Tempted by Temptations

Epi Three

KHADIJA'S POV

I am unsure as to why I am with this guy, but I feel extremely comfortable in his presence. He exudes qualities of a genuinely kind and gentle man. I offered him a dance earlier because I saw my ex here. But this shouldn't have happened. What the hell!

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Ahmed Al Mactuom," he said, extending his hand towards me with a confident smile. "May I know your name?" His eyes showed a strong sense of self-assurance.

"Khadija! I'm pleased to meet you," I stated confidently, my voice projecting over the loud music. "May I ask about your nationality? From your appearance, I would guess you are Indian."

"I come from Oman, and I am of Arab descent," he said calmly but with a strong sense of conviction, as he addressed the authorities in a constructive and respectful manner.

I exclaimed with a tone of disbelief and shock, "Wait, you're Arab?"

He asked, "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's actually pretty cool. I've never met someone of Arab nationality before. Plus, it's my first time here in Cebu."

"I too am a first-timer here," he declared, locking his gaze with mine with a confident stare.

It's amusing how comfortable I am in his presence.

Although I thought of following him on other social media platforms, I realized that I haven't deleted pictures of my ex from there yet.

As the bouncer approached us and whispered something to Ahmed, he pulled out his wallet and handed over three thousand pesos assertively without any questions. Ahmed knew what he wanted to do, and he did it confidently.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but I took the liberty of paying for the table. The staff informed me that the VIP deal you had with your friend had expir-----."

"Excuse me? what do you mean by that?" I asked assertively, unwilling to let the situation slide. However, I am feeling uneasy about facing him. Nonetheless, I know that I need to confront him and address the issue head on. I will not let this slide and will take charge of the situation. "I apologize for any misunderstanding. It seems that I thought the reservation was for the entire night," I said in a constructive tone, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"It's alright, you can count on me!" He grinned reassuringly at me.

"Oh, okay you said so. But thank you. " I said and touched his arms for sincerity.

"Tell me, where do we stand with our conversation?" he demanded assertively with a broad chuckle. That was pretty cool.

"What work do you have, Ahmed?" I asked with a questioning look.

With a confident smile, he came over and took a seat beside me. "Hey, mind if I sit next to you? The music is just too loud, and I would love to talk to you properly," he said, taking up our private space and speaking with a bold and self-assured tone. "I am a highly skilled mechanical engineer with extensive experience in Oman. My expertise in mechanical systems and processes has allowed me to consistently exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results."

"Ahmed, that's truly impressive! I'm really impressed by your work. You've done an excellent job," I said with a smile, feeling impressed and constructive. "I think you can continue to build on this and achieve even greater things in the future."

As soon as I noticed Ahmed's friend approaching us again and taking a seat nearby and saw my friend with him too, I immediately decided that it was time to take a stand.

I gave my friend a confident and assertive look, but she just smiled and blew me a kiss. I knew that she had a habit of hitting on Arab men which made me feel uncomfortable. With confidence, I expressed my concerns and told her that her behavior was not acceptable.

I must explained to her that she needed to be more mindful of cultural differences and to respect them. I made it clear that this kind of behavior would not be tolerated.

I want to handle my female best friend's behavior in a constructive manner. Though she was with a foreigner man when we arrived, she's now with someone else, and it seems like she's trying to create unnecessary tension. Ahmed appears a little surprised, but I intend to approach the situation in a constructive manner. I plan to talk to her about how her actions are affecting our friendship and how we can work together to resolve any issues.

"It looks like you and your friend are on your way out!" he remarked kindly as he noticed the foreign gentleman approaching us.

I've realized that being embarrassed with these two is holding me back. I choose to let go of this feeling and approach the situation with a confident attitude, knowing that I am capable of handling it.

"I'm sorry, but he's actually my friend's boyfriend!" I said with confidence.

"That's not a problem. Are you leaving now?" he asked, firmly levelling his gaze with mine.

With confidence, he asked me while I was still beside him, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"I am taking tomorrow off since it's my day off and I deserve a break!" I stated confidently with a firm voice and a smile on my face.

I dont know, but i feel a bit unusual with that decision of telling him.

"Let's have lunch together, shall we? Or is it a date? You decide." he said with a self-assured smile, running his hand through his hair to add to his confident demeanor.

"Sure. " I said with a smile and my friend finally pulled me out of that bar.

That move was so unproffesional of hers.

I saw him waving at me with his serious intentional gaze.