Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,121

secret tunnels. You knew that one of them ended very close to the airport and a car was covered there ready to be used in case of any emergency. Why didn’t you take that tunnel? Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to betray you that way!” I shouted, tears blurring my vision.

The truth was, I did think about it, but I thought that if he’d trusted me that much, I shouldn’t violate that trust and use it for my benefit. It wasn’t right to do so, and I couldn’t do it.

The prince looked taken aback by my yelled declaration, keeping his eyes locked with mine for a few moments, then shook his head. “You confuse the hell out of me, Princess,” he said in a low voice. “Most of the time I think I understand you, but then you do or say something and I just…you confuse me,” he repeated. “You made a deal with me to stay here for six months, and then you escape. You said you would help cover for my sister to save her life, and then put it in danger along with yours. You knew about an easier escape route, but you didn’t use it, so as not to betray me even with everything you did. You told me to pretend that the kiss I shared with you never happened, and then you came and kissed me, just like that.” He let out a sarcastic chuckle, “Or was it a part of your ‘Let’s make a fool out of Mazen’ plan?”

“I wasn’t trying to fool you,” I said in a low voice, and he gave me a look of disbelief. “I really wasn’t,” I insisted. “You’re right, escaping that way was a mistake, even if I didn’t care for Janna–which is not true, by the way–I should’ve thought about the baby inside of her, not because it’s my blood, but because it’s a baby, innocent in all of this. I just wanted an out, I wanted to go home, the thought was consuming me to no end. When I saw an out, I couldn’t not take it. I wasn’t thinking about it from all angles, I admit. You could say I was too caught up in the motion, I wasn’t really thinking.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said, and I frowned. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, but really, you just don’t think about a lot of things, and I keep trying to understand you or why you do it, but...” He shook his head.

“Like that day we went out, you brought back roses for Mona to apologize for yelling at her. I told you to keep our sneaking out a secret, and you did, to a point. You just didn’t think of the fact that Mona would wonder where you got those roses from–which, by the way, we only grow that kind in the stable garden, and certainly not in our sunroom. She would eventually put two and two together and know we went to the stable.”

Oh, snap! I really didn’t think about that! His words made my eyes widen.

“You did it with good intentions, that I’m aware of, so it’s fine. Lots of things you did were the same way, but this?” He threw his hand in the air in an ‘I don’t know why’ motion.

“I just wanted to be safe again!” I tried, my voice low and my eyes looking away from him.

‘‘Safe?” he said in shock. “You weren’t safe in here?”

I didn’t reply.

“I know with everything your brother did you were not feeling secure, and I know my mother didn’t make you very comfortable with her words, but...I promised you, Princess. I promised to keep you safe. Did I do anything that made you not trust me? Why can’t you trust me? Just give me one good reason why!”

A tear escaped my teary eyes, and the truth escaped my trembling lips. “You’re a Muslim. I can’t trust Muslims, that’s why.” I turned away, my back facing him, I couldn’t risk seeing the look of hurt I knew would be there, caused by my words. I’d never liked the sight of him being hurt, and didn’t think I ever would.

“Huh? Seriously, Princess?” The hurt was truly evident in his voice. “Because I’m a Muslim? How judgmental and prejudicial could you really be?” His voice raised a bit, and frustration hardened his tone, along with…distaste. Might even be disgust. “First you call me a filthy Arab, then you say you can’t be friends with a Muslim,