Chapter 13: Running Away

“Come with me?” He takes her outside.

He opens the passenger’s door and tells her to get in. “Where are you taking me? I’m not going anywhere. I mean I have to be home because my parents told me to stay home and not go anywhere else.”

Aaron shuts the door, “See, you don’t love me. Just go back inside.” He pushes her aside from the car. He gets in his car and Sara runs to the driver’s side.

Sara told him, “Please, try to understand.” He starts the engine, “Okay, fine. I’ll come with you, just wait here and let me lock the door.” She runs into the house, finds her house keys, puts her cell phone in her pocket, and locks the door. She sits and he drives away. She was so scared and thought that what if he doesn’t bring her back and she’ll put her parents in shame? When she looked at him, he was smiling. “You’re crazy and you know what I love you.” She thought that she was already breaking the rules, so why not break all the rules. So, she holds his face for the first time and kisses him. He kisses her back and he was smiling. He looked so happy because she kissed him, and he didn’t kiss her first.

Aaron replied, “I love you, too.” He was driving so fast that she couldn’t tell where he was going.

Sara asked, “Why do you drive so fast? What if you get a ticket?”

Aaron told her, “This is how I am, and you should get used to it because that’s what you’re gonna have to go through every day.” He smiles looking at her and she smiles back. After 20 minutes, she saw that they were at the airport.

Sara was curious, “What are we doing, here? Is your dad coming?” He looked angry when she asked him about his father.

Aaron told her, “Look, you should know this and it’s very important. I don’t like to talk about my father, and I’ve already told you that we don’t get along. Plus, I don’t even like to talk about him, so don’t ever ask me anything about my father? Come on, let’s go.” He parks the car and takes her hand.

Sara asked again, “what are we doing here, then?” He didn’t answer her and was walking toward the check-in counter. She stopped before. “First, tell me, why are we here?”

He told her, “We’re going to California.”

Sara let go of his hand, “What? Are you out of your mind? I’m not going anywhere with you.” She walks toward the door and he pulls her from the arm. “Did you plan this before you came to my house?”

Aaron didn’t want to tell her, but she was waiting on him, “Yes, I did. It’s because I love you so much and I want you to stay with me.”

She puts her hands around his face, “Look, Aaron. I told you before that I love you, but I can’t leave my parents. I mean I also want them to accept our relationship.” Then puts her hands down.

Aaron said, “Alright, I’ll come to your house, tonight and ask them for your hand in marriage.”

Sara immediately, “No, you can’t do that. I mean,” She thought about what Farhan told her that their parents want them to get married and if her parents find out that she loves Aaron, then they’ll force her to marry Farhan. “Don’t you think it’s too early for us to get married and I have graduation next week?”

Aaron getting irritated, “why don’t you just tell me that you don’t want to marry me because you don’t love me?”

She didn’t know how to tell him that her parents will never accept their relationship because he is an American. They think that Americans are not trustworthy in relationships because most couples get divorced after getting married because they get bored of each other, but Pakistani couples stay together for the sake of their children or some other reasons even if they don’t love each other.

Sara told him, “There is something that I’ve been hiding from you and I think it’s time that you should know. I truly love you from the bottom of my heart, but my parents will never accept our relationship because you’re an American. They don’t believe that Americans are trustworthy, and their relationship doesn’t last forever comparing to Pakistani peoples’ relationships.”

Aaron thinks, “Oh, that’s not a big deal. I’ll tell them that I’m not like those people, who get married for their fun, and I love you and I will never leave you.”

“There is one more thing,” she was afraid to tell him that and he interrupts again. “So, there is more to it.”

Sara turned away from him and had her back on him. “They want me to get married to Farhan.” She turns to face him, “and I just found out in the morning when I was going to drop Farhan. He told me that and my parents haven’t told me anything yet.” He holds her from the arm and goes to the check-in counter. “What are you doing?”

He doesn’t talk to her. “Hi, I wanted to know if my jet is ready.”

The Lady answered, “Yes, sir. It’s ready.”

“Thank you.” He takes her hand and starts walking toward the door going to his jet.

Sara pleading, “Look, Aaron. Please, try to understand. Why are you playing with me?”

He stops and looks at her, “I’m playing with you or you are. I’m gonna go crazy. I fall in love with somebody who is not ready to be with me. People die in love and you’re not ready to be with me. People die to have this chance and we have, and I don’t want to lose this chance or you. You get me.” He starts walking again.

She snatched her hand from him, “I can’t go with you because I don’t want to put my parent into shame.”

Aaron holds her face in her hands, “I really love you and I will love you so much that you won’t even remember your parents.”

Sara apologized, “I’m sorry, Aaron. If you really love me, then you’ll understand.” She tries to walk backward.

Aaron accusing her, “I knew that you will never go with me because you never loved me. You just care about your parents and yourself. That’s all.” He comes closer to her, “Remember the night that I asked you that if you had to choose one me or your parents?” She was listening to him, “And you chose your parents. That day, Jack told me if you love me a lot and if I ask you to prove your love for me, then maybe you’ll do whatever I say and even go with me to California without any questions asked because you love me. But I guess Jack was wrong and you were right that you will choose your parents between me and them. So, stay here with your parents and do whatever they want you to do. Marry that bloody boy and stay happy forever because I know you’ll forget me pretty soon, but I will always love you no matter what.” He puts his hands around her face and looks into her eyes. “Have you ever loved me?”

Sara told him, “I love you so much, but we need to wait. I will try to convince my parents and maybe they’ll accept our relationship.”

Aaron asked her, “you’re gonna have to choose me or them and you have to make the decision right now. It’s me or them.”

Sara gave him the same option, “what if I asked you to choose between me and your mother? Then who would you have chosen if she was alive?” He was quiet and then he answered, “Well, I would have chosen you because she’s not alive right now, plus she would have let me choose you. Please, come with me.”

“No, I can’t.” She drops his hand, “If you love me on these demands, then I’m sorry to tell you that you don’t know what love really means. It doesn’t only mean to take everything in love, but also means to give up everything for the person you love.”

Aaron repeating the same thing, “you love me, right? Then leave your parents and come with me.”

Sara insisting, “You don’t understand what I’m trying to tell you. You’re just stuck on one thing that I chose my parents but not you.” He got really angry when she said that because it hurt his ego. So, there was this bag tray, which he pushed so hard that it hit all the counters.

“Just go from here before I do something really bad.” Sara saw Jack coming from behind, maybe from the jet.

Jack waving, “Hey, man. What’s going on?”

“Did you hear, what she just said?” He was so angry that he couldn’t control himself and his hands were in fits like he wanted to hit something.

Jack told him, “Just calm down and I’ll talk to her. Don’t worry, she’ll come with us.”

He opens his hands and begs Jack, “Please, man. Make her understand that how much I need her.”

Jack asked her, “Sara, what happened? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

Sara was angry at Jack for doing all this, “You’re the one who told him to do all this. Why?”

Jack told her, “He loves you a lot and I saw him stay up all night thinking about you. He’s been dying inside without you and you choose your parents above him. He even wants to marry you if that makes you come with him. He didn’t love anybody that much and he doesn’t even have a family either, so after you came into his life, it made him complete. You can’t make him incomplete again.”

Sara told him, “I made my decision, and it's final. If Aaron loves me, then he’ll stay here and wait till I convince my parents.”

Jack takes her away from Aaron, “You don’t understand, right now he’s very angry. He has a really big anger problem. You just can’t deny going with him because he will go crazy, and he’ll do anything to take you with him. That’s the reason, his father gave him everything he wanted and never refused him for anything.”

Sara gets mad, “Just stop it. OK. I’m going home and I can’t stay here anymore.” She tries to walk away from him, but Aaron runs and pulls her by the arm. He walks taking her toward the jet.

Aaron told her, “you are going with me no matter what.” He was holding her so tight that he was hurting her.

Sara told him, “Aaron, you’re hurting me.” He loses his grip, so he doesn’t hurt her anymore, but kept walking. “Just let go of my hand because I am not going with you.” He doesn’t listen to her at all when she bites him on his arm, and he lets go. “I’m sorry, but you have to understand. I’m not going with you and I will try to convince my parents. Please,” She started crying and he couldn’t see her crying. She sat down on her knees and was crying so much. They were close to the jet.

Aaron sits down too, and Jack went inside the jet. “I can’t live without you and I have to go back today. Loving you is not easy but staying away from you is more difficult.”

Sara was still crying and thought about something to make things work out for both of them. “I love you too, but I never thought that you’ll take this step and make it so much difficult for me.”

Aaron told her, “I’m not making anything difficult for you. You just have to come with me.”

Sara asked him, “Just answer my questions and I promise that if you tell me the truth, then I’ll go with you no questions asked.”

Aaron got excited, “Okay, it’s a deal.”

Sara asked, “Do you love me?”

Aaron told her impatiently, “More than anything in the world.”

Sara said, “Are you ready to do anything for me?”

Aaron replied, “Yes.”

“Then just give me some time, that’s all I’m asking for.” She got him there and he was thinking for a minute. He stands up and was thinking about what she just said.

“Alright, we’ll make a deal, if your parents don’t accept our relationship, then you will come with me. Okay?”

Sara agreed, “Ok.”

Aaron gave her a warning, “You promise me that and if you create any scene after your parents’ decisions, then I promise I will leave you forever and you won’t see me ever again in your whole life. I really mean it.”

“I promise.” She stopped crying and Aaron waves Jack to come down.

“Come on, get up.” He gives her a hand, and she gets up.

He had planned everything before he went to Sara’s house. So, he was looking for an excuse to make her come with him when he was touching her and she wasn’t letting him touch, but he didn’t know that he was gonna find an excuse so easily. He told her that she wasn’t letting him touch her and she has to prove her love to him. The truth was that the night she told him that she will choose her parents and not him; it was hurting him so much inside. He had this ego problem, which his doctors also instructed him that he needs to control, but he just can’t. So, he told Jack that whatever she said, and he also said that he wants her to be with him all the time. He couldn’t stay away from her for very long and she’s the one who he has been waiting and searching for. And she wasn’t loving him back the way he wants her to love him because she wasn’t giving him enough time and whenever he tried to meet her, she didn’t go or made an excuse that she’s busy doing something. It was hurting him so much that he couldn’t bear it and so, Jack told him to take her away and then he can be with her all the time.

Jack came down, “What happened now?” Sara was hating Jack so much because he was the one who instructed Aaron to take her away from her parents and then she’ll love you the way he wants her to love him.

Aaron told him, “We’ll leave at night.” Sara was standing next to him and he held her hand so tight that he thought that she might run away because she saw the craziest part of him. She didn’t know that he could go this far.

“Just take me home, it’s already five.” She was scared that what will happen after her parents get to know all about her and Aaron. She wanted to hate him for whatever he had done, but she loved him so much that she couldn’t even hate him.

Aaron asked, “Yeah, when are your parents getting off?” She didn’t want to talk to him, “I’m asking you, love.” He was trying to be all nice after whatever he did.

Sara angrily, “Just let go of my hand and take me home.” She walked back to the airport.

Jack waved at them, “I’ll see both of you later, then.”

Aaron said, “Yeah, see you.” Sara didn’t say anything because she wanted to kill him for his bad advice to Aaron. As soon as Jack left, Aaron pulled Sara against his body and kissed her, before he could hold her tight, she pushed him away.

Sara told him, “You can’t touch me anymore.” Aaron got madder and pulled her again, “Who’s gonna stop me?” He kisses her and holds her so tight that she couldn’t free herself. His hands were around her waist and he started walking close to the wall while kissing her. He releases her mouth but doesn’t leave her. “I hate you.” She tries to free herself, but she couldn’t. She also started hitting him on his chest, but still, he didn’t leave and was watching her hit him.

Aaron smiling, “there you go, you hate me, but I still love you.” He was looking in her eyes with so much love and if he would ask her anything to give him, then she couldn’t say no to him because whenever he looked at her like that it made her go crazy about him, but she was still mad at him. He kisses her softly on the lips to see if she would let him kiss more deeply, which she didn’t want to let him, but he kissed her anyway. He was kissing her with the same passion as always. He was pulling her from the waist against his body and kissing her. He touched all over her back and was kissing her lips, neck, and face so madly. She couldn’t stay away from him for long and had her arms around his neck and sometimes around his shoulder. He was so lost in his little world that he didn’t know where he was when somebody interrupted them. It was an old lazy who said, “It’s a public place and you kids, don’t …..” Before she could complete her sentence, Aaron held Sara’s hand and ran to the parking lot. He was laughing so much, and Sara was still mad at him.

Aaron still laughing and Sara said, “It’s not funny anymore and I need to go home now.”

“What if I don’t take you home?” He was smiling at her standing close to the car.

Sara got scared again and thought what if he changes his mind, “but you promised me.” He opens the door, “I was just joking. I know my promise, get in the car.” They get in the car and Aaron drives her home. She doesn’t say anything in the car while he was asking her lots of questions. “Alright, you’re gonna make your parents understand that you have to go with me because you love me, and you can’t live without me. Are you listening to me? Tell them that I’ll marry you if that makes them let you go with me.”

She wasn’t listening to him because she was so mad. He was only thinking about himself and not about anybody else. They were home already, and she didn’t even say a word to him. She got out of the car really fast and opened the house door. “What the hell is your problem?” She went inside and locked the door. He was standing outside the house.

Sara told him, “Just go to hell. I didn’t know I was in love with a big loser.”

Aaron told her, “you know what you’re right; I am a loser because I’ve fallen in love with you. Look, I know whatever I did was not right, but I don’t have any choice because” he stops and then a minute later speaks, “I can’t share your love with anybody.”

Sara was so angry, “That’s just bullshit.”

Aaron said, “To you, it is because you don’t know how much I’ve been craving for somebody’s love after my mother died.”

Sara replied quickly, “Your father loves you, but you don’t care about him.”

Aaron yelled, “yeah, you’re right because the person I love doesn’t care about me and I told you before I don’t want to talk about my father.”

Sara asked, “whatever you did was right? I mean we barely know each other, and you do this to me. I feel like you just want me because…..” She doesn’t say it, but he completes what she wanted to say, “I wanna have sex with you and I don’t love you, Right?”

He got so mad that he didn’t say anything else. He just drove away. She went to the living room window to see if he really did leave. She started crying because she loved him, and she told him all this. She hated herself for whatever happened. She didn’t know why he wanted her to go with him except that he said he loves her that’s why he wants her to go with him. For the first time in her life, she had fallen in love with somebody, and she lost him because of her. She thought that he’ll come at night to take her with him, but she waited for him all night and didn’t show up. She thought that he was mad because of whatever she said and called him so many times. He never answered her call not even once or texted her back. Her parents were home after he left. She didn’t tell them anything because she wanted Aaron to come, so they could tell them together. She waited for him, but he never came back.

They were having dinner and her parents had to tell her about what they decided for her. So, her father didn’t know how to start, and they were telling each other to start with their eye contact.

Sara finally asked, “what’s going on?”

Her mother started, “Honey, we have something to tell. Please, don’t get mad about whatever we’re about to tell you, it’s just our thought that what we think is good and right for you.”

Emraan replied instead, “why would she get mad? Farhan’s a good boy.”

Sara interrupted, “Dad, please. I know what you guys want, Farhan already told me everything, but it’s not gonna happen because I love somebody else.” She said it so fast that her parents were in shock. Her father threw his plate on the floor and stood up and everybody else.

Her father started talking to Sara’s mother, “Great news, Ayesha. See what your daughter’s saying. I told you not to let her be friends with any guys and you never listened to me.”

Sara told him, “He’s a good guy.” Her dad got very angry that punched on the table, “Just shut up, I don’t want to even hear the guy’s name because if you tell me, then I will go kill him right now.” Her mother goes to her father’s side and pats her hand on his back.

Ayesha said to her husband, “Calm down, I’ll talk to her and she’ll listen to me.”

Sara was still telling them about Aaron, “Mom, I really love him, and he loves me too. He’s also ready to marry me.” Her father comes over and tries to slap her, but her mother stops him, “what are you doing, Emraan? She’s a child; she doesn’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. Somebody influenced her and that’s why she…..” Sara interrupts and cries at the same time, “No, mom. Nobody influenced me. I really love him, and he was supposed to come to meet you guys, but something happened that’s why he couldn’t come.”

Her father calmed down a little, “See, he didn’t show up because he’s a liar.” He goes to her puts his hands around her face. “Look, we love you a lot and we don’t want you to get hurt because some loser cheated you. No American guy will ever understand your feeling toward him because they don’t know to believe in relationships and bonds between two people. That guy will never understand you or your feelings for him and Farhan likes you a lot. I’m a hundred percent positive that he will keep you happy.”

Sara told him, “Dad, you don’t understand. I’ve already fallen in love with somebody else and I can’t live happy with Farhan. He’s a good boy, but I’m not the one for him or vice-versa.” He goes back again to his old spot.

Emraan was still saying his thing even not knowing who the guy was, “How do I tell you that American boys just care about themselves not somebody else?”

Sara cries, “Aaron cares for me and he really loves me.”

Ayesha wanted to make sure if who she really was talking about, “Aaron? He is the one who took you to the Prom?”

Sara replied, “Yeah.” Her mother wanted nothing but her daughter happy.

Ayesha said, “He’s a good boy and I’m sure he loves Sara.” Sara smiled that her mother was on her side, but she was still crying. Her mother couldn’t even do anything without her father’s permission.

Emraan blaming Ayesha, “It’s all happening because of you.” He puts his hands on the table talking to her mother, “You let her be like those American girls and now she is acting like one of them, but” Turns to Sara. “Sara, I’m not gonna let you ruin your life. You will do as I say. Do you understand me?” Sara was crying so much that she didn’t know how to convince her parents. Aaron was also not coming, so it was hard for her to convince them. So, she had nothing else but to fight with her parents.

Sara was screaming now, “No, I don’t understand anything, Dad. I’ve always done whatever you told me, but now I will do whatever my heart tells me. I’m gonna go with Aaron to live my life with him.” She opens the door to get out of the house, but her father drags her inside, “You’re not going anywhere, you understand.” He was so mad that he didn’t know how to handle the situation. So, Ayesha took him inside to talk to him.

Ayesha was a calm person, “Just come with me; please baby, just stay here. We’ll figure something out.” Sara believed her mother and she thought that maybe she will convince her father. After a few minutes later, her parents came out of the room.

There wasn’t any chance that her mother could convince her father because her father had promised his friend that he will marry his daughter to his friend’s son. He didn’t want to break his promise. He came out of the room yelling. “No, this is not gonna happen. If I see that boy ever again, I swear to God, I will kill him.”

Sara started crying more, “You don’t love me, dad. He loves me more than you and I think he knew that you will never accept our relationship that’s why he wanted to take me away from here.” Her father was in shock, “What? You were gonna run with him.” He slaps her and she falls on the floor.

Sara begs him holding his legs, “Dad, I love him. Please, try to understand. I can’t be with anybody else. I will kill myself if you try to force me…..” Her father loved her daughter, and he didn’t want to lose his only daughter. So, he thought of playing a trick on her, and that way she will do whatever they want.

“Get up. You love him that much.” She nods, “Alright, call him right now.” She got so happy and finds her cell phone. They sat on the couch while she was calling him. She dials Aaron’s number, but he doesn’t answer. She called him like ten times or more, but he didn’t answer. “See, he’s avoiding you now, when it’s time for the knot.”

Sara told him, “No, dad. He is just mad at me because I told him something really bad and that’s why.” She dials again, but no one answers.

Emraan gets up, “can’t you see, he was playing with your feelings the whole time?” Her father got scared, “Did he do anything…..?”

Sara knew what he was talking about, “No, dad. Why are you saying this? I love him and he loves me, too. I know where he lives, and we can go there.”

Ayesha said, “But he…..” Before she could say something her husband stopped her.

Emraan asked her, “We’ll go there and if he’s not there, you promise that you will marry Farhan.”

“No, dad. Please, don’t force me. I don’t love him.” He didn’t say anything because he also loved his daughter and didn’t want to force anything on her. So, he thought that as time goes by, she will forget him and marry Farhan. They get out of the house and goes to where Aaron was staying. He wasn’t there either because he already had left for California. Sara’s mother knew that he already left and told her father too. That’s why he played along with her and didn’t say anything. She saw Joe in the Garden and ran to him. “Joe, where is Aaron?”

Joe told her, “He already left because his father called in the morning, he had some urgent work.”

Sara asked him, “Did he leave any message for me?”

Joe looking at her parents, “Nope.”

Sara remembered about Jack, “Where is Jack?”

Joe told her, “He went with him, but I stayed back because I had some work here. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” She didn’t tell him anything.

Joe told her, “I thought you knew that he was leaving today, and he told us that you were gonna go with him.” They went back to the car.

Sara said, “He had some work that’s why he had to leave, but he’ll come back in few days.” She hoped that he comes back, but he never came back.

Emraan told her, “Let’s go home. He’s not gonna come back, he’ll find somebody else in few days.” Her father drove back to the house and Sara was quiet. She didn’t say anything, and her father was talking. “See I told you to not believe these kids because they’re not trustworthy. They never understand anybody’s feeling, they just care about themselves.”