Arriving At The Island
Aisha noticed that Ahmed was unusually serious, and she felt a tense atmosphere. She had no idea what was going on.
“Is something wrong? Did I do something to upset you?” she asked.
“Not at all, nothing is wrong,” he replied.
“You seem too serious.”
“It’s just tiredness, nothing more. It’ll pass. Resting on the island will do me good.”
Aisha decided to leave him alone. The flight attendant approached them to offer snacks, paying special attention to Ahmed. Aisha noticed this but didn’t want to appear jealous, so she ignored it.
Ahmed decided to test if she cared even a little bit. He smiled back at the flight attendant, who delightedly responded and came closer. As she turned around, she purposely leaned forward, bringing her well-rounded rear close to Ahmed’s face. He blushed intensely, not expecting the flight attendant to be so bold. Aisha was trying to remain calm, but she didn’t realize she was holding her breath and turning purple. Ahmed noticed and started moving her, concerned.
“Aisha, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, her voice trembling, trying not to show her annoyance.
“You don’t look well.”
“It must be the altitude.”
The flight attendant returned, having opened her blouse’s neckline a bit more.
Ahmed was displeased by this and got up, taking the girl’s arm and leading her to the service area. The girl imagined he wanted something more with her and looked back at Aisha with a mocking smile. Aisha completely ignored her, though inside, she felt like she was about to explode. What audacity from those two.
In the service area, Ahmed gripped the flight attendant’s arm tightly. She realized he was extremely angry and quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Sir, I’m delighted that you showed interest in me. It would be an honor to be part of your harem.”
“Hahaha, I’m not accustomed to having a harem, and if I did, it wouldn’t be with women as easy as you. Do not come near us again. Your colleague will attend to us. When we return, you can collect your severance; your services here are no longer required.”
“Sir, you gave me the impression that you were interested, so I dared.”
“Why did you smile, then? Anyway, I apologize for what happened. Regardless, go and collect your severance upon our return.”
Ahmed turned around and went back to his seat next to Aisha. He was starting to doubt if she had any interest in him beyond friendship. He felt he had rushed things by forcing her into marriage.
“Is everything okay with the flight attendant?” Aisha asked calmly. Ahmed looked at her seriously.
“Everything’s perfect with her.”
“I noticed. I’m glad you get along well with your staff.”
She turned her gaze back to the window, completely ignoring him for the rest of the flight.
Ahmed smiled. Perhaps she did care after all, even just a little.
An hour later, they landed on a small private airstrip on the island. Several luxury SUVs were waiting for them. Ahmed tried to take Aisha’s hand to help her down, but she withdrew her hand and got out without accepting his assistance.
Instead of bothering him, this gave him hope. Clearly, she was upset about what had happened. He smiled again at the thought. The handsome pilot came to say goodbye, but it didn’t even dampen his good mood. They got into one of the SUVs that would take them to their accommodations.
“I see you’re very happy about what happened,” Aisha remarked.
“Pardon?”
“I’m just saying you’re quite smiley now, whereas you were very serious just a short while ago.”
“Ah, that. She’s a very friendly girl.”
“Uhmm, that’s good.”
Ahmed was enjoying this. Really, he was. She looked at him through the window.
“Are you upset about something?”Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
“Not at all, nothing’s wrong.”
“Uhmm, it’s not fair to answer my questions with what I said before.”
“I didn’t know those words were exclusively yours. If that’s the case, Your Highness, I won’t use them again.”
Ahmed felt the urge to kiss her, but he knew that doing so now might upset her.
They arrived at a massive villa, where luxury was equally impressive.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to my favorite spot. I know you’ll love it. If you want to rest before dinner, I’ll show you to your room.”
Aisha followed him through the stairs and down a long corridor. They entered a huge room, and she noticed his things were there too.
“Will this be your room or mine?”
“I thought we’d share a room. You know neither of us can rest if we’re alone due to the nightmares. Besides, we need to get used to it because that’s how it will be in Dubai.”
“I thought I’d have some privacy to relax, but you’re right about the nightmares.”
She was still upset about what happened. She didn’t want Ahmed to think she was jealous, but she didn’t know how to express herself.
He decided to further provoke her jealousy.
“Do you want to know what we talked about with the flight attendant in the cabin?” Ahmed asked.
“Just out of curiosity, I’d like to know,” Aisha replied.
“She offered to be part of my harem.”
“Do you have one?”
“No, but I might like to have one.”
“I believe it was specified in the marriage contract that you wouldn’t accept second wives.”
“True, I forgot about that detail. I still wonder, why did you do it?”
“What?”
“Not allowing me to have second wives.”
“No woman likes her husband to be with other women, whether the marriage is real or not. At least, that’s how it is in my culture, and you know it.”
Ahmed moved closer to her, speaking softly into her ear.
“Are you sure it was only about that?”
Aisha felt her skin tingle at his closeness. His scent filled her nostrils, and for a moment, her mind went blank, not knowing how to respond.
“Yes, I’m sure. It was only about that.”
“Alright, I believe you. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Tell me.”
“The flight attendants want to stay on the island for a few days, but there’s no place for them to stay. Would you have any problem with them staying here?”
“What? No way.”
“No way what? No way you’d have a problem with them staying?”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re supposed to be on our honeymoon, even if it’s not real.”
“Okay, I’ll call them and let them know it won’t be possible. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Aisha was tempted to ask why she would see him only at dinner, but she decided to stay quiet. She took a bath to relax and then put on comfortable clothes. When she went to find Ahmed, he wasn’t anywhere in the villa. She asked one of the bodyguards, who said he had left and didn’t know when he would return.
This made her sad, thinking that he would spend the afternoon with the flight attendant. She returned to the room, sat on a chair, took a book, and tried to read, but her mind wouldn’t let her concentrate. She imagined Ahmed kissing the flight attendant and a thousand other things, and tears began to flow.
She lay down on the bed and fell deeply asleep. When she woke up later, she noticed Ahmed was lying next to her, fast asleep, holding her close. She gently removed his arm to avoid waking him up. Feeling thirsty, she decided to get a glass of water and realized it was already nighttime. She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping, but it must have been for several hours. As she passed by the dining room, she was amazed to see it decorated with hundreds of red roses.
The table was elegantly set, and there was a small golden box on the table. She guessed it was for her and opened it, finding a beautiful bracelet with their initials entwined in the symbol of infinity. Below it, there was a small note that read, “For the most beautiful woman, never take it off.” She put on the bracelet and headed toward the kitchen, feeling guilty as Ahmed had arranged all this for her, and she should have been waiting for him.
After pouring the water, she returned to the room. Ahmed was still asleep. “How could a man like him be so perfect?” she wondered. She felt guilty for what she had been imagining and watched him sleep. His features were refined, and he had thick eyebrows and beautiful, long eyelashes, along with a fine beard that made him look very masculine. She approached and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, closing her eyes as she did so. When she opened them, she saw him looking at her intensely.