Zafar took a minute as he ran his hands through his permed hair, sighing again before exiting the car. He met Zaya standing at the door and he became surprised.
"I didn't know how to open the door, the code." Zaya said nervously as she pointed at it.
Kabir smiled softly before saying "Oh, sorry for keeping you waiting."
He went ahead to punch the code into the door.
"It's 1701." he said to her.
"Okay, thank you." Zaya replied.
"It's the day we became partners. The day I approached you for a partnership. 17th of January, remember?" Zafar added.
A big realization hit Zaya. He used the date of their partnership as his door code. He really was into her! It instantly clicked to Zaya that the date of their partnership was always the same date as her wedding with Kabir. Her wedding anniversary and her partnership both shared the same date. Was this a coincidence or fate?
Zaya tried to hide her surprise and not to make Zafar notice. The two most important men in her life who were enemies were also connected to the important aspect of her life.
"I do. You came out of nowhere and decided to invest in my business." Zaya pointed out.
"Out of nowhere?" Zafar asked, surprised.
"Out of nowhere." Zaya replied as she chuckled softly.
Zafar stared into her eyes again. The feeling of want and long that he had been suppressing resurfaced again.
"This will always be my door code if you ever want to visit. No need to ask, just input it and enter. You will always be welcomed to my house, Zaya," Zafar said to her while gazing at her.
She could feel the depth of his words and the emotions it carried. The look on Zafar's eyes could not be shoved aside. She could clearly see the feeling of yearn he had for her. She was suddenly feeling guilty. She was putting him in a tight spot. He would play her pretend boyfriend while being in love with her.
They would act as a couple just to make her husband jealous. He would act as hers but would never be hers. The sadness that Zafar would go through would be too much for him to bear. Zaya thought.
"I will always try to visit too," Zaya assured him.
Zafar's lips spread wide into a smile as he opened the door and they went in. Zaya decided that she was going to make this night memorable for Zafar.
Zafar got in first with Zaya tailing behind. When she got in, she met the surprise of a lifetime. Not only was Zafar's house magnificent and enchanting, but the mood and theme of the house was different. The trail of red roses that probably led to somewhere was what amazed her the most. Zaya froze on the spot and Zafar turned to look at her, probably to see the effect that his preparation might have had on her.
"What is this?" she asked in whispers while looking at the whole room.
"Our date!" Zafar replied, smiling.
"What?" Zaya whispered, lost in the sight of the room.
She had thought the outside was beautiful and astonishing only because she hadn't seen the inside.
"I said it's our date," Zafar repeated his words.
"No, I mean like how? When?" Zaya asked with her gaze focused on Zafar this time.
"As soon as Mrs Salma texted. She also gave me a call before you did. I was in the middle of a meeting and postponed it to prepare for all of this. I mean, if we are going to pretend, then we should pretend well. Go big or go home!" Zafar explained nicely.
Zaya gasped in surprise and muttered the words "Oh my god," while putting her hands over her mouth.
"This is so beautiful that I could cry. You left your important meeting to prepare all of this? No one had ever done this for me. I feel like I don't deserve this." Zaya voiced with her eyes getting teary.
"Oh Zaya, this is nothing much. You deserve much more than this." Zafar consoled Zaya as he proceeded to pull her into an embrace, which Zaya complied with. He got a chance to inhale her scent and could swear with his life that it was divine and scented to him like heaven. Everything about Zaya was like a turn on for him.
"I want to cry, but I also don't want to cry. I don't want to ruin my precious makeup. For the first time in a long time, I am looking beautiful and feeling beautiful within," Zaya said in between the hugs as she wiped off the little tears in the corner of her eyes.
"You will always be beautiful to me, Zaya," Zafar said to her.
"But Kabir doesn't seem to think so," Zaya added.
"Then he is the one with the problem, okay?" Zafar comforted her.
"Okay," Zaya replied.
"Now let's go eat!" Zafar let out as he pulled away from the hug.
"I know you must be starving," he added.
"Yeah, I didn't have anything to eat. I am so hungry I could eat an elephant!" Zaya mouthed.
"The whole thing? Like the whole animal?" Zafar asked, astonished.
"You better believe it!" Zaya said to him as she chuckled lightly.
"Well, let's go get you something to eat immediately. I can't have you eat me because if you could eat a whole elephant, then I am nothing much." Zafar spoke.
"You can call me Zaya the finisher!" Zaya declared whilst laughing softly.
"Well, Zaya the finisher, let's go eat!" Zafar said as they both laughed softly.
"Okay," Zaya uttered as Zafar took her to where the dinner was.
Zafar took Zaya, following the trail of red roses, through some pathways and the stairs before they arrived at the dinner place on an open balcony which gave a perfect view of the night sky.
The enchanting night sky cast a spell of breathtaking wonder, as a myriad of twinkling stars illuminated the velvet-like darkness. Above, a crescent moon bathed everything in a gentle silver glow, adding an ethereal touch to the surroundings. Countless constellations adorned the vast expanse, creating a celestial tapestry that seemed to stretch into eternity.
Nestled in this enchanting setting was a cozy balcony, transformed into a haven of romance. Soft, flickering candlelight danced upon the meticulously decorated table, casting an intimate glow on the faces of Zaya and Zafar. Bouquets of fragrant roses, their petals an alluring red, adorned the center, emitting a gentle aroma that tingled the senses.
The table was elegantly dressed in pristine white linen, gently caressed by a gentle evening breeze that carried with it the faint scent of distant flowers. Delicate crystal glasses sparkled with anticipation, waiting to be filled with the finest of wines. Golden cutlery glittered as it embraced the soft light, a symbol of the attention to detail poured into this unforgettable moment.
To complete this magical scene, a luscious feast of epicurean delights adorned the table. Plates adorned with succulent delicacies crafted to please the most discerning palates. Glistening seafood, perfectly seared steaks, vibrant salads bursting with color and flavor, and a medley of decadent desserts, all meticulously prepared to satiate both heart and appetite.
Zaya could not believe her eyes with what she saw. She stood on a spot and took a few minutes to process it all in with her smile growing wide with everything she saw. What amazed her the most was how delicate the whole setup was. The amount of details put into it shows just how much Zafar cared about her approval. How did Zafar come up with this amazing idea and did he do it on his own? Zaya thought within.
This was by far the most beautiful thing that she had seen. She just couldn't believe that it was all for her. Probably living with Kabir and with the way he treated her, Zaya had started to devalue herself, and she felt like she wasn't worth anything beautiful. The whole scene to her was like one pulled out of a fantasy book. Even when she dated Roy, she still didn't experience something as good as this.
That was because Roy didn't have a lot to spend and whenever he did, he always tried to surprise her with the most beautiful things which she was most grateful for. Her dates with Roy were usually simple but filled with love. She never went on a date with Kabir, not even once. Zaya's whole life had been filled with simplicity even though she was wealthy that she now found the scene in front of her extravagantly astonishing.
It felt like a Beauty and the Beast kind of fairy-tale dinner. Although Zafar wasn't a beast. He was a prince charming like the prince from the Cinderella story. If Belle from Beauty and the Beast had dinner with the Prince Charming from the Cinderella story, this would be the explanation for them both now.
Zaya, after looking at the whole view and marveled by it, made her way to a seat with Zafar trailing behind. He got in front of her and pulled the seat out before she sat down on it and adjusted it to her own fitting.
"Chivalrous!" Zaya remarked at the deed done by Zafar while he smiled politely and made his way to his seat.
Once they were both seated, Zaya picked up the bouquet of flowers and took a long sniff at it, inhaling and enjoying the scent while Zafar stared at her in admiration. Her beauty to him could not be expressed with words and the night sky was only adding to it.
"Oh, I just love the scent of these flowers!" Zaya remarked politely with a smile.
"They are for you," Zafar said to her.
"I knew that, and I am so grateful for it. Kabir has never gotten me flowers." Zaya replied.
"Well, I am not Kabir," Zafar said in a seductive voice as he pulled his face forward.
"No, you are not." Zaya responded back as she chuckled softly.
"Are you thirsty? Hungry?" Zafar inquired.
"I am famished. Highly famished!" Zaya answered.
"Well, say no further!" Zafar said as he clapped twice, and a butler neatly dressed arrived from the corner with a bottle of wine.
"Thank you." Zafar said as the butler handed him the wine and left the scene with Zaya staring in awe.
"How did you…" Zaya asked and proceeded to mimic Zafar by clapping as he did, only more quietly, so as not to send the butler coming for no absolute reason.
Zafar laughed heartily at Zaya's attempt to mimic him coupled with her surprised facial expressions. It was amusing.
"No, tell me, how did you do it? I thought you said you planned it all by yourself?" Zaya asked, perplexed.
"I had a little help," Zafar said to her as he opened the wine.
He held it as it was supposed to be held and poured it into the crystal glass cup of Zaya.
"Domaine de la Romanée is the name of the wine." Zafar said to her as he poured the red wine into her glass cup.
"Oouuu, de la Romanée. Fancy!" Zaya said as Zafar finished pouring into her glass and was now into his.
"I have seen this wine on the wine cabinet of Kabir and even at my family house, but I have never once tried to touch it or try it." Zaya added.
Zafar finished pouring into his and sat back down on his seat, placing the wine bottle on the table. Zaya made a swirl with her wine, inhaled the scent before taking a sip of it, savoring the taste. Zafar, who noticed her doing it, was amazed.
"I see you know your way around wines," Zafar said to her.
"Indeed I do. I live in wealth, don't forget that." Zaya said back as she took a gulp at the wine while Zafar took a sip.
"This is a very good wine. How much does it cost anyway?" Zaya asked casually, taking another gulp.
"It's just $18,000 per bottle." Zafar said to her causally as he took a sip.
Zaya, after hearing the price, immediately choked on her drink. She instantly lost her zeal with it and dropped her glass cup while she swallowed hard the remaining left in her mouth. The price made the wine bitter for her.
"Eighteen thousand dollars! For what? Just wine?!" Zaya screamed at Zafar in surprise. "And you bought it?! I am rich, but I am not that rich!"