It was warmer than she had expected. Because it was
summer, the streets teemed with the usual party goers, the shoppers and
the bored teenagers looking for entertainment; they usually found it amidst bouts of drunken stupour, and things tended to get violent. When she had first moved to the UK from Abu Dhabi, she had found it difficult to fathom why they let things get out of hand the way they did. It baffled her, and in a way she pitied them. But as she grew accustomed to their way of life, she had come to understand, to some extent, why the British indulged in drinking as much as they did. It was their way of getting away from the stress of a long week at work, and in all fairness, this country offered little else in terms of entertainment.
She made her way through central London. Her friend was staying at the Palace Court Hotel, where she was going to pick him up. Their first destination would be the Jubilee Gardens, where the famous London Eye towered over the soft green lawns and the many trees decorated with tiny white lights. It was prettier than she cared to admit, particularly at night. She despised crowds, and she knew there would be far too many people there for her liking. She preferred to stay away from the usual spots, but tonight that would be impossible; it was a Friday night. The British would revel in the freedom of the weekend with a vengeance, and the weather made it so much more difficult for them to stay indoors. The reason she was bringing him here tonight was because it was one of the places you simply had to see in London, particularly if you were a first-comer; it offered beauty, peace and a sense of tranquility. They would talk and catch up, and maybe later enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants sprawled around the area.
Palace Court Hotel loomed ahead of her. She pulled up, took out her cell phone and sent him a message, "I'm downstairs, come on out". Putting her phone on the seat next to her, she fixed her scarf and checked her makeup. She saw her screen light up. It was from him.
"Come on up, I'm still not ready. Room 836"
She had been afraid of this. She knew he was staying alone. Not that anything was going to happen, but her stress levels tended to go through the roof whenever she had found herself alone with him in a confined space. It was known in her religion that no two people of the opposite sex would be found alone, unless their third companion was the devil himself... It simply wasn't allowed. It was so much easier for him because he didn't feel that way about her, but to her it would be one of the many battles she would have to fight tonight.
She tried to steady her mounting apprehension. Parking her car behind the hotel, she walked into the lobby and asked for directions to the room at the reception. The receptionist was a young Asian woman with a kind face, who seemed to notice that there was far too much going on in her mind. She pointed her in the direction of the lifts and told her to go up to the fourth floor and turn right. Room 836 would be the seventh door on her left.
* * *
The room was a mess, as was to be expected; tidiness had never been one of his strong points. As soon as she walked in she was met with the sight of a huge pile of clothes... it seemed he had simply turned his suitcase upside down on the bed and left its contents there, rummaging through them every once in a while to find an item of clothing to wear. But it was filled with his unique perfume, something she had grown to love. He was looking for his watch when she showed up. They greeted each other and hugged briefly, but then he continued to look for the watch, talking to himself in the usual way that he did. She contented herself with watching him flit around the room, realising just how much she missed being around him. She took a good look at him. He seemed to have lost a little weight since she last saw him. His job was a demanding one, and she remembered how much trouble she had to go through to get him to simply have something to eat. By the looks of it, none of that had changed since she had left the UAE.
The minutes ticked on. As he continued to look around the room, he started to tell her about how Abu Dhabi had pretty much stayed the same since she had left 7 months ago. The work hours were still crazy, the weather still stiflingly hot, the people still bored. She would give anything to be there with her family, but she knew he was right. He went on and on, his rambling punctuated only by her inattentive nods, until she realised she was no longer listening to him. Her mind had drifted, and she found herself reminiscing on the times they had spent together when she was still there. The memories had come in full force, drowning out the sound of his voice... There were the late nights out on the relaxing beaches of Dubai, lights sparkling in the distance, cool breeze blowing pleasantly against her face. The sound of the calm waters gently lapping at the sand. The laughter. The third cup of hot chocolate. The feeling that she could stay there forever, safe in his presence. They didn't do anything remotely interesting, but his company had been more than enough for her. Even though it had happened a long time ago, she still felt the familiar warmth unfurling from her stomach to her very fingertips. It was the same feeling that had pestered her each and every time they met; the feeling that she was content, at peace with everyone and everything. The world was a happy place.
She became so lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise he was calling her name. He had found his watch and was ready to go. By the time she had pulled her mind back to the present, he was watching her with a slight frown on his face. He asked if she was alright. Her first instinct was to say no, that she had something she wanted to tell him, and that she had been wanting to tell him for a while. But this was not information she could simply divulge on the spot, not at this point. She wasn't ready. And she was sure he wouldn't be either.
She smiled and reassured him that she was fine. He didn't look for a second like he believed her, but chose not to question her any further. She picked up her handbag and turned around to open the door so they could finally make it out of the room. She couldn't help noticing before she did though, that he had watched her eyes and locked them in for perhaps a second too long. And with a sinking feeling she realised what it was. Something in his dark eyes had changed in that split second before she broke contact. It was like watching a curtain being lifted. Realisation had sunk in, and he had given her the impression that his mind had begun to work furiously, sifting through every encounter they had shared in the last two years. In that split second, they had all been given a new meaning, pieces of a large complicated puzzle that had finally come together to form one solid, undeniable truth.
She made her way through central London. Her friend was staying at the Palace Court Hotel, where she was going to pick him up. Their first destination would be the Jubilee Gardens, where the famous London Eye towered over the soft green lawns and the many trees decorated with tiny white lights. It was prettier than she cared to admit, particularly at night. She despised crowds, and she knew there would be far too many people there for her liking. She preferred to stay away from the usual spots, but tonight that would be impossible; it was a Friday night. The British would revel in the freedom of the weekend with a vengeance, and the weather made it so much more difficult for them to stay indoors. The reason she was bringing him here tonight was because it was one of the places you simply had to see in London, particularly if you were a first-comer; it offered beauty, peace and a sense of tranquility. They would talk and catch up, and maybe later enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants sprawled around the area.
Palace Court Hotel loomed ahead of her. She pulled up, took out her cell phone and sent him a message, "I'm downstairs, come on out". Putting her phone on the seat next to her, she fixed her scarf and checked her makeup. She saw her screen light up. It was from him.
"Come on up, I'm still not ready. Room 836"
She had been afraid of this. She knew he was staying alone. Not that anything was going to happen, but her stress levels tended to go through the roof whenever she had found herself alone with him in a confined space. It was known in her religion that no two people of the opposite sex would be found alone, unless their third companion was the devil himself... It simply wasn't allowed. It was so much easier for him because he didn't feel that way about her, but to her it would be one of the many battles she would have to fight tonight.
She tried to steady her mounting apprehension. Parking her car behind the hotel, she walked into the lobby and asked for directions to the room at the reception. The receptionist was a young Asian woman with a kind face, who seemed to notice that there was far too much going on in her mind. She pointed her in the direction of the lifts and told her to go up to the fourth floor and turn right. Room 836 would be the seventh door on her left.
* * *
The room was a mess, as was to be expected; tidiness had never been one of his strong points. As soon as she walked in she was met with the sight of a huge pile of clothes... it seemed he had simply turned his suitcase upside down on the bed and left its contents there, rummaging through them every once in a while to find an item of clothing to wear. But it was filled with his unique perfume, something she had grown to love. He was looking for his watch when she showed up. They greeted each other and hugged briefly, but then he continued to look for the watch, talking to himself in the usual way that he did. She contented herself with watching him flit around the room, realising just how much she missed being around him. She took a good look at him. He seemed to have lost a little weight since she last saw him. His job was a demanding one, and she remembered how much trouble she had to go through to get him to simply have something to eat. By the looks of it, none of that had changed since she had left the UAE.
The minutes ticked on. As he continued to look around the room, he started to tell her about how Abu Dhabi had pretty much stayed the same since she had left 7 months ago. The work hours were still crazy, the weather still stiflingly hot, the people still bored. She would give anything to be there with her family, but she knew he was right. He went on and on, his rambling punctuated only by her inattentive nods, until she realised she was no longer listening to him. Her mind had drifted, and she found herself reminiscing on the times they had spent together when she was still there. The memories had come in full force, drowning out the sound of his voice... There were the late nights out on the relaxing beaches of Dubai, lights sparkling in the distance, cool breeze blowing pleasantly against her face. The sound of the calm waters gently lapping at the sand. The laughter. The third cup of hot chocolate. The feeling that she could stay there forever, safe in his presence. They didn't do anything remotely interesting, but his company had been more than enough for her. Even though it had happened a long time ago, she still felt the familiar warmth unfurling from her stomach to her very fingertips. It was the same feeling that had pestered her each and every time they met; the feeling that she was content, at peace with everyone and everything. The world was a happy place.
She became so lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise he was calling her name. He had found his watch and was ready to go. By the time she had pulled her mind back to the present, he was watching her with a slight frown on his face. He asked if she was alright. Her first instinct was to say no, that she had something she wanted to tell him, and that she had been wanting to tell him for a while. But this was not information she could simply divulge on the spot, not at this point. She wasn't ready. And she was sure he wouldn't be either.
She smiled and reassured him that she was fine. He didn't look for a second like he believed her, but chose not to question her any further. She picked up her handbag and turned around to open the door so they could finally make it out of the room. She couldn't help noticing before she did though, that he had watched her eyes and locked them in for perhaps a second too long. And with a sinking feeling she realised what it was. Something in his dark eyes had changed in that split second before she broke contact. It was like watching a curtain being lifted. Realisation had sunk in, and he had given her the impression that his mind had begun to work furiously, sifting through every encounter they had shared in the last two years. In that split second, they had all been given a new meaning, pieces of a large complicated puzzle that had finally come together to form one solid, undeniable truth.
