Chapter 24
Reshma
When Reshma woke up, it was to find Zafar sprawled on his front, fast asleep. She had no idea when he’d come up, but she knew it must have been ridiculously late. She hoped the time he’d spent with Safiya had helped both of them heal at least a little.
She made her way downstairs and caught Daadi stepping out of her bedroom.
The pair of them had their breakfast and were sitting on the sofa relaxing when the doorbell rang.
Reshma opened the door to let a cheery-looking Safiya in, who gave her the tightest hug and then made a beeline for her grandmother, who was delighted to see her.
Reshma was glad that Daadi had this chance to reconnect with her granddaughter and even if nothing else came of this reunion, at least Daadi had this time with Safiya.
Reshma got on with doing some work while Daadi caught up with Safiya, having a few emails to respond to and some bits and pieces she needed to review.
She had put new projects on hold till she got back to London, but she had some admin work she needed to get out of the way and it made sense to do it while she was at a loose end.
There were no formal plans today. Auntie Ruqayyah had specifically kept the day after the wedding free for people to be able to rest and relax, with the reception being held the next day. Saleema and Nomaan were flying out for their honeymoon to Sri Lanka early the day after the reception.
After the day they’d had yesterday and with the upcoming reception and then the trip home, Reshma wanted to make the most of the day they had left, so she decided to book a table at a nearby seafood restaurant for her and Zafar, which had come highly recommended.
If she was feeling brave enough, she could tell him how she felt.
She didn’t think the L word would scare him off.
They’d come a long way in a short period of time and she was confident that they were in a good place and she was sure of her feelings for him.
And they only had a few days left in this glorious location.
Wouldn’t this be the best way to bring this trip to a close and then take that momentum back home with them?
Safiya and Daadi thought it was a wonderful idea. ‘Perfect. It’ll give us two a chance to catch up,’ Safiya had said enthusiastically, though that’s not quite how it worked out.
By the time Zafar eventually rolled out of bed, the lunchtime window had come and gone and Safiya had left. She’d had lunch with Reshma and Daadi and with promises to see them the next day, she had made her way back to her villa.
Daadi decided to go and rest after that. ‘You both carry on. I’ll be with Bilqis and Ruqayyah later on. Jawad said he’d come and collect me.’
Zafar looked at Reshma in confusion as Daadi went to her room. ‘Aren’t we going there too? Surely, everyone will still be getting together at Auntie Ruqayyah’s villa.’
Reshma nodded, unable to keep the I-know-something-you-don’t smile off her face. ‘Everyone will be there, but that’s not where we’re going.’
He smiled at her while still frowning. ‘O-K. Is it a surprise?’
‘Kind of. Just get changed into something smart and comfortable.’
He did as she asked and when Reshma met him downstairs after getting ready herself, he took her breath away. He was only in a simple pair of trousers and shirt, but he looked so good, all she wanted to do was stare. Absorb the fact that this man was hers.
He made no secret of the fact that he was looking at her intently from head to toe.
She was in a black and red dress which accentuated her curves and she’d left her hair in loose waves to cascade around her shoulders.
Sparkly sandals and smoky eye make-up completed her look and she knew she’d nailed it because Zafar’s lips were parted, before he swallowed hard, staring at her unblinking.
She closed the distance between them and pushed his chin up with her finger. He smiled at her. ‘Shall we?’
‘Yes.’ He opened the door and let her precede him and soon they were on their way.
The restaurant wasn’t far from the villas, in the opposite direction of the beach.
They were led to a table by the windows with a small flower arrangement in the middle of it and a low-hanging ceiling lamp that cast a golden glow over the table.
It was both cosy and romantic and filled Reshma with hope that it was the perfect place for her to say what she had to.
They settled down and ordered their starters, and as soon as the waitress left them, Zafar took her hands in his, holding them tightly.
‘This is perfect. Thank you.’ He smiled fully at her, showcasing his dimples in all their glory, and Reshma was sure that if she hadn’t been sitting down, she would have felt her knees weaken.
‘I wanted today to be special.’
‘Cheesy lines incoming.’ His smile turned into a playful grin as he winked at her. ‘This whole trip has been special, Reshma. I know it didn’t have the greatest start for us but—’
‘But we’ve moved on from that. I’m happy with where we are, Zafar. I hope you are too.’
‘I am. Without a shadow of a doubt. You’re … you’re something else, Reshma. And what you did with Safiya?’ He shook his head as though lost for words, but Reshma understood his sentiments.
‘You stood by me when I had to face my dad and his family. In fact, you stood up to him for me. I did what I could with Safiya. I knew how much it would mean to her, Daadi and especially you and I wanted to make that happen. It’s what partners do, isn’t it?’
He shook his head. ‘Not all partners. Only the special ones.’
‘And those who love their partners.’
He hadn’t been moving before she’d said those words, but the only way Reshma could describe his reaction was to say that he stilled. He looked at her intently and with some disbelief, so she said it directly.
‘I love you, Zafar. I thought I did before and, to be fair, in a way I did, but it was more with the idea of you. But being here with you and being a part of … us , I’m absolutely certain that I’m in love with you.’
His smile was slow in coming, but when it did, it filled his face with a luminous joy she hadn’t seen before. He moved his hands so his fingers were interlinked with hers and then he closed his fingers over her knuckles. ‘Reshma, I—’
His words were cut off as his phone rang, the ringtone jerking them both out of the bubble they’d been in. He shook his head and unclasped his hand from hers, turning his phone over on the table. From where she was sitting, it looked like it was Ibrahim calling.
‘I need to …’
‘Yeah, go ahead.’
‘Ibs, what’s up?’
The waitress came to their table with their starters and Reshma moved back as she placed the plates in front of her and Zafar, smiling as she moved away.
Reshma looked towards Zafar, whose expression had morphed from relaxed to tense.
Tension then escalated to shock on his face before he exhaled deeply, muttering a string of expletives.
‘Why the fuck didn’t you say anything before?
’ The anger in his voice was something she’d never heard before and it had worry unfurling within her.
What on earth had happened? ‘That wasn’t for him to decide.
’ More expletives followed and after a few minutes he ended the call with, ‘Fine. And, Ibrahim? Stay in touch.’ His tone brooked no argument.
He put his phone down and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, the colour high on his cheeks.
Reshma reached across the table, mindful of the plates between them, and put her hand over his clenched fist. ‘Zafar? What’s happened? Is everyone all right at home?’
He looked up, his jaw firm and his mind clearly in overdrive. As she watched him, his eyes slowly focused on her, and he nodded. ‘Yeah, um … everyone’s fine. It’s just work.’
‘Oh.’
‘There’ve been some hiccups in the last few days with something I was dealing with before I had to come out here, but they didn’t tell me.’
Reshma felt a pinch at his choice of words. Had to come out here . They weren’t a lie, but given that he’d told her that he felt differently about coming out here, she found the words jarring.
‘Things are looking dicier now, so Ibrahim decided to loop me in, but he’s done it behind my dad’s back because my dad didn’t want him to tell me until I was back home. But it might be too bloody late by then. Shit .’
Reshma wasn’t quite sure what to say. He looked incredibly frustrated and seemed to be half talking to her and half to himself, the food between them completely forgotten. The waitress must have noticed that because she came up to their table a moment later.
‘Is everything all right? To your liking?’ She had a kind smile on her face, but there was a note of worry in it.
‘Yes, everything is fine. Thank you,’ Reshma answered her, and after giving her a short nod, she left them alone again.
Reshma took a calamari ring and, dipping it into the small dish of sauce that had come with it, she offered it to Zafar.
‘Zafar?’
‘Huh?’
‘The food.’ She held the calamari a few inches from his lips, but he took it from her fingers and put it down on the small plate in front of him, rather than eat it.
‘Did Ibrahim say what the plan was going forward?’ She took a calamari ring herself, hoping that if he saw her eating, he might do so too.
‘Yes, but only vaguely. I left express instructions. I was quite clear about how important this is, but Dad refused to listen to reason, thinking it’s more important for me to be here.
With me not there handling any crisis that comes up with this deal, there’s a good chance it could slip through our fingers.
’ He ran his hand through his hair, completely oblivious to the impact his words had had on her.
Maybe it was just his frustration coming through. Since they’d been married – and likely before that too – he had spearheaded every crisis management situation and sitting here while others took care of his project in his absence was bound to make him feel irritated and wanting to be there instead.
Reshma took a calming breath and tried to reason with him. ‘Have faith that Ibrahim and Murad will manage things in your absence. We’re only here for a few more days and then you’ll be back home and able to deal with whatever it is that’s cropped up. Try to be patient.’
He finally looked at her properly and his gaze softened as a corner of his lips went up by a scant millimetre.
He picked up the piece of calamari he’d put down and put it into his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.
As he took another piece, Reshma felt that she might have got through to him, and while he’d said a few things she hadn’t been happy with, she knew he wasn’t being personal.
It was just his frustration doing the talking.
The waitress came back to their table just then, asking if they were ready for their mains just as Zafar’s phone rang again.
He asked the waitress for a few more minutes and answered his phone, this time excusing himself from the table and stepping outside.
Reshma could see him from where she was sitting as he gesticulated with his arm, talking into his phone with a great deal of energy.
He came back ten minutes later and stood beside her. ‘I’m sorry, Reshma, but can we do this another time? I need to sort this out and I can’t do it sitting here in a restaurant.’
Reshma forced a smile and stood up. It wasn’t ideal, but he clearly had a problem he needed to deal with and her getting upset about a thwarted date and wanting to savour the moment of telling him how she felt wasn’t the way to go.
She smiled past her own hurt and frustration. ‘Sure. Why don’t you give the driver a call and say we’re ready to be picked up and I’ll settle our bill. Do you want anything for dinner to take back to the villa?’
He was already calling the driver. ‘Not for me thanks. Grab whatever you’d like for yourself. I’ll see you outside.’ And with that, he left the restaurant with his phone against his ear again.
Reshma didn’t bother getting anything. She paid for their starters and drinks and followed after Zafar, her mood drastically different from when she’d walked into the restaurant with him.
She’d told him she loved him, but she never got the chance to hear what he was going to say and she couldn’t help but wonder if she ever would.