by Holly Rayner
Emily blushed and Nuray batted her husband’s arm playfully. “Oh dear, you’re embarrassing the poor thing!”
“It’s not hard to do, so don’t worry about it,” Emily said, her face turning a color that should only be reserved for tomatoes. “Yes. Tariq’s certainly been a charming man, so far.”
“Did he take you out to see the sights?” his mother asked; both parents now seeming to hang on every word Emily said.
Tariq stepped in, then, and began to regale them with their tales of the day and all of the places they had seen so far in Al Dirhan. His mother teased him in much the same way that Emily did, saying that he was supposed to be a leader in romance and yet all he’d done was taken her to burial sites. He commented that she and Emily were going to make wonderful friends, to which the table laughed.
“So, Emily, I’m sure Tariq has raved about his parents to you,” Nazeer said with some suspicion as he looked at her.
“Oh,” she grinned sheepishly and looked to Tariq in embarrassment. “This was sort of a spur of the moment thing, actually…”
“Well, I’ve been in the oil industry for forty years now, just like my father before me. My wife was a nurse before she joined in our family business.”
“That’s very impressive,” Emily said with genuine interest. “And how did the two of you meet?” she asked, trying not to scarf down everything on the table.
“Well,” Nuray began hesitantly, looking to her son for permission, it seemed. He closed his eyes and made a waving motion with his hand for her to continue. “Our marriage was arranged,” she said simply. “It was the happiest day of my life when I finally got to marry Nazeer.”
“That’s really lovely,” was all Emily could say. Way to open your big mouth, she thought. Meeting the parents was awkward enough when you’d been dating the person for months, let alone two weeks. And now, thanks to her bright idea questioning, they were on the uncomfortable issue of arranged marriages.
Emily looked to Tariq to see whether he looked annoyed or not, but he simply looked down at his plate. Maybe enough time had passed that the subject no longer bothered him?
“You weren’t nervous that you wouldn’t get along?” Emily asked in a small voice, unsure if she was stepping over any boundaries.
“Oh no,” Nuray shook her head as she refilled Emily’s wine glass. “Nazeer has been the best thing to ever happen to me. And not just because he’s rich, you know.”
Emily and Nazeer erupted in laughter. “Good to know, dear,” Nazeer said with a chuckle.
“I’m serious! He’s everything I ever wanted in a husband. He’s kind, generous, and quite the dancer.”
Emily was positively tickled by the comment. “Dancing is important to you?”
Nuray closed her eyes with an unspoken joy and nodded; her hand now moving over her heart. “Oh yes. You know, every night when I would come home from work, he would be here waiting for me with my favorite record on. I could be in the worst mood and he would still make me take his hand and dance with me until I felt better.”
“That’s amazing,” Emily swooned.
“He’s an amazing man.”
“I think this is my favorite conversation I’ve had in a while,” Nazeer said.
Tariq raised his eyebrows dismissively; staring forward in some kind of a daze. His mother stared at him with a look Emily couldn’t define.
“Did it worry you that you hadn’t really known him before you were married?” Emily asked, looking back and forth between the pair. The two of them seemed so happy. All she’d ever known of her parents were arguments. Over small things, sure, but arguments nonetheless.
Tariq’s parents, on the other hand, seemed not only to love each other but to genuinely like each other. Emily envied that; so far in her life, she’d never truly felt invested in her romantic relationships. She’d felt attached to boyfriends, sure, but she’d never felt head over heels. She’d never felt like she couldn’t get enough of them.
Until now, anyway.
If Tariq even was her boyfriend. She still wasn’t clear on the details of their courtship. Though she was sitting at a dinner table with his parents, so things were looking good.
“I wasn’t worried,” Nazeer said, his wife nodding in agreement. “I dated before your mother.” He looked to his son with a glint in his eyes. “I know this might be shocking to you, son, so cover your ears now if you still want to look at your father like an angel.”
This was the first time Tariq cracked a smile, slight as it was.
“I dated, unbeknownst to my parents; I was with a young woman for a year in high school and I never felt for her the way I felt about Nuray the day we met. I learned then that love isn’t about how long you’ve known someone for; it’s about how they make you feel and who they inspire you to be.”
“And what did Mother inspire you to be?” Tariq asked.
“A better man. I knew the second I met her that I wanted to be worthy of her respect. So I vowed to myself that I would always make sure she was my partner in life. I wanted her to like me.”
Emily looked at Tariq and offered him a private smile. “Sounds familiar.”
“Oh, and you should have seen him trying to impress me!” Nuray cut in. “Every day was something new. He would take me and my family out on the boat and try to catch fish. He was so embarrassed one day I caught a jesh umalhala. That’s about two feet long, I suppose. He was so embarrassed because all he caught was this little yanam. Just a baby!”
“’Look at what Nazeer caught!’” Nazeer mocked, giving his wife a reproving stare. “That’s what she yelled back to her family. She was laughing so hard she was crying,” Nazeer related, red now forming in his cheeks. “I was so humiliated, but then she picked up her umalhala and gave it to her mother. She pretended that was the fish I caught. Her parents were so impressed, they still rave about it to this day.”
“That’s so cute!” Emily grinned.
“Mother!” Tariq said, now finally in on the conversation. “You lied for him!”
Nuray chuckled; her body bouncing in her seat as she wiped tears of laughter out of her eyes. “I had to! He just seemed so sad!”
The rest of the night went on with more hilarious stories from his parents about their marriage and raising Tariq, and it was during that evening that Emily decided that's what she wanted—a love like that. People who stood by each other and vowed to be the best people they could be just so they could make the other happy.
To Emily’s delight, Tariq dropped his walls and actually participated in their conversation with charming additions and his full attention. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time.
At the end of the night, Tariq’s parents offered to drive the couple back to the airport to catch their flight. Emily and Tariq hopped into the backseat of the luxury vehicle, and as soon as the car began moving, Nuray turned in her seat and smiled knowingly at the pair, her eyes sparkling with delight as she said, “So, when are you getting married?”
“Mother!” Tariq cried.
“Well!” she defended. “Come on now! You're nearly thirty, my son. It's time,” she said, tapping her finger against her watch. “And Emily is so lovely. We love Emily, don't we, Nazeer?”
“Love her!” he called, his eyes not leaving the road.
“Well, thank you,” Emily said with a timid smile. In truth, she didn't know when the last time was that she'd felt so charmed by someone’s parents.
“Well?” Nuray said in a hopeful tone, her eyes flicking back and forth between the pair.
“Mother,” Tariq said again with a low laugh. “Please. We haven’t been together for long.”
“Your father and I married just a week after we met! Please, she’s perfect,” Nuray intoned. And then her voice took on an edge that only mothers can pull off. It was somewhere between a shrill lecture and a loving nudge as she pleaded, “We so want to see you settle down.”
“Grandkids!” Nazeer interjected, fully knowing he was bei
ng a troublemaker. “The best thing about grandkids,” he added, eyeing Tariq in the rearview mirror, “is that they’re small and cute, and as soon as they start screaming you can send them home!”
Nuray’s eyes widened as she stared at her husband and then the couple continued to taunt and tease Tariq on the subject of marriage and children.
“We tried to get him to marry, you know, Emily?” Nuray said, her tone now somewhere between annoyed and factual.
“I heard,” Emily responded awkwardly. So much for not bringing it up.
“Oh, here we go…” Tariq complained, burying his face in his hands.
“Oh, stop!” his mother chided. “But then he left for America.”
“Which turned out to be wildly successful,” Tariq interjected.
“But you know what?” Nuray continued. “We are so glad he didn’t.”
Tariq looked up, his face creasing with emotion as he gazed at his mother. His expression said he wanted to ask more, but his mother picked up on this before he could say anything further. She reached her hand behind her and tapped her son’s knee with the tips of her fingers. “You did what was right for you.”
“Now, do what’s right for Emily and make her an honorable woman!” Nazeer cheered from the driver’s seat.
Tariq rolled his eyes to his father in the mirror. He let out a playful sigh and grabbed Emily’s hand in his. If he was annoyed, he didn’t show it. Instead, he said, “When it happens, you’ll both be the first to know. You have my word.”
“You better!” Nuray warned before turning her attention to Emily. “We’re glad he waited,” she confirmed. “Now he’s met you.”
Emily smiled but said nothing. She squeezed Tariq’s hand as his mother turned back to face the front, sighing contentedly. She loved this—the family banter, the playful teases, the adorable way Tariq’s face squished up when he was embarrassed.
Before long, the foursome reached the airport and it was back to the runway to find Tariq’s private jet. Nuray hugged Emily tightly and made her promise to come visit again soon.
“We haven’t seen him like this in so long. Not since he was a little boy,” Nazeer said, taking Emily aside after a brief embrace. He placed both hands on her shoulders and clarified, “Happy, I mean. He never talks to us like he did tonight. So open, laughing. I think I know why.” He narrowed his eyes toward her in a lighthearted manner. “He’s in love,” he said with a wink in his tone.
“Oh!” Emily blurted out; her face red hot as Nazeer set his hands at his side.
“Thank you for making my son so happy,” he added. “Hopefully the next time we see you you’ll have a ring on that finger.”
Emily nodded happily and soon she was standing with Tariq once more. After one last wave goodbye, both Tariq and Emily were back on his private jet and on their way home. The flight back to Arizona would be seventeen hours, and Emily knew she would be exhausted if she didn’t get some sleep now. Saying that, she didn’t know how she would ever get to sleep now after such an amazing day.
Still, she told Tariq she would be headed off to bed and thanked him immensely for spoiling her with so much history, for his wonderful company, and for the hilarious thrill of getting to meet his parents.
“Funny, funny girl,” he said sweetly.
The way he looked at her then was almost too much to handle. He leaned in and met her lips with his in a soft, lingering kiss. The way he breathed against her skin was something Emily knew would be burned into her memory for years to come. In that moment, everything changed. She didn't want to be afraid anymore, didn't want to be the shy girl so out of control of her own life.
Like Tariq, travel had always been Emily’s favorite thing in the world. Not to places like the Grand Canyon or sunny Hawaii, no. Her dream was to visit other cultures and lands—to expand her mind and see something bigger than herself; to be around people who could make her see the world in a different way.
And who better to do this with, she thought, than her new favorite person.
Chapter 10
The private jet was just as luxurious as Emily remembered. She wanted to take one last wander around the cabin so she could appreciate it, but she was too exhausted from their unexpectedly romantic day of sightseeing, and went right to bed for what she assumed would be hours and hours of rest before landing in Phoenix.
Instead, it was only a handful of hours before the wheels touched down.
Emily’s heart sank. Had they had to make an emergency stop somewhere? This was it. Her mother was right—don't take risks! This was her comeuppance for trusting that a sexy guy would actually take an interest in her. They were probably crashed on a deserted island somewhere.
Just as she began to feel the panic rise up in her, Tariq gently knocked on the door and entered the room.
“Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you,” he said quietly.
“What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he gave her a peculiar smile. “We had to make a stop.”
“I knew it,” she said, her tone rife with worry.
“No, not like that,” he chuckled. “I wanted to make one more stop before we headed back.”
She frowned. “Oh. Where are we?”
“Paris.”
Paris?! Was he kidding? He just brought her on basically the most romantic, out-of-the-blue vacation to his hometown, and now they were literally in the most romantic city in the world. If Emily were the fainting type, this would be where she would pass out from sheer joy.
Her high was quickly brought back down to earth as she began to think about work. She only had the weekend off and had promised Mike she would have her accounts updated by the end of Monday. He was going to freak out, and the last thing she needed at this point was to give Mike another reason to be frustrated with her. She sighed inwardly, annoyed with herself for taking less two seconds to ruin this trip.
“Something up?” Tariq asked. “What’s wrong, not a fan of French food?”
“Um, warm croissants and quaint bistros? Trust me, I’m dying on the inside.”
“But?”
“But,” she repeated. “I’m just a little nervous about not showing up for work.”
“That’s my responsible girl,” Tariq said, coming up to give her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ve already thought about it. Just call tomorrow and say our flight was delayed. It’s not like you’re lying, technically.”
“Technically,” she repeated in a mocking tone before bursting into giggles. “I guess so.”
“Besides, I’m going to be the boss now, remember?”
She laughed. “Oh right, I’d nearly forgotten.”
“Once I buy the place you won’t have to worry about losing your job.”
Emily couldn’t help but love and hate how that sounded. She needed her job and she would be over the moon if she were given a better position in the company, but she hated that it sounded like he would be giving her an advantage.
It was as if Tariq could read her mind, his eyes skimming over hers. “Not because we’d be together,” he said. “Because I know you’re an amazingly talented worker.”
And just like that, she felt wonderful again.
Just the thought of being with Tariq made all of Emily’s troubles fall away, like a wonderful little coat of contentment and love and protection that was all hers. She didn't care if it seemed too good to be true; the past few days had flown by, yet somehow she still felt like she'd known him for years.
Maybe Tariq’s parents were right. Maybe it wasn't about how long you've known someone, maybe it was about who they made you into. Emily hadn't felt this good about herself in a long time. Now she couldn't imagine life without him.
If Tariq was taking a well-needed break from the world, she would gladly take it with him. This would give them time to do all of the normal things couples did: expensive dinners, kiss like teenagers, dance together. Emily felt a flutter in her chest and couldn't help but think that, even with all the romanti
c gestures Tariq had thrown her way, she'd be just as satisfied to lay on the couch and watch a movie with him. She could do anything with him and have fun.
At first, Emily had worried the pair were taking things too fast; now it seemed like fast wasn't fast enough.
The streets of Paris were beautiful, cultural, and chic; it was everything you could want from a city. They wouldn’t have as much time there as they had in Al Dirhan, but Tariq had made a fantastic checklist of sights they could see to make the most out of a day in Paris.
And how could he go wrong? It was Paris!
“Just don’t bring me to any more catacombs,” she quipped.
“But Paris is famous for them!”
“I think I’ve seen enough death for one weekend getaway, thank you,” she grinned.
Tariq nodded in defeat and snuck in for a peck on the lips. “You’re going to love it, I promise.”
“Something tells me you’re going to keep that promise.”
“Hey, when Sheikh Tariq Al Habib Bin Hasan promises a weekend adventure, his guest will not be disappointed.”
“Or else I get my money back?”
“Tenfold,” he winked.
The first sight they saw was the Arc de Triomphe. Being in front of the landmark was like being in a postcard. In fact, all of Paris was like being in a postcard.
Construction of the Arc de Triomphe began in 1806, Emily learned from Tariq, who put on a fantastic French accent and acted as her tour guide all morning. He mostly did so by reading internet search results off of his phone as they approached new tourist attractions, but jokes aside, his French was beautiful. She could listen to him speak all day.
“The Arc was constructed by Napoleon. After his army conquered most of Europe, he told them they would return home through arch of triumph.”
“And they did,” Emily said plainly.
“And they did!” Tariq said. “Total cost. Guess.”
“Seven, billion, dollars,” Emily exaggerated.
“Nope!” he corrected with pizzazz, imitating a buzzer noise. “Wrong, m'lady! It was almost a million U.S. Ouch!”