Zayd and Hanan decided to wear the same thing: black trousers, black long-sleeved turtlenecks and black boots – hers were wedge heeled. He draped his earth brown coat and her nude coloured one on his left arm. He did not want her to carry anything. Wrapping a matching nude veil around her head was easy and Zayd watched her the whole time.
"Wait a minute..." She turned around to face him, the mirror beautifully reflecting them both. "I have no idea what's in the box I'm taking to Egypt."
He smiled at her. "It's a surprise, I guess."
"Who packed it?"
"I did. I had some help from Amal and Hauwa though. Mama helped too."
She walked towards the door. "Then I should definitely have a look at what –"
"Our boxes are already at the suite in Cairo, Nehita. Don't bother going down to the car."
She stopped right at the wooden barrier that separated them from the others in the house and her hand fell from the cool door handle. She turned around slowly. "Why would you do that?"
He stood from the bed. "I didn't want us to have to deal with luggage. Like I said, I don't want you carrying anything." He smiled when he was right in front of her. "Let's go?"
She shook him a dirty look. "Yeah, let's go."
Everyone was there to say goodbye; his family, her family and their friends. There were long hugs and last minute advises. Umar warned Hanan to not allow Zayd contaminate her mind against their shared love for pineapples and apples in yoghurt.
She laughed and nodded. "Don't worry, Baba, he wouldn't be able to do so."
Zayd glared. "That doesn't mean I'm going to allow you take it throughout the month."
"We'll see about that, Sa'ed."
Amal's hug was the longest and she sighed when she pulled back. "Have lots of fun, Hanan and be rest assured I'd be doing the same in the UAE. Let's get each other lots of gifts, okay?"
Hanan nodded, smiling at the other woman. "Okay. If I get too much, don't come for me."
"Me too."
They both laughed about it and then Amal hugged Zayd. The ride to the airport was fast as the roads were freer than what was considered normal. When Hanan saw the private plane they were to take, her jaw hit the ground.
Zayd, who now sported a pair of expensive sunglasses, shot her an amused look. "It's an international flight, Hanan. Of course it has to be a big plane."
"This is bigger than I had expected!"
"Get used to it then."
The interior was way cooler and she kept gasping. "Zayd! Zayd, this is like a house!"
He put their coats on one of the plush seats and looked around, scrutinizing every single thing. He silently exhaled. "I told them to work on this interior."
Hanan could not see what he thought needed work. "It's still good though."
"I wanted it better."
"Let it go." She walked deeper into the plane. "There's a bedroom area too." She gasped moments later. "Planes have bathrooms this nice?! I've been cheated my whole life."
He chuckled before he sat, crossing a leg over the other so he could comfortably watch her. Two air hostesses joined them and they were polite, particularly to Hanan as Zayd was used to the entire crew, promising to offer nothing but the best services throughout the entire flight.
As they got ready for take-off, Hanan asked "How long is it from Abuja to Egypt?"
"Depends on where you're landing." Zayd replied, buckling his seatbelt. "We're going straight to Cairo so it'll take about five hours and an extra twenty minutes."
"Plenty of time to sleep then." She stretched her arms above her head. "God, I'm tired."
"It's understandable." His smile was fond. "I'll join you later. I have some documents to go over so I don't have to think about them again."
"Cheating on me with work already, Architect Dantata?"
He looked away. His smile widened. "I'm trying to create more time, Nehita. I want to get everything work related out of the way so we can have a swell time together. That means I'm going to be quite busy tomorrow, next tomorrow and the day after that."
The pilot made an announcement; one she barely listened to. As the plane began to move, she spoke. "I don't want you stressing yourself too much, Sa'ed."
His smile was assuring as his eyes met hers. "I won't. I promise."
"I'll hold onto that. If you fall sick, I'll kill you with my small hands."
He laughed, nodding. "Feel free to do so."
The first thing she did when they were steady in the air was remove her shoes so she could explore the plane once again. Zayd let her do what she wanted. He knew the exact moment she went to the cockpit to say hi to the pilots. He asked for a cup of tea as he got started on his documents and when she returned, she told him she was going to bed.
"There are pyjama sets in case you want something more comfortable." He told her. "Sameera will give them to you."
She shook her head. "Nah, I'll be too lazy to change when we land." She stretched again. "I am too lazy. God, I'm tired and –" She let out a small yelp when she was suddenly lifted in his arms. "W-when did you stand?"
He smiled as he carried her to the cosy bedroom the plane had. "I just did. You said you're tired so you shouldn't stress yourself too much." He placed her gently on the bed, as though he was scared she would break if he handled her roughly. "Go to sleep, Hanan."
"You'll join me before we land, right?"
He nodded, adjusting the duvet. He pulled it up to her middle. "Yes, I'll join you. I'll work quickly."
"Won't you make mistakes that way?"
"I'll try my best not to. Knowing that you're waiting for me will motivate me to work quickly and efficiently because I wouldn't want to go back to those documents. They can be boring."
Her smile was so beautiful. "But it helps in putting food on the table so..."
His own smile was dashingly small. "True." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "And it helps me take care of you and Amal so...Go to sleep, Hanan. I'll be with you soon, I promise."
She closed her eyes in response and he waited a short while before he switched off the lights and left the room, leaving the door open an inch just in case she called out to him. He had no idea Hanan opened one eye to ensure he was gone before she stood to explore the small stack of books she had noticed in a corner. His cup of tea had gone cold so he asked for another one.
Fortunately for him, he had gone through half of the documents before the wedding so it was easy for him to go through the remaining half and make corrections that were to be implemented before he signed. As he finished, he heard her laugh.
He put his pen cap in place. "I definitely did not imagine that."
He put the documents aside and stood. When he got to the room door, he pushed it further open slowly and the first thing he noticed was the lights that had been switched back on. Hanan lay in the middle of the bed, the duvet drawn to her chest and a wide smile on her face as she read a novel of his that he knew like the back of his hand due to the number of times he had read it.
Zayd raised a brow as he leaned against the doorframe. "I thought you wanted to go to bed, Architect Dantata."
She snapped out of the bubble she was in and turned her head to look at him. "Why did you call me that?"
He found the question amusing. "You're an architect?"
"No, you're the architect." She sat up and smiled again. "I'm the interior designer."
He put his hands in his pockets and Hanan tried to not think about how good he looked standing like that, dressed completely in black. His brow stayed raised as he spoke. "But you do have a degree in Architecture, Nehita, no matter how hard you try to run from it."
"Well, no one has to know that."
"I think they should."
Her smile vanished. She did not like the glint in his eyes. "You're not going to tell people, right?"
"I make no promises."
"Zayd!"
He stepped into the room and kicked the door shut behind him. As he made his way over, he asked "Where did you get that book from anyway?"
She pointed at the stack in the corner. "From there. It's so unnoticeable but I tend to notice the little things so I saw it!" Her smile was so proud. "So when you left, I went to see what book I could read and I saw that this one was read a lot. The creases prove it." She cocked her head, her smile turning naughty. "Why do you have this romance novel here, Sa'ed? And why is it the one you've read a lot?"
The bed dipped as he sat. He shrugged. "I got it when I was going to Australia. I got a lot of books then but this one was just nice. It had a nice plot, nice characters and well, the scenes were well written. I had put on the plane recently."
"What scenes? The romantic or the steamy ones?"
"All of them." He replied calmly. "I learned a lot from this particular author. I've read almost every book of hers. I've been busy so I haven't been able to read her new ones but I know they're just as good."
She turned to the open book on her laps, stared at it for a moment before turning back to him. "When exactly did you get this?"
"After Amal and I got married. I got it in 2017. I can't remember the exact month though." He mirrored her earlier movement and cocked his head. "Why? You don't think I read books like this?"
She nodded. "Never thought you did. I know you read a lot and that you're very smart too but I just assumed romance novels were off the grid for you. Movies too."
"I don't like movies much because they take a lot of time but if you ever want to watch one with me, I wouldn't say no."
"Any movie genre?"
He nodded. "Yeah, any movie. I don't mind."
She grinned. "So we can visit a lot of cinemas in Egypt?"
His smile dimmed. "Well, not a lot but yeah, we can."
She laughed. "I'm just kidding, Sa'ed. I don't like cinemas. I'd rather curl up on a couch or just stay warm in bed and watch a movie, knowing that no one is going to disturb me and that I can pause, play, forward and rewind as I like."
"That's true."
She shook her head, dismissing all thoughts. She picked up the open book. "Go and finish your work and stop distracting me!"
"I'm done though."
"Oh, really?" When he nodded, she raised the book to her eye level. "You'll have to sleep without me then. I'm in chapter fifteen and I want to know what happens to Lisa and Sean in the remaining fifteen chapters so I don't have to carry the book with me around Cairo just to –"
"They fall in love and they fight to stay together. They win the fight, their families give them consent and they get married. All of this happens in six chapters and they spend the remaining eight chapters exploring places, finding out the sexual activities they liked and hated and then Lisa gets pregnant. They keep exploring and she gives birth on an island and they live happily ever after." He smiled. "The end."
If looks could kill, the glare she shot him should have thrown him off the plane. She shut the book with more force than what was needed. "Zayd Sa'ed Dantata."
He kept smiling. "Yeah?"
"Why in God's name did you just spoil this book for me?"
"Because it's taking your attention from me and I don't like it."
"So, you –"
"And I just got tempted to recreate some scenes with you so I had to stop you from reading it any further before my self-restraint is thrown out the window."
The silence that followed his honest admission was tense and both of them stared at each other until Hanan looked away, swallowing with slight difficulty. Her grip on the book tightened and she forced herself to keep breathing. Zayd noticed every single thing. He spoke quietly. "It's completely okay if you don't want that. It's just me being honest and –"
"What scenes do you want to recreate?"
He blinked, slightly taken aback. "Huh?"
Her eyes met his. "What scenes do you want to recreate?"
"Everything before chapter fifteen."
They were speaking so quietly. She asked "Why everything before chapter fifteen?"
"Because everything after that requires a proper suite and you not being on your period." He replied, as calm as ever. "I need your consent too."
Her heart hammered in her chest. Zayd was going to be her death, she could see it. "It doesn't look so far away anymore."
"You know I'm never going to pressure you, right?" His tone was extremely soft. "I can tell you what I like and what I want to do with you but I am always going to remind you that at the end of the day, your consent matters. It's your body and I'm not going to hurt you in any way. This also applies to getting pregnant. I'm not ever going to force you until you're ready."
She teared up. "Why do you always like making me cry?"
His small smile made an appearance. "I never plan on doing so."
"How long do we have before we land in Egypt?"
He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "About three and a half hours." He raised his head back up to look at her. "Why?"
She put the book aside and moved closer. "I specifically loved the kiss scene in chapter four. Do you think you can pull that off?"
His lips on hers seconds later was her reply. Since their first kiss at the airport in Benin, Zayd had been gentle with her but this was nothing like every kiss they had shared. This was rougher and more intense and she loved it, surrendering herself completely to all that was Zayd Sa'ed Dantata.
It was easy to forget they were so high above the ground and that the door was just closed, not locked. Her veil came off and his hands in her hair pushed her to the edge. He had nice hands; big, nice hands that she loved with all of her heart. No one came to disturb and she hoped that the walls were thick enough to keep their secrets in because if they were not, she would never be able to look at the hostesses in the eye again.
An hour and half later, a hostess knocked once on the closed door and it was pulled open after nearly a minute, a very composed Zayd on the other side. She smiled politely at him. "Breakfast has been served. We will be landing in about forty five minutes."
He nodded. "We'll be out in a few minutes."
"Very well."
When she walked away, he shut the door and turned to look at Hanan who adjusted her veil. When their eyes met, he smiled and she smiled back. She then stood and put the book back in the shelf, her smile widening. "I'll be seeing you soon."
Zayd shook his head. "Like I always say, you never fail to amaze me, Nehita."
She met him by the door and took his hand. "Let's go and eat. I'm exhausted." She pulled the door open. "Have I ever told you that you have nice hands?"
He nodded as they stepped out of the cosy space. "You have."
"Allow me say it again. You have really nice hands, Zayd Dantata."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Being the smooth man he was, he stole one more kiss and could not stop himself from laughing when she hit his chest. The air hostesses were not in her shoes but that did not stop them from blushing as they looked away respectfully.
Hanan glared at her laughing husband. "I hate you."
"I love you too."
~*~
The Astor Suite at St. Regis, Cairo had a balcony that offered a beautiful view of the Nile River. For Hanan, that was the best part of the entire living space.
The luxurious suite had a living room, separate from the bedroom. There was also a dining area where four people could sit comfortably and a kitchen. There were floor to ceiling windows, a walk in closet where their boxes sat – the emerald green for her and the sea blue for him, and a king sized bed in the bedroom which was more than comfortable.
The bathroom was expensively huge with marble finishes: a bathtub and a separate shower cubicle, a bidet, double vanities and a lighted make-up mirror. For special services, they got complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and an expanded Ă La Carte menu. The Butler service made Hanan extremely happy.
As he watched her gasp continuously, Zayd smiled. He sat on the ottoman in the room. "So, is it okay or do you want us to get another suite?"
"It's more than okay." She spread open her arms and twirled. "God, this is so good! I should definitely set up my camera. Should we do a honeymoon documentary?"
"Anything you want, Nehita."
She went to grab her phone. "I should get in touch with Amal. Do you think she'd be awake by now? We should revamp some things and –"
He stood. "Hanan, relax." He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Relax."
She could barely stand still and it showed. Her smile was so bright and excitement rolled off her in large waves. "I'm calm."
He smiled too. "I can see that. In response to your earlier question, I don't think Amal's awake. We're an hour ahead of them now but I doubt they're actually going to be awake. You can call her later." He let out a quick breath. "The YouTube channel is already reactivated so we just need to revive the account we shared. We're three now so there has to be some little changes. I'll share the details with you."
She kept smiling. "I'd like that."
"Now, you need to bathe and sleep. I know you feel like you're strong enough to do anything but believe me when I say the exhaustion is going to catch up with you soon and you don't want to be standing when that happens. I'm going to bathe and pray before I join you in bed. This time, we are going to sleep."
Her face lit up further. "Should we bathe together?"
He shook his head, nearly laughing. "Not yet, Nehita. Soon, I promise."
She grinned. "Okay!" She stepped away from him. "I'm going to look through what you packed for me in that big box. You're coming right?"
"I'm always going to, Nehita. You know that."
She found no bad outfit. Her eyes widened when she saw the outfits only meant for his eyes and hers. Her expressions made him laugh. She shot him a mortified look. "Did you pick them out yourself?"
"Not all of them." He replied. "Everyone helped?"
Her breath hitched. "E-everyone?"
He laughed again, shaking his head. "Only the closest women. No one else."
She exhaled in relief. "Thank God." She yawned then. "You should bathe first so you don't miss prayer." She stretched her arms above her head. "God, I am so tired."
"We'll be okay. You get to rest throughout the whole day."
"And you'll do the same?"
He nodded. "I will, I promise."
He had his bath first and by the time he finished praying Fajr, she was out of the bathroom. She put on a champagne gold silk nightdress and its accompanying robe, making Zayd's heart spiral out of control. She let her hair loose as she got in bed, yawning adorably. He pulled the curtains together, switched off the main lights and joined her. She removed the robe and tossed it aside before she snuggled into his side.
He chuckled. "You're tired already? Even after all that energy?"
"Leave me alone."
He carefully raised her head so he could adjust her pillow before he allowed her find a comfortable position. He stared at her serene expression, smiling when she blushed under his gaze. She covered her face with her hands. "Stop staring at me like that!"
"I'll try my best."
She peeped between her fingers and laughed when she found him still staring. He pried her hands away and kissed her softly before he closed his eyes. They fell asleep, lying facing each other, Zayd's hand finding hers along the line.
In Abuja, Amal rolled over in bed and softly sighed, a pillow hugged tightly against her chest. At Garki, Mas'ood discreetly glanced over Zafeenah's shoulder to watch a video of Hauwa laughing and his smile slowly lit up his face. In Mabushi, Mahmud was watching the same video.
~*~
They were to spend seven days in Cairo and each day turned out better than the previous one. Zayd went all out.
He picked out the meals they ate and each presentation had to be perfect just so he could see Hanan's face light up, her adorable gasps soothing to his ears. He paid for private tour guides to take them around; from the Pyramids of Giza to the Sphinx, Memphis Sakkara and Danshur. They rode on camels and cruised the Nile more than twice, both of them taking a lot of pictures. She did most of the recording and he let her, content with the fact that she was having fun.
Amal and Hanan spent hours on a video call the day the former arrived Abu Dhabi, both women revamping the YouTube channel and then the Instagram page now dedicated to the three of them. Followers trooped in numbers and no one had to tell Hanan to turn off post notifications so she was not overwhelmed.
That same day, she performed Ghusl and praying behind Zayd for the first time was a memorable experience. She could not stop smiling when they finished and he held her in his embrace in that same spot for the longest time, both of them peacefully enjoying the view they had.
The invitation to a dinner party came on the fifth day and Zayd wanted to turn it down but Hanan was not having it.
"Let's go." She told him. "It might be fun."
He knew the host and although they had never met in person, Zayd knew the man loved to brag. Each party of his was to show how much more wealth he had gathered since the last one. He loved Hanan though, so Zayd gave in.
The evening of their sixth day, Zayd put on a black three piece suit and a matching black tie. He then waited for his wife in the living room area of the suite. He turned around when he heard the click of heels against the tiled floor.
Hanan, he decided there and then, was going to be the death of him when she was all dolled up. Amal already killed him over and over but Hanan was doing much worse.
She wore white, as though the colour had been made for just her. The lace bodice hugged her upper body perfectly, the sleeves covering every inch of skin up to her wrist. A tulle skirt made of chiffon and layers of inner lining flowed down from the waist sash, covering her black shoes. She used a chiffon shayla to cover her head and her make-up was simple but breath-taking.
She waved her phone in front of her. "I'm too lazy to go with anything in my hand so can you hold this for me?"
That snapped him out of his trance and he stood. "Y-yeah, I can." He cleared his throat. "You look too royal for a dinner party. I'm tempted to keep you in."
She glared. "Don't you dare."
"Yes ma'am." He offered his arm when her phone was safely tucked in his inner pocket. "Shall we?"
She rolled her eyes, linking her arm with him. "As if you have to ask. You don't look too bad yourself."
"I had to play the part. We're one power couple after all, a lot of people said so themselves."
She laughed as they stepped out of the suite. "They weren't wrong. We're going there to have fun and enjoy the food. The food is the most important part."
"Yes, it is. I hope nothing spills though, so you don't ruin your dress." They stepped into the elevator. "Where did this dress come from anyway? I haven't seen it before."
The doors closed and the carriage descended. "I got it today. I didn't feel attached to anything else so I just took it."
"It's beautiful."
Colour rushed to her cheeks. "Stop it!"
"Yes ma'am."
"Stop that too!"
He laughed, unable to help himself. "As you wish, ma'am."
"Zayd!"
He laughed harder. The dinner party was held in the Al Saraya Ballroom 1 at the Intercontinental City Stars and Hanan understood what Zayd had told her soon enough. The décor screamed wealth and every person in the hall was dressed to surpass the other.
As they weaved through the crowd, Zayd whispered in her ear. "Stay close to me at all times."
"Trust me, I wasn't planning on doing anything else."
They found the host soon enough. Ammon Ur-Atum, one of Egypt's richest men, was dressed in an expensive black galabiya with matching trousers and a headdress. He beamed when he sighted Zayd and Hanan.
He stretched out his hand. "Architect Zayd Sa'ed Dantata, it is so nice to finally have you here!"
Zayd's smile was polite but they all thought he was genuinely excited because they had never met before. Zayd shook the man's hand. "It's an honour, Engineer Ur-Atum. I almost missed it this year but my wife encouraged me to come...This is Architect Hanan Dantata. She's an interior designer too, a certified one at that."
Ammon turned his wide eyes to Hanan, letting go of Zayd's hand. "An architect and an interior designer at such a young age? Impressive! You're the second wife, right? Isn't that something people frowned at when you brought it up?"
Zayd's eyes narrowed. Hanan's brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
Ammon laughed. "Please do not take it the wrong way. I just know not a lot of people are comfortable being second wives, especially when you're this young and beautiful. Surely there must have been so many men dying at your feet."
Hanan's smile did not reach her eyes. "Yes, there were men but none of them left a lasting impression like Zayd did. And you're right, not a lot of people are comfortable being second wives but it's my life and my decision and I'm more than happy with it."
Her insincere smile widened when she saw how hard he tried to keep his smile on.
"Please try to not bring this up with another person because they will take it offensive and we don't want bad rumours spreading around. A good image is vital when climbing the ranks. You should know that, Engineer Ur-Atum, right?"
Ammon's face hardened and Zayd smiled proudly. Hanan's expression softened. "This is a lovely event and I'll have to thank you for inviting us. We'll have fun."
Ammon plastered a fake smile on his face. "Yes, please do that. Excuse me. I have some other people to meet."
He walked away and Zayd faced his wife. "Remind me to brag on your behalf whenever we attend such parties."
"I told you not to tell people I'm an architect."
"Look me in the eye and say you did not like the respect that came with it, Nehita. If you do, I promise to stop."
She looked away. She gasped a moment later. "Zayd, a buffet table!" She pulled him in that direction. "It's an all you can eat event, right?"
He nodded. "It is. A lot of it is going to go out though because so many guests are not going to eat in the pretence of being wealthy and on a diet." He rolled his eyes. "Absolute nonsense if you ask me."
She picked two plates, one each for the both of them. "More for us then."
"I should go for an event with you and Amal. You two make boring things fun."
She grinned. "I'll look forward to that."
He smiled back. "Me too."
They made themselves comfortable at a nearby table, eating and comically judging people's looks and actions. Zayd hardly did such but Hanan had a knack for bringing out sides of him he never knew existed.
They noticed Ammon looking their way more than once so they were more than prepared for his attack that came a while later. He asked the event officiator to ask them to lead the first dance. When they got to the middle of the dance floor, Hanan sighed heavily. "He's one childish man."
Zayd chuckled. "He really is. Maybe he wants us to bow at his feet."
"When you're richer than him?" She scoffed. "People should learn how to be very, very humble."
The room blurred and she was all he could see. He loved it so much. "You're not being so humble right now."
She feigned a cough. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Where's the music? Oh, there it is." She gasped. "No way!" As Zayd took one of her hand in his, she laughed. "This is one nice song."
His other arm went around her waist as Westlife's 'Written in the Stars' played. He spoke a moment later. "Baba loves it."
She placed her other hand on his chest and they began to sway, having no idea what they were doing but enjoying everything. "I grew up listening to Westlife. This Engineer Ammon doesn't know he's doing us a favour." She smiled brightly at him. "Let's keep having fun."
Zayd naturally smiled back. "Yeah, let's do that."
Ammon's blood boiled when he saw his plan had backfired. Zayd and Hanan moved with so much beauty and grace, it made other guests smile. Some even held up their phones to record the entire thing. The main videographer did not turn away from the dancing couple, the chandeliers shining brighter than they had done all night.
Seeing how the guests were enjoying the entire thing, the DJ kept the song playing. Zayd and Hanan did not care as they focused on themselves, the room and all in it fading into the background. When the song finally ended, guests cheered and Hanan could not stop herself from laughing. Guests were asked to join them as the songs resumed and chairs were pushed back as people stood. Hanan and Zayd stayed in the middle of it all.
When Westlife's Evergreen got halfway, Hanan spoke. "When we get back to the hotel..."
"Yeah?"
She exhaled slowly. "If you're up for it, I want you to know that we can take more steps forward." She made a face. "That did not sound right."
Zayd heart sped up. "Nehita..."
"What I'm trying to say is that I'm ready, whenever you are." Her smile returned. "If tonight's alright with you, then I'm okay with it too." Her eyes shone, thanks to the chandelier they danced underneath. "We do have flower petals and scented candles in the suite. And I keep thinking about how to get this suit off you. You're too handsome for your own good."
He laughed and she made a face. "I'm serious!"
"So," He asked slowly. "Should we skip the remaining part of this party?" His smile was sly. "We have more important matters to deal with anyways. Like you getting me out of this suit. It's suddenly uncomfortable."
She stared at him for a heartbeat before her matching smile appeared and she nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. Ammon can go to hell. We're not coming back here."
"Never." He grabbed her hand as Westlife's 'When You're Looking Like That' played. "He got the songs right though."
"Yeah, he did."
They ran then like criminals being chased and it was a sight to behold, Hanan's dress' train leaving a white trial behind them. They could not stop laughing throughout the ride to their hotel. As the elevator carriage took them up, Zayd squeezed her hand assuredly. "You can always withdraw your consent, Hanan."
She shook her head, a determined look on her face. "No, I want to do this. I'm sure of it."
"And you'll tell me if anything hurts?"
She nodded, the carriage slowly coming to a stop. "Yes."
"And you'll let me know if you are not comfortable with anything?"
She nodded again. "Yes...And you'll tell me what you like and boundaries you don't see yourself crossing?"
He smiled, nodding. "Yes, I will."
The carriage doors went open and with exhales, they stepped out. Nerves slowly built up as they approached their suite door and they recited the Dua beautifully together. The click of the lock moving after Zayd scanned their key card was louder than normal and Hanan told herself to breathe. The lights came on immediately they stepped in and the door shut just as Zayd's lips came down on hers, his arms keeping her steady when her knees buckled as he kissed her senseless.
She was vaguely aware of her own movements but somehow, she pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders as they stumbled into their neat bedroom. She did not remember that their phones were in the pockets of that very jacket. Her zip came undone when her veil disappeared and his kisses swallowed her gasp when she felt his arms on her bare skin.
He easily lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as her hands moved, unbuttoning his shirt while his left fingers weaved their way in her hair, his right arm strongly holding her steady. The mattress felt so soft underneath her minutes later and Zayd pulled back to look at her with all the lights turned on. They were both breathing heavily and he could only stare.
She managed a smile, unable to explain the sudden surge of confidence. "Like what you see, Sa'ed?"
He nodded, discarding his unbuttoned shirt to expose a perfectly toned body. "Yes." He leaned in, making her arch forward when he put an arm underneath her. "I love it, much more than you'll ever know."
"I actually envisioned this going a different way. I had picked out a lingerie set and everything."
Zayd inhaled sharply, his eyes a little darker. "We can do that tomorrow. This..." His arm moved, arching her even further. "This is perfect."
"I love you, Sa'ed."
"I love you too."
When his mouth found hers again, they knew there was no turning back and Zayd ensured he did everything to make it a pleasurable ride for her and for him too.
Where they left him at the dinner venue, Ammon's grip on his champagne flute tightened. "Those two bastards!" He spat. "If I ever invite them for a party of mine, then let thunder strike me dead!"
Back at the suite, Hanan and Zayd moved in perfect sync. He took the lead and she let him, feeling everything at once and enjoying it all, much more than she thought she would. Outside their sanctuary, the city of Cairo bustled with activities while some slept, holding onto the hope that dawn was going to come with everything good.
~~*~~
Don't you just love it when two architects put overzealous people (named Ammon) in their places? In moments like this, you can throw humility out the window the way Hanan did.
Honestly, Zayd, Amal and Hanan have met a lot of idiots in their lives and I can't promise that they're not going to meet more.
See you soon!