Holding On

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ғɪᴠᴇ

The following day, Zain waited till the time he knew George would be on to going out of the city and paid Emma a surprise visit, only too early to meet her at her gate just when she was returning from escorting her husband. . . no, George to the airport.

When she stepped out of her car, she looked surprised with a hint of uneasiness as she approached him. “Hey, Zain.”

He felt the usual thrill from the way she said his name. “Emma.” He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek and as usual making sure it was as close to her lips as he could get it. He loved the way she grew fidgety each time.

“What a surprise seeing you here.” She said with a tentative smile. “If you're here for George, he's already left for California.”

“I'm not here for him actually.” He clarified.

She didn't seem to deem his visit a pleasant one, but he could live with that... For now.

Smiling, he increased their proximity until they stood just some inches apart from each other, her Jasmine perfume tempting him to lean in and smell her delectable neck. He stomped on the thought before he could pull through with it. “I came for you.”

She unconsciously sucked in a nervous breath. “Why? What for?” Turning, she started off clumsily in a way that gave him the cue to follow.

Contended by the effect he still had on her, he followed her past the security and into her house. “Since your husband is not here to keep you occupied, I've decided to spend the whole day with you. And your daughter of course.” He said when they'd entered the main building.

It was a beautiful, large duplex house painted in bluish green. But the insides were painted in white with feminine accentuations. No doubt George had given Emma the choice of decorating it.

Emma turned to face him, a nervous smile playing on her lips. “Really now?”

“Of course.” Zain breathed a sigh of relief. She at least showed no sign of rejecting his offer. “And that reminds me. I haven't really been introduced to your daughter. I'd really like to meet her.”

“Really?”

“Of course!” He replied enthusiastically, wondering why she looked so doubtful.

“Great then. I'll bring her down. She's with her grandaunt.”

As soon as Emma left and he sat on one of the couches, the doubts set in. Was he really ready to meet Amy? After all she was a child who wasn't his, a child Emma had with another man. He didn't know what feelings to expect this to provoke in him, and he started wondering if he could really love her as his own when he and Emma eventually reunited.

When after a few minutes he heard the clicks of Emma's heels on the tiled floor, he braced himself, but when he looked up at the child in her mother's arms, he froze.

She was. . . beautiful, no doubt like her mother, and she was giggling as Emma tickled her, green eyes a mirror of her mother's eyes crinkling with genuine mirth. She exuded such happy warmth he couldn't help but get infused by it.

Hypnotized, he barely noticed Emma placing the child just in front of him even though his eyes followed the movement.

“So this is Amy, my precious daughter.” It was Emma's voice which fanged him from the trance and he snapped to consciousness to find the little girl staring at him curiously.

Eye brows crinkling in confusion, she looked up at her mum who stood beside her, then refocused on him before looking up at her mother again. “Who is he mummy?”

Her carefully formed and voiced words, was angelic and like music, soothing his nerves. Zain looked at Em who seemed to have held her breath in anticipation before getting down on his knees so he was on a somewhat uniform level with the little girl although he had to hunch his back.