CHAPTER 7 Shawarmas and Goodbyes
Even though we knew we couldn’t spend the night, we had booked two rooms at a hotel when we landed earlier that morning just so we could all shower and change. But now we needed to head back to that hotel to grab our bags and check out. The afternoon light was quickly fleeting, and Aaron insisted we needed to hurry and return to the airport before sundown, as per my father’s orders.
We were running out of time.
“Are you hungry?” William asked as the smiling receptionist took his card to pay for the rooms. We’d had a mini heated debate back in our room about who would pay, and I lost. Miserably.
“I am, actually.” I felt lighter after leaving Caleb’s grave and visiting his family. A weight Iknew I was carrying was finally lifted off my shoulders. “Maybe we can grab something to go on our way to the airport and eat on the plane?”
“Mm.” William didn’t seem too convinced about the idea as he signed the voucher and thanked the lady.
“Excuse me, Mr. Sj?berg,” she said, her accent thick but her tone shy. “Could I bother you with a photograph?”
“Of course.” He smiled the kind of smile he showed to his fans and the media, the one that was not entirely his, as he allowed the young woman to stand behind him while the other hotel employee snapped a photo of them.
The exchange only drew unnecessary attention toward him. He had managed to go unnoticed until that moment. The hotel wasn’t bustling with activity, but a few more people gathered the courage to approach him and ask for photos as well. Even though he must have been used to it, I could see he was growing uncomfortable with the attention, though not for his own sake. He kept glancing at me apologetically as I stared back at him, unsure of what to do with myself. A girl even asked me if I could snap the photo. And I did.
We needed to leave, and William knew that. But he allowed a couple more photos until a restless Aaron intervened.
“Miss Murphy,” he said sternly, “I suggest we start moving out.”
I nodded. David grabbed our bags and rolled them out. Aaron got closer to me.
“Mr. Sj?berg.”
William glanced at Aaron and nodded. “Thank you so much!” he said to his fans with a big smile as another young girl stood beside him and snapped a quick selfie. The situation wasn’t out of control. Only a few people surrounded him, but witnessing the small crowd’s commotion was still surreal and hard to process, like a bucket of cold water in my face. “Nice meeting you all.” He waved goodbye as he ran his arm around my shoulders and started for the exit.
I kept forgetting who William was to others.
Taking a deep breath, I wondered what to expect in New York.
David was holding the SUV’s door open for us, and our bags had been stowed away in the trunk. Aaron jumped in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition.
“Sorry about that,” William said as Aaron drove away with haste, drawing an invisible line down my cheek with his finger.
“It’s perfectly fine.” I ran my arms around his waist and smiled up at him. The need to be in constant physical contact with him was overpowering. And I could tell he felt the same way.
Settling my cheek on his chest, I stared out the window. The sky was painted orange and pink and purple. Our time in Tel Aviv was coming to an end. It had been an intense day.
“Aaron, I want to take Guille somewhere to eat,” William said. “I know it’s getting late, but a friend recommended this place …” William pulled out his phone and clicked on the screen. I straightened in my seat and saw Aaron pursing his lips. “It’s in Jaffa. Falafel Shawarma—”
“Awni?” Aaron said.
“That’s the one.”
“It’s getting late, Mr. Sj?berg.”
“Aaron, we need to eat,” William reminded him. “All of us.”
“I could eat,” David chimed in with a shrug, but Aaron gave him the side eye.
“Aaron, I’m starving,” I said, agreeing with William. And they must’ve been hungry too.
I knew Aaron was angry at me, furious, but I also knew that he had a permanent and undeniable soft spot for me, and I was going to capitalize on that.
“You and Caleb couldn’t shut up about how much you missed the food here.” I waited in silence for him to yield. He didn’t. Instead, he kept shaking his head disapprovingly. “We’ll grab a quick bite and head back to the airport. Seems to me like you’ve been to this place before.”
“I have,” he replied, his tone still somewhat standoffish. “It’s … delicious.”
“Well, maybe you can suggest the best thing on the menu?”
“Nonono,” William interjected. “My friend sent me the menu. I already know what I’ll be ordering for us.” I kicked his shoe and widened my eyes. Jesus. “But we are open to suggestions.” He rolled his eyes at me and pinched my waist.
“Ow!” I laughed and slapped his hand away. “Aaron, pleeease.”
“I’m already headed that way, Miss.”
Yes!
We arrived at Awni’s within a few minutes. This part of town was incredible. The architecture, the vibe, it felt … old. In a good way. The stores, restaurants, and cafés seemed to respect the area’s original architecture, consisting of short buildings made of mostly sand-colored stones and arched ceilings. The smell of meat and spices filling the air made my stomach rumble.
Aaron argued with a man when he parked right in front of the restaurant. The streets weren’t wide, so I understood the predicament. But he slipped him a bill and finally “convinced him” to let us park on the curb.
To our left was a simple counter with a couple of rotating vertical spits roasting stacked meat. It smelled delicious, and I was ready to order and devour whatever William would place in front of me. The restaurant was only half full, but the energy was vibrant.
William, who wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, asked Aaron a few questions as he looked at the menu. David stood next to me and inspected the place with curiosity.
“Can’t say your job is boring,” I teased. “Who would’ve thought we’d be standing here today? Eating shawarma in Jaffa.”
David offered a genuine smile and said, “Not boring in the slightest.”
I bit my lower lip and adjusted my bag’s strap around my shoulder. “Are you mad at me? About, well … all of this.”
He snorted a weak laugh and said, “Miss Murphy, I live for the drama.”
Laughing, I glanced at William, who was now asking questions to the guy behind the counter. He seemed to speak English, but Aaron still translated some of the things said between them.
“Your job is safe,” I whispered to David. “I’ll make sure of it. The DSS will be eager to find something new for you if I’m able to convince my father about not having security anymore, you’ll see.”
“Miss Murphy …” He closed his eyes for a few seconds and shook his head. “There’s no need. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
“David!” Aaron waved him over, so we both approached the counter.
To be continued.
Aaron asked David if he had any preference regarding the menu, but he said he would try anything Aaron suggested. I knew I didn’t have a say in what to order. William was such a foodie, and I had to make peace with the fact that from now on, I was going to have to let him decide my meals for me. For the most part.
William took care of the check, and we sat at a table waiting for our order. Aaron and David idled near the entrance.
“I’m sure it’s safe for you to take off your sunglasses.” I leaned in and gently pulled them off his face. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business.
“I just want you to enjoy your meal in peace.” He grabbed his cap and placed it backward. I almost melted in my seat. His bright blue eyes scanned my face.
“You being who you are is not a nuisance.” I grabbed his hand and held it between mine. “I love you. All of you.”
“I love all of you too.” His hand moved to my ass and squeezed it.
“William!” I laughed, looking around. But we were invisible. No one had recognized him yet, and it seemed to me like it would remain that way for the entire duration of our stay at the simple and cozy restaurant.
Our number was called, or Aaron told us so since they said it in Hebrew. William stood and walked back with a tray. Aaron and David’s food was packed to go.
“Aaron insisted they would eat on the plane.” He shrugged, placing the tray on the table and unloading our plates and David and Aaron’s doggie bags. “I told him they should eat right now. But he declined. Not gonna argue with that guy anymore. It’s exhausting.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw them keeping watch at the entrance. It felt so unnecessary now, ridiculous even, considering what I knew now and how little danger my life posed.
“I’ll be right back.”
I got up from my seat and walked over to them.
“Your food’s gonna get cold,” I said, looking at Aaron. “Please take a seat and eat. You must be starving.”
“That’s alright, Miss,” Aaron replied while David lifted a brow and shrugged. “We’ll eat on the plane.”
“Why are you being so … difficult?” The annoyance was getting to me. “Things are going to change, Aaron. We have to stop pretending like all of this is necessary. Like looking out for potential dangers around me when there are none. This place is safe. I’m safe. So sit down and eat your goddamned shawarmas right now because we don’t want the plane to smell like garlic and cumin.”
I didn’t mind the smell of food, but I had to give him something he could use as an excuse to justify the need to eat now rather than later.
He sighed and caved in. “Okay.”
They followed me and grabbed their bags. I was going to offer them a seat at our table, but I knew things were beyond tense with Aaron, and there wouldn’t be much to talk about, so it was going to be awkward for everyone. They probably thought the same because they sat a few tables away from ours anyway.
“You should’ve started without me!” I retook my seat at the table next to William. “Your food’s gonna get cold.”
“No way I would’ve started without you.” He lifted his shawarma to take a bite and jerked his chin at my plate as he chewed. “Mmm.” William frowned and nodded at his food approvingly.
“Don’t know where to take my first bite from.” I laughed, gyrating the shawarma in my hands. It was stuffed with juicy meat, falafel, hummus, and veggies. I took a bite, and it was so good. “So, did you ever consider a career as a chef? I love how passionate you are about food in general.” I wiped my mouth and grabbed a few French fries as I waited for him to swallow so he could reply to my question.
“I was studying Culinary Arts back home in Stockholm, actually.” He took a sip of his lemonade and licked his lips. “I had one semester left when my dad’s agent got me a big audition for a Hollywood film. I’d only had some minor roles in small-budget films in Sweden. So I wasn’t really serious about acting at that point.”
“So what happened? I assume you didn’t graduate?”
He shook his head and tossed a couple of fries into his mouth. “Acting had caught my attention since I was a teenager. You know, admiring my dad and all of that. Plus, my brothers and I talked about it all the time. We thought it would be fun to pursue acting. Together.” He took another bite of his shawarma, and so did I. We chewed in silence, and he continued. “But I didn’t think an opportunity like that would present itself until I was older. So when I was offered that leading role, I had to make a decision. Put my studies on hold or decline.” He grabbed a fry and fed it to me, smiling. “At first, I thought I could work on this film and go back to Sweden to graduate. But that role got me another and another, and then Joel joined in, and Tobias, and without realizing it, we all became full-time actors living the life we always dreamed of living.”
I studied him for a moment. “But?”
William chuckled and placed his hands behind his neck, adjusting his cap and stretching himself for a second. “You’ve always seen right through me, haven’t you?” He rested his forearms on the table and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek.
“Eh.” I tilted my head with a laugh. “Maybe not at first when you were my mysterious, drunk, kiss-stealing neighbor.”
William shook his head and sipped on his lemonade, lowering the glass on the table afterward. “I was a drunk mess that day.” He frowned. “I’m so sorry, ?lskling.”
“I thought you said you would never be sorry about that day.” I smiled and cupped his cheek with my hand. He grabbed it and kissed it.
“No. I said I would never be sorry about kissing you.” His gaze dropped to my lips, warming my core. “That’s different. And I’m still not sorry about that. But … you know what I mean.”
I did.
William took a couple more bites of his shawarma and finished eating it in record time.
“You are forgiven, but stop distracting me and tell me what you were going to say before. About the chef thing.” I fed him a fry and then took another bite of my wrap.
“It’s nothing. I—” William crumpled his shawarma’s wrapping paper and made a ball out of it. “I guess sometimes I wish I had graduated.” He tossed the paper ball on the table. “I know it’s just a title, and it’s too late now. But I had only one semester left to finish, and I’ve never stopped cooking. I love it.”
“So you regret not having graduated?”
He licked the corner of his lips and looked away for a moment. His gaze met mine again, and he sighed. “I do. Feels like unfinished business. And I do catch myself thinking about it from time to time. Can’t brush it off.” He shook his head and straightened in his seat. “I’m being ridiculous.”
“No, you’re not, William.” I grabbed his hand. “Look at me.”
His lips parted, drawing in a breath like he was going to say something, but he didn’t.
“Do you like being an actor?” I dared to ask. “And all that it entails?”
“I do,” he said quickly. “It’s exhausting and intense, but … yeah, I like it. It’s been fun and exciting. And the money is great too, can’t complain.”
“But you love cooking, and wonder what your life would’ve looked like if you had chosen a different path?”
William’s cheeks puffed as he blew a long steady breath through his mouth. “I wouldn’t have met you, so that’s not a thought I’ve cared to entertain.”
This seemed like a touchy subject for William, and I didn’t want to keep pushing him. We also needed to leave. Aaron seemed to agree because he was standing next to my table when I looked up.
“We’re running late, Miss Murphy.”
“But you’re not done yet,” William said, sliding my plate closer to me.
“I’m full. That thing was huge.”
“May I?” He grabbed the wrap from my plate after I nodded. He devoured what was left of it in two quick bites and stood. “Let’s go.” He smiled and grabbed my hand, guiding me back to the car.
Aaron drove with haste to the airport. It was way past sundown, but my dad hadn’t called, so we were good. We could’ve all powered off our phones and said we had taken off earlier. But Aaron’s rigorous and inherent righteousness was his cross to bear.
He would never lie to my dad. But I would. He’d been lying to me my entire life. I owed him a few lies.
When we arrived at the airport, a man was waiting to retrieve the borrowed SUV. Aaron returned the keys and thanked the man, who left promptly after.
As we rolled our suitcases to the hangar, I could sense Aaron was on edge. He kept brushing the back of his neck with his hand, and his gaze was fixed on the floor, very much unlike him.
I stopped in front of the airplane’s steps and said, “William, I’ll be right there.”
“Of course.” He nodded in understanding, and David followed him.
“Aaron, what’s wrong?” He stared at me but said nothing. “Something’s wrong. Tell me.”
“Everything’s fine, Miss.” His tone was husky and deep, as usual, but there was something different about it, a gentle tremble on the surface, almost undetectable. But not for me. I’d known him for years. “We need to leave before your father starts calling. I’m in enough trouble as it is.” That last part felt like a reproach.
And then it hit me. Aaron’s father had been sick for years. Caleb told me in 2006 that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But Aaron rarely visited his family. All he did was work, work, work. He had come to Tel Aviv for Caleb’s funeral, but before that, he hadn’t visited his family since 2008. And he only did on that occasion because his family called to let him know his dad had wandered out of the house and wound up in a hospital with a broken wrist and a badly bruised knee.
That had to be it.
“How’s your dad doing?”
“Miss Murphy.” His gaze grew dark and pleading.
“Aaron.” He knew how “persistent” I could be. “I’m not getting on that plane until you tell me what the hell is going on with you.”
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s in bad shape.”
Aaron was spiraling. I’d never seen him like this in my entire life. He’d been on edge since he arrived in South Africa, but I wondered how much it had to do with the stress of the job and how much about his personal life.
“And why didn’t you check in with your family today? Visit them.”
“It’s been a busy day, as you may have noticed, Miss.” He swallowed. “And I’m on duty.”
“Go see him. We’ll wait for you here.”
“I can’t, Miss.” His tone was cold, almost lifeless. “Your father said we had to leave by sundown, and I still have to call him to let him know we’re running behind schedule. He won’t accept any further delays.”
My phone started ringing inside my bag, and we both stared at each other, knowing who it was.
“Hey, Dad,” I said, my voice clipped. “Yes, I’m boarding the plane as we speak.” I took the first two steps and stomped heavily and repeatedly without climbing them so he would hear it over the phone. “We leave in about an hour or so.” I turned around to face Aaron. “Well, the plane needs to be refueled. But there’s some issue with the fuel pipes, or so I heard. You know I don’t know much about these technical things. But we’re waiting for that, and then there’s air traffic, you know how it is. The airlines need to stick to their schedules, and we’re given a window to take off in between.”
I waved Aaron off and mouthed, Go. He stared at me, paralyzed.
“Yes, Dad. No more surprises,” I sang. “I promise.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes, Aaron was about to call you, but that’s not necessary anymore. He’s standing right next to me, listening to our conversation. Yes, I will tell him. I’ll see you soon. Bye.”
I ended the call and slid my phone back into my bag.
“Why are you still standing here, Aaron?”
He shook his head. “Miss—”
“I swear to God, Aaron!” I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. “My father has been appeased. Now go and see yours.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” he said, his voice rushed. “Tops. But call me if there’s anything—”
“Go!” I said with a laugh, turning around and climbing the stairs.
“Miss Murphy!” Aaron shouted. I looked over my shoulder at him with raised brows. “Thank you.”