Past•
"Very soon, May Dear Cousin, very soon!"
The response came from somewhere else. She sat completely still in her place, trying to come up with an excuse for her question.
Now he had shifted from behind her to right in front of her, sitting on the sofa with Nano.
"Or perhaps you want me to leave from here?"
He had addressed Aliza with these words.
"Don't talk nonsense; no one is asking you to leave. Your presence has brought joy to the house."
Nano had lovingly patted his cheek while scolding him. Instead of responding, Aliza picked up the magazine and returned to her seat. She sat there, feeling a bit embarrassed.
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps; Umar was approaching her. She became a little flustered as he came closer,pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I have been wanting to talk to you for a long time, perhaps about many things, but you've been ignoring me."
"Tell me, why do you dislike me?"
He had asked her such a direct question that she was taken aback.
"Why would you say that?"
She stood up.
"Sit down, or I'll make you sit down."
He was looking at her with an unprecedented seriousness. He himself had stood up, and she found herself facing him in a state of nervousness.
Umar pushed the table aside and then pulled his chair closer to her, sitting directly in front of her. He was so close that she became nervous.
"Now, tell me."
"You have misunderstood me; I don't dislike you."
"Very good, but then why don't you seem comfortable with me here?"
"It's not like that."
"But it is. If you want, I can leave from here."
"This is not my house for me to kick someone out from here."
Despite not wanting to, she displayed her frustration.
"Look, I want to clarify a few things. I don't want any tension in this house because of me. This house is yours, and it will remain yours. I don't intend to stay here. In a few months, I'll go back to London from here. I have no intention of taking control here, so I don't understand why you're so upset. Do you have any complaints against me? I always thought I was harmless."
"I don't have any complaints against you, but you're trying to dominate everything in the house. All the food is made according to your preference. It's fine that you're a guest here, but the things I want to do should not be according to someone else's will..."
Umar interrupted her.
"You're talking about the incident at the dining table that day. Okay, I won't make such interference in the future, any objections?"
"No, I don't have any objections."
She was truly embarrassed now.
"Okay, fine. In the future, don't let my mood affect you, and if there's anything I say that bothers you, just come and tell me."
Umar extended his hand towards her, and Aleeza shook it with a hesitant smile. Umar hadn't let go of her hand; instead, he had stood up himself. Holding her hand with his other hand, he took steps forward.
"Now that your dissatisfaction is gone, I'll give you something nice."
He had taken her hand like a little child and led her inside. Nano was still sitting in the lounge.
"Granny, Aleeza and I have become very good friends. I've brought something for Aleeza."
He had announced as soon as he entered, grabbing her hand and leading her to his room in the same manner. After entering the room, Umar let go of her hand.
"Granny told me you really like perfumes, which is the first common thing between you and me. I also love perfumes."
He said as he pushed her towards the dressing table, opening the drawer and searching for something. Aleeza's eyes were fixed on the dressing table, where a pile of perfumes was present, and she had stepped forward hesitantly.
"Normally, men don't like using women's perfumes, but I always buy any perfume I like, whether it's for women or not. Whether I use it or not, what's the harm in keeping it?"
As he spoke, his search continued, and as soon as he found the item, he turned towards her. Aleeza looked at the packed bottle of Channel 5 in his hand with a hint of surprise.
Smiling, he extended his hand towards Aleeza.
"This is for you."
Aleeza looked at him with some astonishment.
"For me?"
She asked in a questioning tone.
"Yes, for making friends, there can't be a better gift, and I always gift perfumes to my friends."
He insisted. Aleeza looked at his hand once again, hesitating.
"Just take it."
Umar repeated.
"But I..."
She tried to say, but Umar cut her off.
"No need for 'buts', just take it."
He said firmly."
Hesitatingly, she took the perfume from Umar's hand.
"I don't know which perfume is your favorite, but I really like this one. If a girl uses this perfume, what perfume do you like?"
He asked with a smile.
"I prefer all the perfumes meant for guys."
Upon hearing this, Umar burst into laughter, "Good, that's another thing we have in common between us. I should have gone for 212Men instead of Chanel 5 for you."
He had said this while taking the name of another perfume.
"No, I prefer Eternity and Joy."
Aleeza said somewhat hesitantly.
"And I like Baby Doll and Ripple."
Umar shared his preferences, sparking Aleeza's interest.
"Umar isn't as bad as I thought. He's actually nice."
She quickly reached the conclusion.
"Should I check out these perfumes?"
She gestured towards the dressing table.
"Sure, why not."
Umar said in a friendly manner and stepped away from the dressing table.
With keen interest, she approached the dressing table, puzzled by the array of perfumes. She couldn't decide which one to pick first.
She began by picking up the smallest bottle, White Linen. She carefully examined each bottle, some of which seemed untouched.
"I buy some every month, whether I use them or not. Can't live without them," he remarked, standing nearby.
"But you don't seem to use perfumes much," Aleeza observed, holding a perfume in her hand.
"I don't wear them during the day, only at night," he responded.
Aleeza looked at him with surprise at his answer,
"Before sleeping."
He seemed to understand the reason behind her surprise.
"Why?" She was further puzzled.
"During the day, you're so busy with work that you can't enjoy perfume. Our attention is diverted to other things. But at night, you can fully enjoy any fragrance because you can feel it very well. Your senses are very sharp at that time."
Aleeza listened attentively to his philosophy. Now he was showing her some perfumes himself. Then, he picked up a small bottle and as he handed it to her, he said, "This is Enigma. It's the most precious thing on this table, an extracted essence. My dad gifted it to me, otherwise, I couldn't afford it. I use it very carefully so it doesn't run out quickly."
Aleeza's attention was fixed on the bottle; she tried to feel the fragrance as she held it in her hand. As she took a deep breath, she felt a strange freshness inside.
"Exotic," she said involuntarily.
Umar's eyes sparkled at her remark. After sniffing again, Aleeza tried to close the small bottle, but she didn't know what happened, the bottle suddenly slipped from her hand, leaving only the cap in her hand. In a moment, the bottle fell from the dressing table and then bounced down to the carpet below. Aleeza tried in vain to catch it, but her attempt was unsuccessful. The room was suddenly filled with a strong fragrance. Aleeza picked up the bottle in embarrassment. Only a few drops were left in it now; she looked up at Umar embarrassed.
"I don't know how..." She didn't know how to complete her sentence.
He looked at her face in silence for a few moments and then calmly reached out to take the bottle and cap from her.
"It's alright."
"It was precious, but not my favorite."
Aleeza felt a sudden sense of unease at his words.
"I'm sorry, it's because of me...!" She tried to say something, but Umar's action had left her speechless. He picked up another perfume from the dressing table and threw it against the wall. As the bottle shattered, the room filled with a strong fragrance once again.
"Things are meant to be broken, and sometimes breaking things can be fun. Isn't it, Aleeza? Come on, let's break each perfume one by one."
He said it calmly while taking two more perfumes from the dressing table and throwing one towards her. She recoiled as if struck by electricity, her face turning red.
"You're quite peculiar," she said, feeling a bit distraught addressing Umar.
"How should I interpret this, as a compliment or a comment?" Umar remained calm. She was caught off guard. Umar placed both perfumes back on the dressing table. Then, he picked up another perfume and gestured towards it, saying, "Ecstasy, I wear this when I feel very lonely."
He attempted to steer the conversation back to where it broke. Aleeza didn't raise her hand. Now she wanted to flee the room; all her interest had suddenly evaporated.
"You don't want to see this perfume," Umar asked in a friendly manner, and Aleeza just shook her head in denial. Umar had noticed the emerging moisture in her eyes and skillfully ignored it. He had opened the Chanel 5 bottle and started spraying it lightly on Aleeza's hair. She involuntarily stepped back, feeling the dampness on her neck and hair.
"This perfume is for the most beautiful and precious girls in the world, and Aleeza, I think you're among them," he said. After pressing the atomizer, he placed the bottle back on the table. Aleeza couldn't understand what kind of reaction he was expecting. Umar was quite a strange kind of person; she wanted to take Chanel 5 bottle and step out.
"Now you won't be angry, will you?" Aleeza heard Umar's voice behind her and turned to see him still standing there, smiling by the dressing table.
Instead of saying anything, Aleeza just shook her head. Umar's smile became more charming.
"So, Aleeza, we are friends, and true friends are friends forever," she heard him say. A smile appeared on her face too.
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Finally some miss assumptions of Aleeza cleared 😮💨
Umar and his liking for perfumes 😭 unforgettable isn't it?!
Bestfriends uhmm 👀✨
Thank you so much to everyone for supporting ❤️. I'll try to give regular updates from now on.
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