When there was a pause, I cleared my throat, sensing it was my turn to speak. “Hey,” I began, shrugging. “Sorry I didn’t want you to pick me up today. I know that we need to keep with this kind of, erm, romantic theme. I’m just so out of practice. It’s going to take me a second to get in character, as it were.”
Rami nodded, his eyes burning with a kind of validation. “I wondered about that,” he said. “But just know that I’m not trying to rush your inner feelings. It’s not like I’m trying to force your love.”
“Not anymore, at least,” I told him, giving him a sneaky smile. God, he was handsome. This feeling pulsed through me, a constant reminder of his firm jawline, his thick black hair, and his honest eyes.
“Right. Again, I’m sorry about that.” He swallowed sharply, looking anxious. “I’m just glad we can help one another, in the end.”
Tommy arrived with the burgers. The smell wafted into my nose, making me close my eyes. Rich, vibrant, salty and alive—the meat was just the right level of pink, and the side of French fries was massive, like a haystack. Rami poured some ketchup onto the side of his plate. A bit of it got on the edge of his finger, and he licked at it, meeting my gaze.
“So anyway, I was thinking I would update you on my family, now that you know who I am…” Rami began. “Especially since you’ll be lucky enough to be a part of it.”
“Oh?” I asked, feeling a punch in the gut. Lucky enough? Who did this guy think he was, a billionaire Sheikh? Oh. Yep.
“Sure. My father, of course, is the ruling sheikh. His name is Ammar, and he’s one of the wisest men in the country.”
“Was he a playboy once, like you?” I heard myself ask, chuckling.
“He was certainly just as handsome,” Rami said, making my cheeks burn. Yes, he was handsome, but God, did he really have to go on about it like that?
“And my mother is a class act. Always dressed to the nines. I’ve never seen her without makeup on, and she’s always sitting properly, her posture perfect.”
“Like this?” I asked, slumping forward in my chair. I watched as he chuckled slightly, his eyes glittering.
“And she certainly wouldn’t be caught eating a burger,” he grinned.
“Sounds like a rough life,” I said, wiping a napkin across my lips.
“It has its benefits, sure,” Rami said, raising his eyebrows, “but when you meet her, you might need to, erm, advance your manners a bit.”
I felt my stomach fill with rage. But I forced myself to keep my mouth closed, to hold everything in. My mother’s next appointment with the doctor, happening in the next few hours, made my mind grow heavy. I had to remain focused on the date, nodding along. I had to listen. I had to obey.
Rami continued to blather on, telling me more about his older brother, Adil, who lived abroad; about his mother, and his father, their family traditions, and what I would have to wear and do and say when I inevitably met them.
He spoke about it all in such a detached way, as if these were just steps on a career path. I almost asked him several times if he thought I should draw up my resume, but held my tongue. The world around me had begun to spin. I allowed my chin to fall to my chest, and dropped my burger to the table, half-eaten.
Out of nowhere, my eyes started filling with tears. I tried to hold them back, but they overflowed, streaming silently down my cheeks. I grabbed the bar top in an attempt to steady myself.
Beside me, Rami was sipping at his beer, still focused on his own story, his own words, but I had lost them almost completely. After a long, horrible moment, I lifted myself from my bar stool, gazing at Rami.
Finally, Rami saw me. His lips parted, taking in the vision of this woman he hardly knew, crying in front of him. Tilting his head, he said, “Darling, why are you crying?”
I couldn’t think of an answer beyond the truth. I stuttered slightly, waiting for the words to come.
“You want to call it off, don’t you?” Rami said, his voice growing solemn. “You don’t want to go through with it. Even when this could be the single greatest event of your life, Angie. I mean, knowing my family, being a part of it—it’s beyond most people’s wildest dreams.”