Heart on Lock *5*

The cafe close to his workplace wasn’t empty, but I fortunately didn’t recognize anyone. 

I took off my glasses and looked around for that familiar, handsome face, and smiled when I found him by the window, with two drinks in front of him.

“And I thought I was early,” I said, smiling while I walked to him. He stood up and smiled.

“Good morning,” he said. 

“Good morning,” I replied, sitting down across from him. 

“I hope I got your order right,” he said, handing me my coffee.

It could be made with spoilt milk and it would still be good coming from him.

“You did,” I said after taking a sip. Fresh milk. 

My phone buzzed with a text from Talal, and my heart dropped to my stomach. 

 

Good morning. 

“You okay?” Yaqoub asked me. Was my face really an open book?

“Sorry, yeah. Work stuff,” I said, and he nodded. I flipped my phone around. 

“I’m burning out, I think,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m thinking of taking Thursday off.”

“I’m saving my days off,” I said. I couldn’t explain to him I had wedding dress fittings to attend, and a honeymoon to go to?

He nodded, anyway.  Was he somehow trying to allude to the idea for me to join him?  

I did have a good amount of sick leaves to use…

“Are you okay? You seem a bit off today,” he said, taking a sip of his hot coffee.

 

I sighed and nodded. 

“Yeah. Just a bit of pressure at home. My mom’s back for a bit so I’m going to be homebound,” I said with a chuckle. 

“Really? How so?” he asked, looking at mex eager to listen. 

Where do I begin?

“Let’s just say she’s very…very strict,” I said with a chuckle. 

“I’m sure your dad is lenient though, that dynamic always happens.”

I laughed a bit too loudly. 

“He’s just as strict, too, but he’s in Germany with my brother. At least I think he’s with my brother,” I said, swirling my drink with my straw. “What about your parents?”

He smiled and leaned back against his seat. 

“They’re honestly great. I’m sorry,” he said and I laughed. 

“Which department did you say you worked at?” he asked me, switching to work now. Did he not want to know me more? 

“Corporate investing,” I said, and he nodded. 

“Was that your dream job?” he said, and I laughed. 

“Not really. I mean, I’m going to switch to working at my dad’s soon, so I needed some intense training, apparently. You?”

I said. 

“I just needed a position I could work my way up at,” he said. 

“You seem smart,” I replied with a smile. 

“As do you,” he said, smiling back.

 

“What about racing? Did you ever want to take it seriously?”

“Aside from being to too late to make that decision? No. It’s mostly because of my parents. The sport scares them,” he said, and I nodded.

He looked at the time on his phone; it was almost seven thirty. 

“I think I need to go. I have a meeting today I need to prep for,” he said. My face fell; was he bored of me? 

“Good luck,” I said, looking at my phone now. 

Can we talk? 

It was a text from Talal. My stomach twisted. Was he hopefully calling it off? 

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, same time? I won’t have any meetings,” he said, squashing any doubts of him being bored of me.

“Sure,” I said with a smile, walking out of the cafe with him. 

“See you, Zaina,” he said, and I smiled.

“See you.”

I immediately texted Talal back once Yaqoub and I parted ways and he entered his building. 

Yes. 

Talal called me immediately after the text.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hi, Zaina, how are you?” he replied calmly.

“I’m good. How are you?” I said a bit too formally. How were we going to be husband and wife? 

“I’m good, thanks. My mother told me you wanted to announce after three months, seeing the situation of your brother and all,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied. Was that a problem?

“Okay. I was kind of hoping it would be sooner, just so…you know, people would know you’re engaged to me.” 

Why was that a big deal? Was I going to be his trophy wife?

“They will eventually,” I said. 

“When can I see you? I’m assuming it’s at your house now,” he said. 

“Wednesday?” I said. 

“Sure,” he said, like I was a chore he wanted to complete. “I’ll see you then.”

There was no chances of him calling it off with me. None at all.

*

“Sorry I’m late,” I said, joining my mother and brothers at the lunch table, where they already started eating. My parents would only wait for Razzaq, whenever he was back for his breaks from college. 

“How was work?” he asked me, eating a piece of grilled chicken. He always had his special lunch. I spooned some machboos onto my plate. 

“Tough,” I said with a chuckle. “My eyes are fried.”

“Be grateful. Your brother is learning to walk again,” my mother said.

“As if he didn’t do it to himself,” I retorted subconsciously. It was too late to take it back. 

“Zaina!” my mother yelled, slamming the table.

Razzaq’s eyes widened at me, almost disgusted. No one wanted to face the truth. 

I didn’t say anything. I just took a sip of water. 

My mother’s chair screeched again the freshly polished marble floor, walking away from the table.

“Yuma,” Razzaq called out to her, coaxing her to come back to eat. 

“Just leave me be!” my mother yelled, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator as usual. My twin brothers looked confused, but they said nothing. 

“I’m sorry,” I told Razzaq once he came back. 

“You have to think before you speak, Zaina,” he replied, sitting down, knowing he’d have to clean up my mess.

“I usually do,” I replied. Did I? “I don’t know why I said it.”

“What’s going on with you these days, Zaina? Tell me,” he said in a hushed voice, glancing at our twin brothers, who were fortunately busy with their phones.

“Nothing,” I said. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. 

“If you say so. I think I’m done. I’m going to the gym,” he replied. 

Crap. I forgot about my tennis lesson with Jude in a few hours. 

*

“That was intense,” she said, out of breath once we finished our lesson. 

“I know,” I replied, grateful for the distraction. 

“So,” she began. “How’s my cousin with you?” she wiggled her brows. My stomach tightened. I nudged her playfully. 

“You guys are so perfect together, I swear! Power couple,” she said. Talal and I really did look good on paper. We matched in every way except on a deeper, personal level. 

“You’re not telling anyone about us, are you?” I asked her, worried my secret engagement would be announced and somehow reach Yaqoub. 

“Of course not, are you crazy?” she said, clearly finding my question offensive. She had a big mouth, but I couldn’t tell her that. “Are you going to the milcha on Thursday, by the way?” she asked me about our second cousin’s engagement.

“I didn’t get an invite. Only my mom did,” I said, remembering the red invitation on the living room table.

“She told my mom she’s not going,” she said, confused. “She said you’ll be going in her place.” 

I arched my brow. When was my mother planning on telling me this?

“Maybe. I forgot,” I said, like it was a normal occurrence to forget something this big.

“Please come. I don’t want to be alone,” she groaned. 

“I’ll try,” I said. I needed to book hair and makeup appointments once I got in the car, so I’d avoid my mother berating me. She must’ve forgotten because she always wanted me to look the best at any party, but I had a lot of competition. 

I’d like to think she thought I lucked out with Talal. Like it was meant to be. 

“See you then!” she said, getting into her Range Rover while I got into my car. 

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” I said, grasping my steering wheel. For some reason I found myself looking up Yaqoub’s name, and I called him. 

We never talked on the phone; just text. I blamed myself for progressing this far, but I couldn’t help it.

“Zaina, hi,” he said after picking up on the fourth ring. Should I have hung up on the third?

“Sorry. Is this a bad time?” I asked him. 

“Not at all. How are you?” he asked me.

I sighed. “First world problems, but I’m okay,” I said.

“We’re apparently  in a third world country, by the way,” he joked and I laughed. “But I know what you mean. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. I’m not sure why I called,” I said. 

“Are you sure?” he asked me

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said. 

“Talk to me, Zaina,” he said. “I’m glad you called.” 

My breath caught in my throat. No one had ever talked to me that way. A man was interested in me, genuinely interested. 

“How much time do you have?” I asked him. 

“All of it,” he said, and I could feel his smile through the phone. 

I smiled to myself. I was going to get lost in him; I knew it.