Their Save-the-Date Charade, page 10
“I should probably head back upstairs and rest,” she said.
“Are you feeling unwell again?” he asked, his expression flipping to concern in the blink of an eye.
“I’m fine, I promise. Just a little sleepy. Nothing a nap won’t cure.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am,” she said, flashing him a quick smile.
“Okay then, I’ll take that as my cue to get out of your way now. And before I forget, here.” He pulled her family’s house key from his pocket and passed it to her. Seeing her questioning look, he explained, “Ladna gave me her spare, and I went grocery shopping for the ingredients to the soup. I let myself back in with it.”
Somehow that knowledge only tugged at her heartstrings more… If that’s even possible.
“I’ll walk you out.”
“Sure,” he agreed, turning and heading for the front door.
At the entrance, he stopped suddenly and grabbed a slim messenger bag that was tucked between the coatrack and the shoe stand. “I almost forgot. My mom wanted you to have these.” Opening the bag, he pulled out a small stack of decorative, delicate-looking cards. A cursory look told Lulu they were save-the-dates. As odd as it was to see her and Alwan’s full names on the card, announcing a wedding they both knew would never happen, she had to admit that the cards were uniquely beautiful.
“These are really pretty.”
Alwan smirked. “My mom will love hearing that because we made them.”
“Sorry, you helped make these?” Lulu couldn’t believe it. First he cooked, and now this. She wasn’t used to complimenting him, figuring his ego never needed more stroking, but even she had to admit that she was in awe of his hidden skills.
“I’m a man of many talents,” he preened.
She sighed and shook her head, but she struggled not to smile when Alwan laughed.
“So, take a look at the cards whenever you’re ready and let us know what you think.” He pulled his shoes on and backed up to the front door, his hand grasping the door handle. “Other than that, uh, I hope you feel better soon. So, um, bye.” He gave her a little awkward wave, his smile bordering on bashful as he opened the door and walked out onto the porch.
“Alwan?” Lulu called after him just as he cleared the last step down the porch.
“Yeah?” he asked, lifting his hand to shield his squinting eyes from the sun and looking back up at her.
“Thanks for visiting. It was surprisingly nice.”
“Surprisingly?” he laughed and lowered his hand.
Laughing too, she said, “Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and I can give you my thoughts on the cards.”
“I’d like that.”
Closing the door, and still smiling after their exchange, Lulu turned and looked down to where Blue was peering up at her curiously.
“Don’t judge me. He did feed us both, so he can’t be that bad, right?”
Meowing, Blue stalked over to her and rubbed against her leg.
Picking up her attention-seeking cat, Lulu carried him upstairs, back to their bedroom where she dropped him gently onto the unmade bed. Purring his satisfaction, Blue kneaded the bedsheets, settling himself down and looking at her as if wondering why she hadn’t joined him yet.
Only there was one thing she wanted to do before lying down.
Lowering to her knees, she lifted up the bed skirt and, searching in the darkness under her bed, found what she was looking for.
The small suitcase wasn’t anything special on the outside.
But it was what was inside that mattered to her.
Placing her hands atop it, Lulu pulled a deep breath in and out before she pinched the zipper and opened the luggage slowly. Her eyes stung as she pushed back the lid and stared down at the brand-new tiny clothes inside. There were even a couple toys, their packaging undisturbed. She counted to ten before her vision blurred and her hands groped at the lid to close the suitcase.
Pushing it back where she’d pulled it from, she climbed onto her bed and lay down, sniffling quietly.
Blue’s wet nose brushed her cheek, his whiskers tickling her.
“It’s all right,” she said, tucking him beside her and petting him.
And it was. Those hadn’t been empty words. She did feel better given what she’d just bravely done. Since packing those clothes and toys away a little more than a year ago, Lulu hadn’t looked at them again.
But now, not only had she managed to do that, she wasn’t spiraling into that awful darkness that had once taken hold of her life right after her loss. And though Lulu wouldn’t attribute it to her conversation with Alwan completely, she had a feeling that it played a big role. Talking to him had been far more therapeutic than she could have ever imagined.
He really isn’t so bad after all.
More than that, Lulu had to admit she was taking a strong liking to Alwan with every day that passed.
Chapter Seven
FOR A BIG CITY, Toronto had green spaces spread throughout the metropolis, and Lulu was immensely grateful for it now as she dropped onto her back and sprawled out her limbs on the picnic blanket beside Blueberry.
Her persnickety cat kneaded the spot beside her before settling his rump down and yawning.
She might have joined Blue in taking a nap if they weren’t in the heart of busy High Park. Even if the constant foot traffic didn’t keep her awake, or the possibility of being robbed, the knowledge that Alwan would be arriving any moment left her too wired to do anything else but wait out the time until he showed up.
It had been a little over a month since he’d stopped by her home to check in on her and ended up making soup for her. Oh, and feeding Blue. She couldn’t forget that. All of it had been so uncharacteristic. So unlike what she’d expected him to do. His thoughtfulness was at odds with the vanity he’d always shown her.
In fact, Lulu was beginning to wonder if she’d even really known him at all.
Because over the past month he’d ramped up his generosity. Scheduling their meetings around her lunch breaks from work rather than his, letting her choose the places where they’d meet up and even treating her regularly to her favorite flavored iced latte. She didn’t know what to make of his small shows of kindness. Was he being nice for some ulterior motive, or was it something else?
Something like how he feels sorry for you because of you-know-what…
Pressing her palms over her tightening chest, Lulu shut her eyes and breathed out deeply. She’d accepted that it was possible Alwan was handling her delicately now after everything she had shared with him. Overcompensating with his kindhearted acts because he didn’t know what else to do. And if that was the case, she couldn’t fault him for simply being considerate. It wasn’t as if he’d signed up to be her therapist.
Just my fake fiancé, she thought dryly.
Opening her eyes, Lulu sighed long and deep, feeling the stony weight of it reverberate through her bones. She wanted to regret telling him all that she had, but just like being unable to be irritated with his overfriendliness, she couldn’t find it in herself to do that. Because regardless of whether he felt sorry for her or not, Lulu felt better having confided in Alwan about losing her baby and how that led to her divorce. The emotional burden of carrying that baggage around wasn’t so hefty now.
Which brought her to this point: as fake as their relationship was, it didn’t lessen the very real comfort he’d given her by just listening.
For that, she owed him.
And not liking the weight of that debt, Lulu had devised a way to settle the score.
She pulled out her phone and searched his name. Just like all the other times she’d done this over the last several days, Lulu didn’t have to scroll far to find the viral video of Alwan being assaulted by his former client. She’d watched the long clip several times, even seen shortened versions specifically focusing on the exact moment Alwan was hit in the chest by an array of lobbed pastries to the tune of funny circus music and laugh tracks.
Though he hadn’t spoken too much about it, and had even acted like it hadn’t bothered him, this video was what had inspired him to seek her out.
It was what started all of this for them both.
So, it couldn’t be easy for Alwan to accept its existence. But now that he was on this path to a new venture, she presumed that he’d have to want closure, and to do that he’d have to talk about it.
That was where Lulu was hoping to return the favor.
This is how I can help him the way he helped me.
She paused the video on a clear frame of Alwan’s shocked face just after he’d been attacked, and just stared and stared at him, her heart squeezing in sympathy and her thoughts carrying her away.
That was how she missed Alwan’s arrival until his smooth, deep voice came out of nowhere.
“What are you looking at?”
She yelped, quickly shut off her phone, snapped upright to a seated position and whipped her head over to where he stood behind her. He had his shoulder propped against the large oak tree that she’d placed her outdoor blanket beneath, his laptop bag slung over the other shoulder, and he held a drink tray containing two cups.
Ready to defend her, Blue sprang to his paws, his tail bushy, back arched and fangs bared.
“Whoa, hey, I come in peace.” Alwan pushed off the tree and despite his adorable grin, he eyed a hissing Blue warily. “Should I be worried he’s going to attack?”
“Blue wouldn’t hurt a soul, but it would serve you right if he did with the way you’re sneaking around and jump-scaring us like that,” Lulu said with a sniff, gathering her cat into her arms just in case she was wrong this one time.
He laughed. “You can’t call it sneaking if you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. Now, what were you staring at on your phone that had you so interested you didn’t hear me coming up behind you?”
“Nothing,” Lulu squeaked, blushing. She wasn’t about to confess that she’d been snooping on him online. Nuh-uh. No way.
“Really? It didn’t look like nothing. But, okay, keep your secrets.” His smile unbudging, he shrugged and passed her one of the drinks from the tray.
Lulu bundled Blue into one arm, accepted her iced coffee from him and murmured her gratitude. She drank a big gulp and sighed happily, the cold caffeine jolt already working its magic on her frayed nerves after Alwan nearly caught her spying on him.
“I’ll take that as a sign I didn’t mess up your order,” he said, enjoying a sip from his own cup before he sat down beside her on the blanket, his thigh brushing up against hers. The scent of him, all toasted warmth and spiced earth, enveloped her and restoked the heat simmering under her skin. Well, there goes my composure. And so much for the coffee icing the fluttery feelings Alwan inspired in her more and more of late.
“So, what’s up?” Lulu asked, sounding a little pitchy from her nerves. It was just that they weren’t supposed to be meeting this early today. Instead, they’d had plans to see each other in the evening at his parents’ home, where apparently his mother had some traditional Sudanese thobes she’d wanted Lulu to choose from for the nikah ceremony.
Not that a nikah would be happening. But they had pretenses to keep up, so Lulu had no choice but to show up.
None of that explained why Alwan had called to see her.
And it wasn’t helping calm her when he scrubbed a hand over his bearded jaw and slung her an apologetic smile.
“Have I told you how much I appreciated you helping me find an office? Because I did, and I’m going to need your help again,” he said.
“With?”
“A dinner.”
Recalling how tasty his soup had been and how comfortable he’d appeared working in her parents’ kitchen, Lulu frowned and tipped her head to the side. “You want me to help you make dinner?”
“Well, yes, I wouldn’t mind the extra hands if you’re offering. But that’s not it. Do you remember how I told you that I’m trying to tap into my parents’ network of contacts? They have friends and acquaintances within their business circles who could be potential clients for my practice.”
Lulu nodded. “I haven’t forgotten. It’s the whole reason why this—” she gestured between them “—is even a thing.”
“You mean you don’t actually want to marry me?” Alwan touched a hand to his chest, his gorgeous features twisting into mock hurt. “Really hurting a guy here, Lu.”
She blushed at the easy, affectionate way he’d used her nickname. It rolled off his tongue so naturally and softened her heart for him in a way it shouldn’t have, but did anyway. Her body suddenly warmer, she pretended to be occupied trying to keep Blue away from sniffing curiously at her iced coffee. Juggling her cat and coffee, she asked, “What’s dinner got to do with anything?”
“One of my parents’ acquaintances reached out after they introduced us. He’s the former Crown counsel for the Toronto Region, and now runs an internationally successful biotech start-up.”
“Sounds like a man who should have a well-heeled litigator on retainer.”
Alwan’s twinkling eyes and laughter heated her up faster than any hot mid-June afternoon could ever. “You’re on my wavelength. This dinner is my chance at pitching him, so everything has to be perfect.”
“And when is this perfect dinner happening?”
“A few weeks from now. Though he’s from the city and has a home here, he travels a lot for his business and is only going to be stopping by the city for a day or two. Only problem is that my one shot to meet with him is on the evening of Canada Day.” He gave her a grimace before rushing to add, “I’ll understand if you’ve already made plans to celebrate with your family or just want the day off to relax. It’s not like our contract stipulates that I take up your holidays too. I’ll just tell him that something came up and you couldn’t make dinner because of it.”
“He knows about me?”
“My parents told him about the engagement.”
“Oh, of course,” Lulu said, not certain why she was so disappointed by that news, or even why she’d leaped to the conclusion that Alwan had cared enough to mention her to this wealthy businessman he was trying to bag as a client. Smiling off the awkward pause, she asked, “Are your mom and dad going to join us?”
“No, the restaurant is open on Canada Day and it’s one of their busiest times of the year. But my mom has offered to help me cook.” He cocked his head to her with a smirk. “Also, did I just hear you say ‘us’?”
“You did.”
Lulu bit her lip to stifle laughter when Alwan pumped his fist and hooted his exuberance. A couple runners jogging past tossed them amused looks.
“People are staring at us,” she observed, the laugh she was trying to hold in sparkling out. “Are you really that happy that I’m coming?”
“Of course I am! Listen, I didn’t say this earlier because, well, my ego.”
She snorted and he grinned.
“But now that you’ve said you’re going to come through, I’ll be honest and say that I’m a little nervous. Okay, fine, a lot nervous, but it’ll feel good having someone else with me. You know, in case I choke or anything. Not that I mean I’ll choke on dinner, hopefully. But you know—”
“Alwan?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re rambling,” she said with a kind smile at his obvious anxiety over this important business meeting. “It’ll go smoothly, with or without me.”
“For sure,” he said with a nervous-sounding chuckle and a tug at his collar. “Gotta think positively, right? Right. Anyways, we’re good for dinner on Canada Day at my place?”
Lulu was mid-sip her coffee and nearly spat it out in her hurry to blurt, “Your place?”
“Is that a problem?”
Yes!
“N-no, it’s just, I thought it would be at your parents’ home.”
“Since they’re working, I didn’t want to bother them, and besides, I have a perfectly good place of my own to play host. Was that all, or is something else bothering you?”
Yes, the idea of us being together alone, in your home, definitely bothers me. Even if they had been alone together before, it was only that every time that happened they ended up getting close emotionally, physically… Then she always was left with these uncomfortable feelings she was clueless what to do about.
But seeing that Alwan was waiting on her, she offered him a reassuring smile. “Nope, I’m all good,” she lied, hoping the little squeak at the end didn’t give her away.
Appearing not to notice, Alwan beamed at her.
“We’re solid, then. Dinner at mine.”
* * *
From an early age, Lulu had always known there was a great disparity in wealth between her family and Alwan’s. The gap in financial standing never kept their parents from being close friends though, and so Lulu liked to think of herself as being desensitized to the big houses, flashy cars and designer clothing labels.
And yet, even with all that said, she had a hard time picking her jaw up from where it landed on the gleaming terrazzo flooring when she stepped out of the private elevator and into Alwan’s luxury condo for their Canada Day dinner.
Leaving her shoes in the built-in shoe cabinet by the elevator, she walked in slowly, turning her head every which way at the wealth oozing from the walls and furnishings.
The tall, elegantly coved ceilings, beautiful modern light fixtures, expensive-looking artwork and vases would’ve made this feel like a museum, but there were plenty of touches of greenery, the plant life adding warmth to the space along with several windows bringing in an abundance of sunlight. Lulu gawked at it all, feeling the affluence on a level she’d never anticipated.
It struck her that he lived on a totally different world.
Make that a different galaxy, she thought as she strolled past open French doors into the kitchen and was met by marble floors and walls, a bevy of state-of-the-art appliances, built-in closets and an impressive island with a dark wood base.
“Hey, you made it.” Alwan came up behind her, giving her a little startle that was instantly wiped away when he reached for the reusable grocery bags in both her hands.
