Azmaish-e-Ishq

Ch. 11: Double Date

We'd always been like two peas in a pod.

Thinking about coming days without him created a void within me.

No more movie nights, no more banter during family dinners, no more sneaking into each other's rooms through the window, no more spontaneous Sally visits to Hayat, no more Ruby's, no more mindless shenanigans.

Kamran cleared his throat, his eyes observing me, "You'll have me."

A smile tugged on my lips as my hand reached out and curled around his on the table, "That I will, yakışıklım."

He intertwined our fingers, a small intrigued smile now appearing on his mouth, "Yakışıklım?"

"My handsome," I told him sweetly.

His eyes twinkled. He dipped a biscotti into his cappuccino and brought it to my mouth, "And how do you say 'my beautiful?'"

I licked my lips clean after taking a bite of the cookie, garnering his attention to my lips unintentionally, "Güzelim."

He leaned closer to me over the table, his voice low, "You've yet to kiss me today, güzelim."

His light brown eyes drew me in and I found myself pressing a soft peck to his warm lips.

He moved back slightly and gazed at my orbs, murmuring huskily, "Tatlı dudaklar (Sweet lips)."

My eyes widened while pink arrayed across my cheeks, "Where did you learn that from?!"

His back rested against his chair as he chuckled, "I've got a half-Turkish girlfriend; I wanted to learn for you. You can pick up a thing or two from the interne-"

My hands subconsciously lifted to my face to cool the radiating heat.

He wanted to learn for me?

He moved closer again, pulling my left hand away from my left cheek. He smirked, scanning my face, "Why? Does what I said make you feel shy?"

"Internet se door raho," I mumbled out meekly.
(Stay away from the internet.)

He laughed softly before pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist, sending my heart racing, "Tum toh dil se door nahin rehti. Seekhna tha mujhe, tumhari har cheez se jo pyaar hai mujhe. Tumhari aankhein," with that, he pecked the outer corner of my eye. "Tumhari honth." He kissed my lips agonizingly slow,
(But you don't stay away from my heart. I wanted to learn, as I love everything of yours. Your eyes, your lips.)

Before he went any further, I remembered where we were. I pushed him away gently, much to both of our dismay, whispering, "There are people here, aşkım."

"Are there? I didn't notice," he retorted cheekily before taking another sip of his cappuccino.

I couldn't help but smile to myself.

He turned a bit more serious, holding my hand, "You should start looking for another employee, babe. You already work so much as it is, and now with Haniya gone, it's going to put a lot of pressure on you. Your own shift is already longer than your other employees', and now you're going to be working double shifts."

I sighed as the debacle with Hani resurfaced in my mind.

My eyes went downcast, mumbling sadly, "I was kind of hoping we would make up and I wouldn't need to look for someone else, but she's not even answering my messages."

His jaw ticked at my gloom, "Post a listing online or put up a sign on the window. If she comes around later, then great, if not, don't dwell on it."

It's easier said than done.