The next day, Faiz woke up to over thirty-four missed calls from Blake. He knew he wanted to scold him for what he did to the dancer last night and if he was being honest with himself, he disliked himself a lot for the way he treated her. He was a gentleman that always treated women with respect, his late mother made sure of that.
But last night…..
That was the most violent he had been with any female, and he hated himself for it. Faiz wasn't sure what had gotten into him when the dancer touched him, was he scared? Of what though? That he'd be tempted to do something he knew he shouldn't? That he might offend his God?
Or was it because that would have been his first time being so intimate with a woman?
He wasn't sure but did not want to dwell on it either. It was in the past now and he prayed more than anything that neither one of them would cross paths.
After reciting his fajr prayer, Faiz got ready for work. Ignoring his phone blasting with endless calls from his best friend.
Faiz wondered whether Blake had slept at all last night. That is if he managed to make it back home in his drunk state. His ringtone became engraved in his mind as it went on nonstop as he showered, had breakfast, drove to work, went up the elevator, and sorted files. And then, it stopped.
That might as well be over two hundred missed calls.
The thought that Blake might be calling him for something important had crossed his mind. But there was this twisted fact about Blake, if it was important, he'd call once and Faiz would return it. However, if it wasn't important, he'd call numerous times. Usually, it would be to rant or ask for advice on what to say to some hot girl he drove past.
A few seconds of silence passed within his office and BAM!
Faiz jumped on his chair as his best friend stormed into the room with bloodshot eyes glaring straight at him. He was still in the same outfit from last night. Only this time, he looked worse. His shirt was torn and he had a couple of purple bruises on his face accompanied by a bleeding lip.
"What happened-"
"WHY WEREN'T YOU PICKING MY CALLS, YOU BASTARD!" Blake yelled at the top of his voice, a series of coughs erupting from his swollen, blood-stained mouth.
"I thought it was irrelevant," Faiz said regretfully as he went to inspect his friend's wounds.
"Didn't you read the best friend manual?" Blake looked at him incredulously.
Huh?
"What?"
"The best friend manual I sent to your email three years ago!" Blake snapped and Faiz debated whether he was angry or delusional.
"Uh…."
"The best friend manual chapter seven in section four said, that one or two missed calls mean it's business-related. Three to fifty means anything related to women. Fifty-one to two hundred means help, the other is in danger. And anymore calls beyond that means my mother is coming to visit!" Blake exclaimed.
Faiz blinked.
This man was crazy.
"You need a doctor and I don't just mean for your physical wounds," Blake snickered, a deranged look in his eyes made him wonder whether or not he was still sober.
Faiz called his company nurse and she was in his office in less than a minute. She was a petite woman of over thirty years in a white dress and cap, a first aid kit in her grasp.
Their age difference didn't seem to matter to Blake though, "Hey beautiful," he winked as he treated the wound on his lip.
"I'm married," she bluntly stated.
Blake shrugged before hissing in pain, "Hasn't stopped me before."
Faiz and the nurse gave him a look of bewilderment. Once she was done patching him up she left the two friends alone.
"Now, what happened?" Faiz inquired.
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me. Where did you get those bloody wounds from?"
Blake appeared to be in thought for a few seconds until his eyes widened at the memory, "Oh yeah…. BRO, WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?" Faiz raised a brow, "Why the hell did you do that to her?" Blake clarified.
Faiz sighed, "I don't know…. I-I was scared and new to that kind of stuff. It was not my thing."
"Well, I got beat up because of it!"
"What?"
Blake puckered his lips to form a pout, "That girl was one of their prized dancers. The minute those men saw what you had done to her they went after you, but I guess they lost sight of you or something and decided to take it out on me."
Faiz scowled, "I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me."
Blake shook his head, "Nah it's fine. Should have never forced you to go there anyway, it was all my fault. Just tell me where the damn tequila is around here," he said as his eyes searched his friend's office.
"I don't have any."
"WHAT?!"
Another series of scolding befell Faiz.
Soon, the conversation changed to a more professional topic as they discussed business and the welfare of their companies. The two sat for hours, talking and laughing to eventually reprimanding one another. But their bond was ever-growing.
A week passed and it was the first day of August 2022. Every first day of the month, Faiz made it a tradition to donate as much as he could from FZ's monthly revenue to any orphanage he'd usually pick at random.
This time, Faiz was donating a sum of five million dollars to the children's home society at 800 NW, 15th street. He was in casual wear, appearing in nothing but a deep blue t-shirt that matched his eyes, black sweatpants and dark puma slippers. It wasn't something he'd usually wear on a Monday but he had decided to take the day off.
The receptionist gaped at the cheque he slid across the counter. Looking at Faiz at that moment, he didn't look like someone that could donate such a huge amount.
"Any problem?" Faiz asked, referring to her shaken expression.
"N-no. Please wait a moment while I sort this out," she said.
"And mine too, if you would." A familiar voice said behind Faiz. He turned around and couldn't stop his jaw from dropping at the sight of the woman he had hoped he wouldn't be unfortunate enough to meet again.
The dancer.
She looked completely different from the woman he saw the previous weekend. Wearing black fitted jeans that hugged her luscious thighs and hips, a white crop top stopped just above her exposed belly button which was embroidered with white waist beads. Her dark heels made her appear much taller than the night they saw.
But this time, she looked unrecognizable due to the fact she had no make upon.
Her face appeared more vulnerable…. Almost innocent.
Their eyes met and hers became cold. She handed her cheque to the receptionist who quickly left to get the documents they needed to sign.
She took a seat that was leaned against the white wall and took out her phone from her black purse.
Of all places, Faiz never would have imagined a woman like her spending her money in a place like this. If he felt bad for the way he treated her before, he felt even worse for judging her so coldly. Even though they came from two completely different worlds, she was still human.
He had to make it up.
"Hello," were his choice of words. His Arabian accent brought goosebumps to her skin but he didn't notice as she continued to act nonchalant. She did not expect nor did she want to see him ever again, especially here. She could only hope that the receptionist brought the documents so she could get out of there as soon as possible.
Her emerald green eyes still focused on the phone, she replied, "sup."
Sup? He wondered how people even replied to that.
"Uh, I'm good. What about you?" His voice came out a bit more flustered than he wanted.
"Great," she said before flicking her tongue, still not bothering to spare him a glance.
His hands went to the back of his neck and massaged the skin there, "I'm sorry for how I treated you the other night."
"What other night?" He had gotten her full attention has her huge eyes pinned him down. Her stare was intense.
"The night I pushed you at Clubspace," he clarified. "I shouldn't have done that, you were just uh… doing your job." The last part sounded like he was saying it more to himself than to her.
"I don't know what you are talking about, I don't even remember you." Was her blatant lie.
Faiz did not see a point in making her remember if her words were true. Rather, he decided to change the topic.
"So, do you donate often?" He asked.
"Yes, I do." She found it unnecessary to tell him that this was the orphanage she had grown up in. Once they stepped out of this building they would return to being nothing but strangers to one another. Out of curiosity, she asked, "Do you as well?"
"I donate to a different orphanage or charity every month," He replied.
"How much did you donate?"
"Five million dollars," he answered smoothly and her jaw dropped. That was a lot…. "And you?" He asked.
"Uh… five hundred thousand." She said, suddenly feeling bashful. She knew she shouldn't though. He was a high-ranking businessman and she was a mere dancer. It was all she could afford.
Faiz found himself smiling at her subconsciously, he admired her generosity. She couldn't help the heat that came to her cheeks as he did, she looked away.
Luckily for her, the receptionist had brought the documents and they both signed them before leaving.
"So, where to next?" He found himself asking her and she looked at him suspiciously.
"The bus stop…"
"Oh, then there's no need. I can drop you off wherever it is you are heading," he offered.
Her brows raised, "Don't you have work or something?"
"It's my day off," he said as he led her to his 2021 black Bentley. They got in as he started the engine, "So, where to?"
"Clubspace, I have rehearsals."
He nodded and the two drove in silence. He parked in front of the building and was surprised at how empty the place looked during the daytime.
"Thanks," she said before getting out of the car. She stopped, "You should drop by sometime." She offered.
"Uh.." He uttered with uncertainty.
"Here," she pulled out a card and handed it to him. "Just in case you want to see me," she winked before getting out of the car. His eyes followed her as she walked away.
What the hell just happened?