Sunday morning, Aziz made his way out the restaurant kitchen to the small beautiful courtyard behind his restaurant. The rain had finally stopped in the wee hours of the morning and the sun shone brightly over the courtyard. He placed the freshly made bread on the round table next to the assortment of jams. The table could easily seat six, just as comfortable as it could seat two. It was made as an equivalent to the chef's table put in the courtyard right off the kitchen. The courtyard was small and intimate. Here were flowers planted along the mosaic walls, a fountainhead of a lion spewed water gently into the pool below where floating lotus blossoms bobbed and swayed. His Somali cat, Mina, sat at the pool's edge observing his master's movements while the bushy tail swished back and forth.
It was meant to be a sanctuary away from the bustle of the outside world. It held up well, really. So much so that it was the meeting spot for Sunday brunch between him, Irena, and Ibrahim. Truthfully, Sasha invited herself one Sunday with Irena and never left. Free food and drink always got Sasha through anyone's door. The woman had a hearty appetite and that much he could admire.
Aziz smirked as he looked down at the set table. He was rather proud of himself. Even though he always cooked Sunday brunch, didn't mean he was always happy with it. However, there was an added addition. Towards the middle of the table was a flower arrangement that boasted Maui flowers, Orchids, foliage and Bird of Paradise. The latter was Sasha's favorite flower.
Trust Sasha to favor a flower that looks as though it can take someone's eye out.
Aziz chuckled to himself as he stroked the orange petal of Bird of Paradise. Then he sighed. In his heart Aziz knew that the flowers were just a peace gesture to placate his own guilt.
Over the last two days he'd contemplated how to address Friday night's folly. No matter how he convinced himself, Aziz couldn't help but feel as though he had gone overboard. Yes, Sasha had pushed up on him but she'd done that many times before. However, not once had she come to touching him inappropriately. On top of that, the look on her face was not one he could erase and it made him afraid. There was sadness, disappointment, and fear in the expression that marred her beautiful features just before she replaced her mask. He'd seen sadness and disappointment on her features but never fear.
The fear is what bothered him the most. Sasha was his lioness...
His?
Before he could explore the thought further, the sound of footsteps got his attention.
"Why are you looking at flowers so intently, my friend?" Ibrahim rubbed his scruff in an just-woke-up fashion. And indeed he must have because he was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Sunday brunch was the only time Ibrahim could care less who saw him on the way over to Aziz's restaurant.
"No reason." Aziz said quickly. "Nothing to see, really."
"Aziz Dehbi is finally losing it, eh?" Ibrahim eyes his friend suspiciously, "First, chuckling at flowers then scolding at them, now denying their existence."
Aziz gave his friend a sharp look before retreating to the kitchen to put the kettle to boil.
"Woman troubles, I suspect." Ibrahim smiled mischievously.
"Really? Then maybe Sasha has man troubles because girlfriend would not, and could not get out of bed this morning." Irena strut in briskly, whipping off her sunglasses. A hangover is what
I
suspect."
"Oh please! The last time she had food poisoning and she still brought herself to breakfast!" Aziz grumbled from the kitchen. "She's just whining!"
The two men exchanged looks.
"Know something we don't?" Irena tilted her head right back through the open doorway. There wasn't really a need too considering the doorway was made of sliding glass.
"No!" Aziz snapped at them as he walked past them right to the table, kettle in hand. "Now eat or starve."
Aziz went about pouring tea his brows knitted in concentration. A strand of hair fell from his loose ponytail into his eyes. If Sasha were here she would have tucked it in for him without a second glance backward. Aziz frowned, why was she cowering. She never cowered.
How do I know that?
He chastised himself.
Because she doesn't like to lose...
He was concentrating so much on his thoughts that Aziz almost missed Mina reaching for the salami on the table. Gently he lifted Mina off the table and back onto the ground.
"I'll put you back inside, you bad boy!" Aziz sat down and the other two followed suit and began to eat brunch. "Just know that she'll come. Late, but she will come."
_-_-_-
After Irena's departure, Sasha slunk out of bed and into the bathroom looking like the red-eyed, bedraggled, lioness. Quite frankly her head felt like she had the life force drained out of her. How she'd made it home last night after the bachelorett party was beyond her. At first, Sasha had RSVP-ed that she wasn't coming a little over a week ago. Then Friday night rolled around and Sahsa found herself in a real state of depression after what happened. She ate twice as much while sitting in front the tv screen playing point, shoot, and/or stab video games on her PS3.
Sasha was a firm believer that when one can't act out violently in reality, video games will suffice. She'd learned this years ago in her middle school stages. Sasha always had a temper that sometimes ended in things being destroyed or people being hurt. It was something she had to learn to control very quickly after two arrests. For Sasha, sadness would turn to anger and anger would turn to rage very quickly. Even though it took quite some time for her to get to the point of anger, it was always simmering. One transgression would add to another until the cauldron boiled over.
She didn't know what to feel after what happened with Aziz Friday night. A part of her hoped that he was serious. Aziz had encroached on territory that usually, is quite forbidden to joke about. Sasha'd been beating the thoughts back about if he was serious or if what he did was truly all in jest.
That hard on wasn't a joke. Every bit of it was solid, pulsing, and hot.
Sasha gripped the edges of the quartz bowl that made up her sink as hot pulse struck her core. Friday night she was fighting with herself not to break her morals and to keep their banter light but the moment Aziz snaked his hand up her shirt, Sasha had forgotten all about where they were and the why nots.
Sasha turned on the cold water and splashed her face. Yes, she wanted Aziz Dehbi. She'd wanted him for months now. But the divide and conquer Sasha could never bring herself to openly tell him. There was always this nagging insecurity that he wanted a nice Arab girl that suited his taste or that her burnt sienna complexion was too dark for him.
Rejection was not an answer- ever- to Sasha. If she had ever taken no for an answer in her life; the world had better believe she was coming back stronger, better, more determined than ever to make it rue the day it told her no. It was all fun and games till someone got hurt.
Sasha squared her shoulders as she looked at her face in the mirror again. So what she got her feelings hurt. Mama never taught her to be a coward. Sasha was going to this breakfast and deal with Aziz just like she normally would. Nothing her insecurities said was going to change that fact.
After a shower and some eye drops, Sasha stepped out the door with her purse in hand and head held high. As she walked to her designated parking spot, Sasha dug around for her keys only to find that they weren't there. That didn't seem right. This was the purse that she used last night. When Sasha finally looked up, it seemed as though her car decided to follow her keys to the kingdom of lost.
Apparently, arriving toward the end of brunch was now in play. Well, if that was the way life wanted to play it, then Sasha would follow suit. Forget the wedges, she whipped out a pair of stylish boat shoes from her purse and stuffed her feet into them. Sasha had ten long blocks to rehash the night; between when she left for the bar to arriving home at four in the morning.
