Light in the Sky
Destiny sat in her cabin and completed a few paper works that she had to scan, print, get it signed and file them. She worked in silence, smiling. While her phone kept blinking with Lay's messages since the day after the garden party. In her busy days, he became a stress relief cracking jokes in between and keeping her entertained. He got furious after Destiny told him clearly about the thing going on the company, about Benny and the call she received from the dickhead. She kept replying in between while she typed out the documents and printed them out.
"What are you smiling at?" Yuri peaked in and asked her while she was walking around the cabin.
"Oh nothing, really," Destiny replied back very casually. Yuri narrowed her eyes and turned around leaving "Omoo," she said suddenly.
"What happened? Destiny ran out only to be surprised, to see Lay standing there holding packets and coffee holder saying "Lunchtime,"
"Hello Mr. Lay, Destiny didn't tell me you would be coming to our office," Yuri said hiding the laugh.
"Even she had no clue, ok let's get out and have lunch, I bought for you too Yuri Kim,"
"Thank you sir, I will be here in a minute then,"
"Gosh Lay, how did you find this place,"
"It's C ring road, it's easy to find any office here." He said walking in towards her cabin.
"Where are you going, stop, people are gonna see you,"
"I don't care," he sat on the chair near her table. Not bad, but you deserve better."
That right moment, Benny walked in, with Dan wagging his tail behind. "Destiny, There is a," Benny stopped in the middle of his sentence seeing Lay sitting happily in her cabin. Dan gave a nudge to Benny, whispering something.
"Who is this?"
"Her client, do you mind, we are talking, pretty good deal, can you just," he showed the gesture of asking him to get the heck out. Destiny wanted to smile but stay as if she is in a serious discussion too, her expression serene.
Insulted badly, Benny walked out, his face red and Blasting Dan off for no reason. "Go get to work you fool,"
"Let's go, shall we? He asked her and then the three walked out.
A few days later, he called, for the first time. "I am leaving in two days Destiny, I just booked my flight." Destiny didn't know what to feel.
'Will it end here,' she wondered. 'Once he takes off, will he just stop it,' she feared. She badly didn't want to stop whatever she had started with him. They decided to meet up for his farewell.
"So leaving tomorrow?" she said hiding her disappointment. They were in Apple bees, and ordered steak, like a real date, only that it wasn't.
"This is like the first time I stayed an extra few days, I haven't done this before, I actually canceled the ticket that I was supposed to travel last week and booked for tomorrow," he informed her the truth. She smiled and enjoyed her meal and continued with their insensible talks about various stuff that happens around the world. When they reached the topic of food and eggs, she was reminded of her family.
"There was this time you know, I was with my brother home alone. He was in senior year in high school, and April, my younger sister was still a newborn. Mom and dad went to see her pediatrician, and we both got hungry. My brother wanted to make an omelet for the toast. So I have seen sometimes mom washing the eggs clean okay, so I did the same," she told the story of her childhood. "The only problem was I gripped on the eggs tightly and it cracked in my hands and fell into the sink. It began to sink. My good for nothing brother, he cracked the eggs and poured the content out and put the shell in the pan, I still have no idea how on earth they happened, the whole kitchen began to stink."
"Oh my god, you guys were really stupid," Lay laughed and asked her to continue with the story.
"Seeing our mother's furious face, we began cleaning and I while in the process slipped my grip on the water filter and it fell down and our kitchen flooded in water." They were both laughing, "Then we cleaned it up, with the mop and somehow dried everything and we lost our appetite. But the next day mom came asking me, why everything smells bad in the kitchen and the whole house because she swept the whole house using what we used to clean eggs. But thankfully I fell sick the next day, so I escaped from mom's clutches. Mom is a neat freak." When she finished the story, she missed her home, she missed her family and siblings, she missed her mom too badly and she couldn't remember the last time she talked to her dad. But it ached deep in her heart to the reality that they are never going to be a complete family anymore. Her eyes whelmed with tears but she soon shook it away from the mood hiding from him.
"There was something similar that happened to me with my sibling." He said as he ate. "We three are like total nut cracks, mom could never handle us three, so we had a nanny. She is a poor thing, while during the afternoon on weekends, we three would be energized. So one day we got into my dad's study. And we climbed the tiny ladder to the shelf to take a few books. He had lots of books so he wouldn't notice if some went missing. Dad was too strict about everything. So he wouldn't let us tear paper or do the craft or anything. So we use his books for that. It was the time My elder sister Lara had craft classes in school. So she was excited to teach me and Leah about those. That day thinking it's a useless book, we took an important file of one document."
"No no no no you didn't," Destiny said.
"Yep, we did. W cut them and tore into pieces and played the whole weekend. For work when dad searched the whole house for the documents, he ended seeing them in the trash in our study room and a few on the walls pasted. That day I seriously got beat up by dad, for playing along with girls irresponsibly."
"Oh my god,"
"I know my dad can be pretty scary,"
"Ask me what it was?"
"What was it?"
"The registration document for our Hotel," and Destiny began laughing.
"He went through so much trouble for around two months to get it done, go see many people and government stuff. And everywhere he carried this torn pages straightened out to show them." And they kept talking.
Time ran fast, as they wished to spend more time together. It was already 11. After dinner, Lay headed towards the aspire park behind Villagio mall. They walked in there for long and then sat in small bench under the willow tree. Destiny chuckled all of a sudden breaking the silence.
"What?"
"Nothing," she said shaking her head smiling wide.
"Tell me,"
"Nothing. The last time I was here was on a double date with Yuri. She dates a lot. That was my first time doing that. The guys were both her people but born and brought up here.
"What did you do?" he asked seriously.
"I did nothing. We had dinner from DQ and we came here. While I was sitting, suddenly Tae Young kissed on my cheek, I was dumbstruck. I had no idea what to do, I just looked at for a moment and then he said sorry. But my heart did flutter and we just smiled and sat there. Yuri was seriously making out with her guy somewhere. They came back way later." Lay sat there looking at her, the way she was talking and smiled. As he heard her story, he had an urge to do the same. 'No wonder that guy did that' he thought. He quickly leaned in and gave her a peck on her cheek. 'Oh my god what did I just do' he questioned himself after the action, alarmed. She was in shock and looked at him. Both their heart fluttered but they had no clue. Destiny blushed and she thanked the darkness.
"Lay," but she stopped what she was about to say.
"You know what," he stammered a little, next time you come here think of me not him ok," and he got up. She touched her cheek where he kissed and smiled while he walked away, standing up fast and following him.
"We are just friends, just good friends. Don't cross the line Destiny," she warned herself.
He dropped her off at the villa when it was around 12.30. It was another weekend.
"Would you come to the airport tomorrow? I will come and pick you up, the flight is around noon at 2 pm." She didn't deny and agreed to be ready by 11. Next day on time he picked her up. She was wearing white high waist jean short skirt and a baby pink full sleeved blouse. He was wearing a red hoodie with a black denim jacket on top and black jean. He had the cap on his head. They stopped in star bucks and grabbed the coffee.
"Can you not stop contacting me?" he asked her breaking their silence. And for some reason, she felt relieved a big time. "Let's keep this friendship going ok?"
"She nodded eagerly. "Yes. Let's do that, we should" she agreed with him. They reached the airport and Lay's best friend was already waiting for them there. Hamad International airport is something, another world, one of the busiest and always a lot of people. 'Its high time they extend this already large airport' she thought.
"Destiny, this is Mohamed, Mohamed this is Destiny." He introduced them to each other and they shook hands. Mohamed was not in the formal Arab clothes but in casual wears. He has fair and sharp face with brown eyes. Around 6 feet tall. Taller than Lay.
"Come soon, don't make me walk around bored," Mohamed joked. It was true. She wanted to say that too. But she didn't want to embarrass herself. It was time for the check-in. They said goodbyes. And the guys shook hands and did the nose thing usually Qataris here do. 'Lay knows that,' Destiny thought.
"He taught me that," Lay said straight after finishing it. And she laughed.
And he came for her and she didn't expect that. He gave her a hug and gave an unexpected kiss on oh her forehead and smiled at her warmly. "Until next time," he whispered in her ears and left. He didn't have much luggage. And he left.
Feeling a bit sad, Destiny walked out along with Mohamed.
"I will drop you off," he offered.
"No am fine, I will just take a cab, it's alright,"
"I have a promise to keep, am dropping you," he didn't ask, he just said and walked towards the parking lot.
"What about his car?"
"My driver will be driving his,"
"Okay," she said and got into his Lexus. 'Jeez these guys have the knack of ordering people around in a nice way,' she thought.
Destiny opened the back door to get in and sat comfortably.
"Why don't you just give the resignation?" Mohamed asked her out of the blue.
"What? Sorry?" she asked as if she didn't hear anything clear.
"Work a month more in notice period and join in my company?" he said straight this time. "There is post opening for sales and marketing, join in whichever you want. We are hiring, it's basically oil and gas but you will be put in construction and manpower. The HQ is in West Bay, you will have to sometimes go to the back office though, and it's in Almana Towers, opposite apple bees, near Nakilat."
Destiny was astonished. She didn't expect this kind of conversation at all. She said absolutely nothing. She couldn't say a word. He looked at her through the rear mirror.
"Surprised? I know, I get it. Lay told me everything."
'Oh my god Lay, you need not have, damn,' Destiny felt embarrassed.
"My contract is still valid."
"We will see about that, turn in your resignation fast alright," he again spoke highly, rather than a request, he just demanded in a kind way.
"I will try," she said. They reached the Villa. As she got out, Mohamed handed her his business card, and she was hit by the lightning. 'Dear Lord,' she gasped and looked at him.
"I will leave then, Bye." In a perfect British accent, he said. And he took off.
She smiled. He belonged to the greatest family in the country. Al-Thani. She felt excited. She climbed upstairs, hurriedly. "Yuriiii," she called.