for dear life. I had never felt a bigger rush than what I felt at that very moment. I closed my eyes for a second and allowed the wind to blow in my face. It felt so good. I took a deep breath and smiled.
Life is good
, I thought.

The horses behind me galloped at a very fast pace. We had to reach the ship within the next few minutes. At exactly four thirty, the ship would sail away, according to plan. Loula’s hold on my waist tightened as we raced up some small hills and down the other side. I could see the ship from where we were, and I was thrilled that we had almost accomplished our goal. I heard some of my men riding behind me, while most of them raced ahead, and finally we were there.

I jumped off the horse, grabbed a hold of Loula’s waist, and pulled her off the horse hastily. The ship was just about to sail away as we rushed up the plank. Loula resisted and tried to break free of my hold, so I lifted her, threw her over my shoulders, and ran up the plank. My men pulled up the plank, and we sailed away just in time. Angelo and about twenty of his men raced up to the dock, but they got there too late.

Everyone on the ship cheered with excitement. They were glad to be going back home. I took Loula to my cabin and threw her on the bed. She was enraged, raving, panting, and throwing a fit. I smiled down at her, and I was just so glad to finally have my prize. She was my life now. I knew at that moment that I could not live without her.

I locked Loula in the cabin and went to thank my men. We ate bread and cheese and drank wine in celebration. Some were singing, some were dancing, and everyone was drunk. This was a happy day for them. Their prince was finally bringing home a bride!

I left them to go visit my girl, thinking they were right. I finally was bringing home a bride, but would she have me? She did not look too happy to be here. I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Loula was lying on the bed fast asleep. Tears were on her eyelashes, and I knew she had cried herself to sleep. That hurt my ego, but, most importantly, my heart. I loved her so much, and I only prayed that she would feel the same way for me one day.

I lay down on the bed next to her and looked into her beautiful face. This woman was mine. And I was never going to let her go. Never! I slowly took her in my arms and held my breath. I was bursting with happiness. My dream had come true. Eventually, I fell into blissful sleep.

The next morning, I had to explain to Loula why I kidnapped her on her wedding day. She patiently waited for my explanation. I was not sure she would understand what I was about to tell her, but I had to say something because I could tell by the way her eyes looked around the room that she was searching for something to throw at me. I took a chance and told her the simple truth. Even as it came out of my mouth, I knew she was not going to believe me. The whole thing sounded ridiculous.

I bent forward as the oil lamp came flying out of nowhere and crashed on the wall behind me. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought, but I would try my best every day to make her understand my feelings for her. Only then would she see what I saw, that we were meant to be together forever. It was our fate. It was our destiny.

I made many attempts to speak to her, but she would not listen to reason.

“It is not fair to Angelo that I was taken from him in such a way. He is a good man and does not deserve what he got,” she said angrily.

My heart twisted with jealousy at the mere mention of Angelo. I hated him with a passion.

Loula cried many times in our cabin, and I tried comforting her, but she pushed me away, saying she wanted to be left alone. One day, I asked her flat out, “Do you love Angelo? If you swear to me that you are in love with him, we will sail back to the Americas and hand you back to him.” I held my breath for her answer, but to my delight, she clamped her mouth shut and spoke not. My heart swelled with love. I now knew that my chances were greater to win her love. I would take it slowly, one day at a time. I knew one day she would understand my motives, but until then, I respected her wishes and did not push her in any way.

The months passed quickly, and we reached Arabia in no time. There was excitement in the air as we docked. Thousands of people were waiting to greet us. They cheered and sang as we walked down the plank. I was so proud of my country and so thankful that they finally understood my feelings for the woman I loved.

When my feet touched Arabian soil, I felt a rush in my body from head to toe. I was blown away with this feeling that had consumed my entire being. I gently pulled Loula next to me. Everyone was pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of her. I bowed and waved to my people, and the huge crowd went crazy.

The royal carriage was waiting for us at the end of the walkway. I took Loula’s hand and helped her into the carriage, and then I too climbed in and sat next to her. I stole a quick glance toward the love of my life, and I caught her looking at me nervously. Taking her hand, I gave her a reassuring squeeze, hoping it would ease her tension. Finally, my cousin Billal climbed in, and the driver closed the door, climbed on the front of the carriage, and pulled the reins. The six stallions galloped away. Everyone was cheering wildly behind us. But we had a good day’s ride to the palace, and I did not want to waste any more time getting there. I was eager to get home and claim Loula as my bride.