Don't Remind Me

Chapter 36: The Client

"Mr. Malik wants to know when you're free for a lunch-date." Fahad pops the question on his third visit to my room.

Ever since I started ignoring Azaan's non-business related texts, he has been hounding my employee with ridiculous requests. Last week he wanted to know if my favorite color was still black. I nearly fired Fahad for impertinence when he asked me that one.

It's been a couple of weeks since we finalized our business plans, and officially started our own brand of ethnic crafts, called 'Hunar' (Meaning 'Skill' in Urdu).

Surpassing my expectations, Azaan has been an excellent business partner so far. He makes good suggestions, and has incredible solutions for our inventory related problems. He is respectful, and courteous to our staff whenever he visits, and he has already made friends with most of the old ladies on my pay-roll. Mai regularly (suspiciously) praises him in front of me, and our warden Hanifa, has invited him over for our mess-lunch way too many times for my liking. He is slowly insinuating himself into my life, and the people in it, so seamlessly that it seems like he was always here.

For the first couple of days, I was glad that he was being very politely cheerful about my rejection. I thought he realized the futility of his charm on me. I thought he was ready to give up.

I was wrong.

Pretty soon the flowers started arriving (Two dozen bouquets at a time). Lilies and carnations. My favorite.

I usually tear up the notes he likes to attach to them, but sometimes Shay pinches them, just to read them out loud, and annoy me on his behalf.

"Remember that time I ruined your favorite shawl?

You forgave me a moment later.

Remember that time I ate all the purple mentos to piss you off?

You forgave me a day later.

Remember that time I called drone attacks a necessary evil, and we fought?

You forgave me a week later.

Remember that time I was stupid enough to ruin what we had?

It's been six years, Nightlife. Please forgive me."

Shay 'awws' and 'OMG's herself over them.

They make me cry when she's not around.

And then af few days later, he decided to fill up my office with approximately 5000 colorful helium balloons. Not just any balloons though. They were custom printed with his dimpled grinning face, and the words 'Miss Me Yet?' plastered under it. Everywhere I looked, his dimpled mug was staring at me.

My staff and residents were wildly amused.

I wasn't.

"Actions win wars, sweetheart. Not words; actions." He informed me when I called up to threaten him with a restraining order. "My words in particular, have the combined worth of a tissue paper at the moment, so I'm just trying to show you with actions that I mean business. And that I'm not going anywhere. Ever. You should have thought of this when you decided to fall in love with me..."

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH YOU ANYMORE! YOU IDIOT!" I yelled back in exasperation.

"Wrong. You just think that you're not in love with me anymore. I know that you are. How could you not be? I'm extremely lovable." He is grinning through the phone. Ass.

"Stop with the gifts, Azaan. I mean it. I have a reputation at Hiraeth and I don't want you to ruin it."

"I will stop with the flowers in exchange for answers to two questions." He says thoughtfully after a pause.