BEING YOURS

CHAPTER ONE

He parked his car by the doorway and alighted, passing the key to the driver for proper parking.

"Get everything in the car to my room." He said as he climbed up the perron stairs and into the house.

He was welcomed by a delightful atmosphere of incense which went through his nasals and mellowed out his excited nerves. His fuming head eased off and he reached the sitting room, used his toes to take off his shoes and left his legs in socks, then consecutively loosed his necktie and rolled up his sleeves.

The cleaners did a great job today. He thought to himself.

He'd had an exhausting week to understate, he's suspended indefinitely from work because of AWOL, he'd have petitioned to be pardoned but he really needs a break. To get habituated with how his life's going to be.

He'd have to move in completely now and he's not even certain when Amira's coming back home, it's been five days since he came to KD.

And it's a season of increased production in the company, the demands have been shooting up and so was the workload. Umar asked to be left to it but he hated it when he's idle, he'd rather overwork than underwork.

He made a mental list of what he had to pull off before the next day and headed to the kitchen for a cup of espresso.

What he met was never to have crossed his mind not in the last five days. He's lodged to his spot by the threshold and stared at the shock of the moment.

Am I dreaming?!

He closed his eyes and shook his head dramatically, maybe the exhaustion was taking the better of him.

He then took a step forward and granted himself his sight back just to realise it wasn't an illusion after all.

He took his legs back a couple steps then stared ahead, his face a mask of insensibility.

Was she to have come today? But she didn't mention she would.

He looked over his shoulder to the sitting room past the dining area. Everything seems normal, did the maids clean up or did she? Why didn't Lawrence mention she's back?

He then turned around to see her staring at him. His heart almost broke out of his chest at the immediacy but he remained unruffled and kept his eyes fixed on her just as she did.

She's staring at him with a capricious look and if he wasn't the tough-skinned trooper he was, that swart face was enough to get his knees wobbly.

None of them said anything but just gaze, a desolate, inane stare.

She broke their vain little review session as she turned around to the stove and switched it off then poured the boiled water into a bowl of dissolved custard powder, steering it until viscous then added powdered milk and sugar.

She then took the dessert plate with a slice of yellow butter cake and walked out on him, leaving only a zephyr of her rosy perfume and not sparing him another glance whatsoever.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a long breath. She is back.

* * *

She woke up the next morning to the dazzling rays of the sun. The morning was calm and generous and the sun scorching to the feel.

She rolled around on her bed still feeling sleepy, shut her eyes with the intention of going back to sleep but a thought projected her eyes wide open and cleared up her somnolence.

She darted to a seated position and fumbled for her phone on the bed as it wasn't on the drawer. She found it covered in the sheets and checked the time.