The scorching draft hit her as the automatic glass doors opened and she stepped outside to the pick-up/drop-off area. The Dubai heat put Texas' to shame. Sarah immediately wished she could change her jeans for something more fresh and light. She looked both sides to the long line of cars through people and baggage coming and going and hurried up once she spotted Erin's car.
Erin waved and Sarah opened the door to the back seat to put her bags in.
"Hey!" They greeted each other.
"How was your flight?" Erin asked once Sarah took a seat next to her on the passenger side.
Sarah leaned in to hug her friend.
"Argh. Long, boring, exhausting," Sarah complained, putting the seat belt on. "I'm just happy they let me back in the country."
"Why wouldn't they?"
Sarah had forgotten that only Tom knew about the encounter she had with Sheikh Mohammed. The entire trip she wondered if Hamdan's father had vanned her from getting back into the Emirates.
Sarah dismissed the question by shaking her head. "Nevermind."
"Where to?" Erin asked as she started driving.
"Nad Al Sheba," Sarah's stomach turned. She had never been more nervous to see Hamdan. Since she decided to come back, she tried to play out the scenario of what would happen, thought about things to say but it was hard to come up with anything when she had no idea how he was doing and what he was thinking.
Erin stopped at a red light, traffic was heavy. "Is he there?" She asked.
"I have no idea." Sarah admitted, pulling the sun visor down to look in the mirror. "Ugh! I look like hell!" She opened her bag and fetched for some wet wipes to freshen up her worn out face.
"Your cell phone!" Erin recalled as the cars started to slowly move again. "It's down there in my handbag."
Sarah looked down and besides Erin's bag on the floor there were magazines, loose papers, empty food packages and other sort of garbage.
"I'll never understand how your apartment can be so clean and your car so dirty," Sarah said, pulling her friend's bag from the trash can at her feet.
"I had to have a flaw, you know?" Erin shrugged with both hands on the wheel. "Oh! But I forgot to charge it!"
"Awesome," Sarah replied sarcastically, holding her dead phone up.
"There are charges over there," Erin pointed to the glove compartment.
Sarah opened it and a mass of tangled up chords erupted from inside, along with more trash, make-up and a hair brush. "Jeez! Erin!" She protested.
"Hey! For someone who's been asking so many big favors lately, you're sounding way too critical," Erin pointed out.
Sarah started to untangle the chargers. "Oh! How's my baby?" She suddenly remembered Rooster.
"That sadness from the first few days vanished, but I'm sure he still misses you," Erin assured her.
Sarah's heart clenched. Poor Rooster had been through a lot lately. "I'll pick him up as soon as I can."
She managed to pull the charger she needed for her phone and shoved the mass of chords back into the glove compartment. They started moving faster as they took the highway, she gave her phone a few minutes to recharge after plugging it in. Her feet were moving impatiently as she wondered if there were any messages from Hamdan waiting for her. That could help her get an idea of what was going on with him. She turned it on and waited as more notifications kept popping up. When she went to check her Instagram and messaging app there was nothing.
Not a single message from him.
She checked her voice mail and again, nothing. She could not blame him, she was the one that cut all communication and did not reach out either, but that absence made her even more anxious. Sarah did not expect him to welcome her back with open arms, he would definitely have a ton of questions, but she worried that things might be more damaged than what she had anticipated.
She would pour her heart out, there was nothing more left to do. Hamdan had to know she was ready to take a leap of faith and she was going to tell him everything, except that his father went to see her. Not only had she given her word, she knew it would destroy him and it seemed unnecessary to put him through that, it was not crucial information for him to take her back.
Sarah went through her phone again, her heart started beating fast when she saw his pictures on Instagram and laughed at the sight of a pic of Hamdan wearing glasses. She showed the pic to Erin.
"Whose glasses are those?" Erin chuckled.
"No idea," Sarah replied, tapping on his stories.
The fun was over when she started going through the photos he had posted there.
"Erin, pull over," Sarah urged.
"What?"
"Pull over!" She yelled with eyes fixed on the screen.
"Okay, okay! There's a park ahead, wait," Erin reassured, trying to calm her friend down.
Sarah rolled down her window, desperate for air, even if it was Dubai's hot, afternoon air. She got out of the car before Erin finished parking and started pacing up and down on the sidewalk.
"What the hell?" Erin inquired, walking up to Sarah with the car keys in her hand and taking her sunglasses off.
"He's in the UK!" Sarah blurted, exasperated.
Erin's jaw dropped to the floor. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! It's on Instagram!" She shoved her phone on Erin's face. "He's not here!"
Erin cursed under her breath.
"I was at Heathrow for hours!" Sarah puffed.
Erin plopped on a bench and put the glasses back on. "Are you going there?"
"I wouldn't know where exactly to find him, well, actually yes, I could eventually find him. I'm sure he's there for the Royal Windsor Endurance. I completely forgot about it," she clasped a palm against her forehead. "But I'm also sure his father is there and Salem, and a few riders and a whole bunch of people I know! I can't just show up!"
Erin pouted and folded her arms. "I don't think you would be exactly welcomed by Sheikh Mohammed."
"You have no idea," Sarah sat next to Erin, rubbing her temples.
"But he's not gone for the Summer, right?"
"I don't think so... no. And Ramadan is coming up. It's too soon for him to leave," Sarah observed.
"So call him," Erin suggested.
Sarah angled her body towards her. "And say what? I don't want to do this over the phone. I need to see him," she hunched down, settling down for the only option she saw possible. "He doesn't know I'm back so I'll just wait for him."
---
Saeed Hilal inhaled deeply, taking in the freshness of the British countryside. It was nice to take a break from Dubai's weather that was already starting to get too hot to enjoy being outdoors during the daytime.
Warren Place was Sheikh Mohammed's latest stable acquisition in Newmarket, a town they visited several times a year for its importance in the horse racing world. Saeed walked along the line of trees in all the shades of green possible, enjoying the cloudy skies and the birds chirping. A few servants were setting up a tent next to the main house for the men to enjoy coffee in the pleasantly cool weather.
He stopped walking when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. After glancing at the screen, he looked around knowing that he needed to answer it in private. Fortunately, he was far enough for no one else to hear the conversation. The call was short and he replied with monosyllables. As soon as he hung up, he went back inside the house where he had last seen Hamdan. One security staff member told him that the Sheikh and some of his friends were up on the rooftop.
Saeed started going up on the ample wooden staircase, taking a break on the second floor to arch his back and get some air. His wife had been nagging about his weight and he was still surprised about how he managed to gain the extra pounds while trying to keep up with his hyperactive boss. Taking another deep breath, he continued his journey to the rooftop.
This Ramadan I will be really good. If I behave at Iftar I'll surely shred some of this belly off.
His arm was desperately hanging onto the railing to pull him up the stairs. Saeed sighed relieved when he saw the door to the rooftop. He opened it and walked out. Hamdan was with AJ and Adel taking pictures of the landscape.
"Sir," Saeed cleared his throat. "Could I have a minute?"
Hamdan nodded over his shoulder and his two friends left the rooftop, closing the door behind them. The Sheikh rested his elbows on the parapet and Saeed followed suit.
"What's going on?" Hamdan wondered.
"Just got a call from one of our men at the airport. Miss Anderson went through customs about half an hour ago," Saeed smiled and thanked Allah for answering his prayers. Pleasant was not a word he would use to describe the Sheikh's mood lately.
The first few days since Sarah left, Hamdan was quiet more than anything but Saeed witnessed how he slowly turned bitter. Not that he would ever be rude to anyone, Hamdan was a master disguising and controlling his emotions, but Saeed could tell he was not enjoying anything, not even that important endurance ride. AJ also noticed the change in his behavior since he asked the bodyguard directly if there was something wrong. Saeed blamed it all on the work.
Hamdan stood up tall, staring into the landscape. Saeed could almost see the gears turning inside his head. He had his phone in his hand, ready to run, make calls, get the plane ready, anything the Sheikh asked for. But after a few moments Hamdan exhaled, leaned against the parapet again and remained quiet. However, something told Saeed he was not dismissing him just yet and decided to stay in place.
"Do you love your wife, Saeed?" Hamdan questioned.
Saeed was taken aback by the personal inquiry, not because he was not willing to answer, but because that was something Hamdan would not normally ask. Perhaps, the Sheikh simply needed someone to talk to.
"Very much, sir. Allah blessed me with an extremely patient wife and for that, I'm very grateful," the bodyguard affirmed.
"And she loves you?" Hamdan continued.
"I hope so," Saeed chuckled, but looking at Hamdan's straight face, he realized the Sheikh was hoping for a straight answer. "Yes, she does," he added.
Hamdan narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"
"Because she cares about me. Always tries to make the most of the little time I spend at home," Saeed confided. "Whenever she's happy or sad about something, I'm the first to know, even if I'm far away. And she's always there for me, even if we're not together physically."
Hamdan seemed to be dwelling on his answer. Saeed thought that Sarah was good for him and his boss never cared so much for someone. The bodyguard was also left puzzled by her leaving and even though he had very little information, it was obvious they had unfinished business.
"Ultimately, you just know when you truly love someone and when that person loves you back," Saeed continued, attempting to provide comforting advice. "I don't know how or why, I could never explain it, but when I met my wife I just knew she was different. She was the one Allah had destined for me."
Hamdan let his head fall. "I don't know what to do. I thought I had it all figured out and now..." He trailed off, his jaw tensed up in evident frustration. "All I have are doubts, questions and anger. I gave her all I had and she left anyways. The worst part is that she seems to have taken everything else with her. Everything inside me is gone."
Saeed had never felt so much sympathy for the Sheikh. Very often, friends and family asked him what Hamdan's life was like, thinking that it was all full of privilege, luxury and fun, but years of working so close with the Prince had shown him that sometimes it was more of a burden than a blessing. His relationship with Sarah was complicated from the start and it was all because of who he was.
"I wish I could tell you what to do, but this is a matter that should be fixed between you and her alone," Saeed tried to soothe the troubled Sheikh. "There's this say that I have proven to be truthful many times in my life and I hope it helps you too; What's meant for you will reach you, even if it is beneath two mountains. What isn't meant for you, won't reach you even if it is between your lips."
Hamdan turned his head with a grateful look in his eyes. "Thank you, Saeed," He patted the bodyguard on the back.
Saeed bowed his head and left Hamdan alone with his thoughts.
***
Shout-out to the lovely VanniEnchanted for suggesting Saeed's point of view. It took me a while but here you have it, and thank you so much because it turned out perfect for what I wanted for this chapter.
Please! Vote, comment, share! I will be forever grateful.
XOXO,
Sophie.