Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Khaleesi
Iwoke up in bed, fully dressed, and underneath the thin cover. Sitting up in the bed, the eventful day that led to the relaxing night replayed in my mind. Embarrassed wasn’t even the word.
My eyes connected with the small folded card placed on the pillow next to me, and I couldn’t help the chipper smile that spread across my face and shot a rush of warmth through my body.
Although I wanted to be the first thing you saw when your eyes opened, I wanted to respect your space. I’ll give you time to rest, then I have some things planned for your days off. Dress in something comfortable. I’ll be outside of your riad by noon.
-Xain
Slipping out of bed, I decided to get my life together. Shower, fresh clothes, breakfast, and fresh linen were all completed by the time Xain knocked at my door. The weather was slightly chilly, and I wore a simple long-sleeve Alo set to fit any occasion.
When I swung the door open, Xain was comfortably dressed in a black jogger set. I smiled, happy to see we were on the same page when it came to dressing comfortably. My nerves were a wreck, wondering if I’d gotten it right.
“Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?” Xain greeted me with a smile.
“I’m feeling refreshed. Thank you for being there for me yesterday.”
“I told you not to thank me. Can I hug you?”
“Please don’t treat me like a basket case now. You can hug me,” I assured him.
Xain nodded and leaned in, embracing me.
His scent was etched into my brain, and I enjoyed it more and more every time I got close to him.
When we broke the hug, Xain took my hand in his and led us away from my riad.
I was used to planning everything for everyone, so I was giddy inside to see what Xain pulled together for us.
“I just wanted to make sure and be respectful. You already ran away and tried to act like I didn’t exist after spending what I thought was an amazing night together,” Xain clarified.
“I got scared. We are co-workers. I didn’t want Q to know. He already had his suspicions. He told me that he didn’t send you to the club. He didn’t even know I left, and the notifications go to both of y’all,” I commented, watching a smile spread across his face again.
“I did what I had to do,” Xain laughed.
“How did you know I left?”
“You and those loud-ass women walked past my riad talking shit while I was sitting on the terrace. Better that I heard y’all plans for the night than a stranger.
Don’t do shit like that. Know where y’all are going before stepping outside, and at least be quiet about it if you must discuss it outside,” he requested.
“Noted,” I nodded.
We continued through the narrow, winding corridors. Instead of heading toward the valet stand, Xain kept trekking toward the right side. My eyes landed on the waiting scooter with two helmets hanging off the side. I tugged on Xain’s arms, excitedly bouncing on the balls of my feet.
“Is the scooter for us?”
“It is. Our primary mode of transportation will be the scooter,” Xain explained.
I released my grip on his hand and rushed to the scooter.
Grabbing one of the helmets, I quickly adjusted it, then helped Xain with his.
I was ready to roll. Xain climbed onto the scooter, then reached for my hand to help me on.
Chivalrous. I got comfortable on the scooter, settling my feet on the passenger pegs.
Xain started the scooter, and I felt the vibrations beneath me.
I pulled out my phone to snap a few pictures.
Once I was done, I slipped my phone back into my cross-body bag and wrapped my arms around Xain’s waist.
“You got a good grip?”
“Yes,” I bubbled. My face pressed against his back in anticipation.
Xain took off towards the horseshoe archway entrance.
We joined afternoon traffic, leaving behind the grandeur of the hotel as we headed to an unknown destination.
The wind whipped against my face, and I held onto Xain with one arm, sitting up to bask in the moment.
We hit a few bumps, and the scooter bounced around, making me regain my grip on Xain.
“You good?”
“I’m amazing!” I shrieked.
The sun-warmed streets felt familiar when we sped towards the souks.
I didn’t care what else we did that day, the scooter ride was enough for me.
However, Xain had the afternoon planned out, and the first thing was shopping.
I was able to take my time, stopping at every stall my heart desired, grabbing a few things I wanted on Xain’s dime.
A nice leather belt for Noah, bracelets, a few scarves and bangles for myself, and a pair of slippers for my baby brother, Maurice.
After buying the slippers, Xain collected the bag and turned for us to rejoin the foot traffic. “Do you like almonds?”
“I love them,” I confirmed.
“Alright. Come on. Have you ever tried a briwat before?”
“No. What is it?”
“It’s an almond pastry. I love them,” he informed me.
I trekked beside Xain as we approached the stall he’d mentioned. He ordered for both of us, and I allowed it, happily accepting the Moroccan pastry. The man handed us a small paper bag and a few napkins. I bit into the briwat. The crisp and flaky pastry held an almond and honey paste.
“This is delicious,” I moaned. “Who needs a tour guide when I have you?”
“I won’t ever steer you wrong. With that said, I made an appointment for you to get henna,” Xain notified me after his alarm went off.
I was busy stuffing my face with another pastry.
He silenced the alarm and bit into his own, leading the way again.
We waded through the crowd until we saw a henna cafe off the main area and down a tight corridor.
The big blue door was propped open, and we wandered inside, ascending a small flight of steps.
“Hello. How can I help you?” A cute older woman greeted us as we entered the main area.
“Hello. I called earlier and made an appointment for Khaleesi,” he informed her.
I was too busy admiring the tile covering the floors and walls. Cute pictures of henna art hung on the walls.
“Oh yes. Come,” she smiled, waving us back.
I followed her back, and she passed me a book of henna art, then directed me to an empty seat.
“Choose. I’ll be back,” she advised me.
“Are you going to get one too?” I asked Xain as I flipped through the book.
“Naw, I have enough tattoos covering my body,” he declined.
He told nothing but the truth. As he sat completely covered in a jogger set, you could see the tattoo that went across his throat.
“You’re getting it for us though. Henna is done for many reasons: beauty, joy, health, transitions into a new stage of life. ”
“That’s right,” the woman smiled up at him.
Xain nodded his head. “Today, I feel like her henna is the mark of a new chapter for us. Starting fresh.”
“Awwwww,” the woman gushed.
Silently, I was gushing too.
“I like the sound of that,” I admitted.
It took me a minute to choose the design. There were so many options. After a while, I flashed one to Xain. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s going to look sexy on you. It has the evil eye too. Ward off the evil and harm.”
“I’m going to do this one,” I advised the woman.
She nodded, having everything prepared for me.
The woman gently took my arm and got started.
The design was intricate and would cover my hand, including my fingers, and up past my wrist. It took us a while, and Xain offered to grab drinks from the cafe upstairs midway through.
I used that alone time to check on Noah, but he didn’t answer when I called.
Xain returned with our drinks, and I quickly accepted mine. We were almost done by the time he returned, and I was parched. Drinking some of the water, I looked at the bowl in Xain’s hand. “What’s in the bowl?”
“A cucumber salad. I figured it must be some shit you like since that was the only thing in your fridge the other day,” Xain noted, lifting the spoon to my mouth. “Here. See if you like it.”
My mouth slipped open, and I let Xain shovel a spoonful into my mouth. Whatever vinaigrette they used was delicious, and I closed my eyes to savor the flavor.
“Mmmmmm,” I hummed.
When my eyes popped open, Xain was silently admiring me, waiting to offer another spoonful. I relaxed and let Xain cater to me again. A lady could get used to that type of treatment.
I finished the salad, and Xain pulled a peppermint out of his pocket, taking his time to ensure his hand only touched the wrapper as he placed it in my mouth.
If we weren’t in public, I promise I would’ve found my way onto his dick.
He had been protective and thoughtful over the last few days.
The benefit of being in a relationship that I desperately missed.
A FaceTime call from Noah came through as I sipped my water.
“Hello,” I answered, lifting the phone to my face.
“Wassup sis. You good out there?”
“I’m good. I just wanted to check on you.”
“Khaleesi,” Maurice, my baby brother, snatched the phone from Noah.
“Hey Maurice,” I grinned at him.
“Khaleesi, I miss you.” He announced, face extremely close to the phone. “I wanted to come to your house.”
“Cap. He saw you calling and swiped the call away so fast,” Noah laughed.
“Hush,” Maurice laughed, dropping the phone.
“You did me like that, Maurice?” I gasped.
“He definitely did,” Noah laughed, taking the phone back.
“You babysitting?”
“Yeah, Melody said she’ll pay me $100 to keep him the weekend,” he clarified, referring to Maurice’s mother. “Plus she offered pizza tonight, and Chinese food tomorrow. You know I couldn’t pass that up.”
“What was Melody doing this weekend?” I pried.
“I don’t know, and I didn’t care to ask. As long as she had my cash and pizza in hand before Maurice stepped foot in the house, I didn’t care. You better ask Xain about me.”
“What?” I frowned, glancing at Xain.
“Ion know what he talkin’ ‘bout,” Xain scratched his head.
“Where you at?” Noah pried, reclaiming my attention.