Part 2 is up ;) As are many other things 😆
This goes out to my dearest Juliet.
Writers Unite!
Much love, as always
Part 2:
It was too late to change course now. Aahil would just go with whatever this so-called honeymoon would bring. Sanam and he had already had a few run-ins on the way to the resort. How much worse could it seriously get?
He glanced at her as they pulled into the resort parking lot. She was staring out the window and wringing her hands together. Probably dreading being alone with him, he had thought to himself sadly.
Even sadder, he didn't know of anything he could do that would somehow change her mind about him.
Forget two days and nights alone... thanks to this marriage, they were now bound for life. He hated seeing her this upset and resolved there and then to try and be better to her during their stay away.
This was what fate had decided for the both of them; what else could they both do but accept it?
Sanam stared out of the window and wondered how this honeymoon was going to work exactly. Thanks to the earlier incident in the car, all she could think of was how they were going to manage in one room for the next two nights.
His intense gaze on her had ignited something. He knew it was just another expression of his glaring at her, but it had certainly awoken something in her. Sanam wasn't a fool. She knew Aahil evoked some very strong feelings within her. She knew about the feeling that she considered to be hate, but she knew it was something else, too.
A passion that couldn't be described...
Her eyes widened as they pulled into the resort. It was... magnificent. Majestic and a little scary; much like the man who owned it. The parking lot was quite empty, and Sanam wondered why it wasn't busier but then she realised that it wasn't exactly peak holiday season out there.
"Sanam, ready to go in?" his voice broke into her thoughts. She smiled tightly at him and nodded minutely. She was about to open her door to get out but before she could, Aahil was there, opening it for her.
"Uhhh, thanks. But I could've..." she stammered, not having expected any kind of chivalry from him.
He'd been so unhappy about the entire going away, and then he was so grumpy in the car that she actually thought she imagined the slight twitch of his lips; the beginning of a smile, when she had thanked him.
"Uhm, just wait a second, I want to speak to the driver quickly" he said. "But... I could go check in quickly?" she countered. Aahil sighed. He was never going to get the last word in for the rest of his life, was he?
"Fine" he sighed.
Sanam walked up the stairs and through the revolving doors to the massive reception area and lobby. It was pretty quiet in here, too. She walked slowly up to reception where a pretty young girl stood in front of a computer, looking bored out of her mind.
She brightened up as soon as she spotted Sanam. Sanam smiled, but she felt very self-conscious in her skinny jeans.
"May I help you?" she asked cheerfully. "Uhh, yes. Actually... We have a booking here..." Sanam said nervously, wishing she'd waited for Aahil as she looked around for him.
Aahil hid behind a large pillar as soon as he realised Sanam was going to turn around. He had been watching her sashay towards the reception counter in those jeans... Damn those jeans. She would have to change out of them. He would make sure of that.
Otherwise, he couldn't be held accountable for his actions.
"Name, please?" the pretty young thing asked.
"Uhm... Raza Ibrahim..." she whispered. "Pardon, didn't quite catch that" the girl said.
Aahil peeped out from behind the pillar. "The booking should be under Aahil Raza Ibrahim" Sanam said a little louder. Aahil smiled. She made his name sound... beautiful.
He would've liked hearing Sanam refer to herself as Mrs Aahil Raza Ibrahim, but oh well. There'd be plenty of time for that.
"Mr Ibrahim! Ok, let me see. Obviously, he has his own private room here, so I guess you'll be staying there?" the girl said as she looked over her computer.
"No need for that. I want the honeymoon suite" Aahil said, suddenly right behind Sanam. Sanam could feel her face heat up as the receptionist smiled at them.
"Newlyweds? Nice..." she smirked naughtily.
"Aahil! Oh my, it really is you! I thought I imagined that sexy voice of yours..."
Sanam's eyes widened at the woman who was striding over to them from an office door behind the counter, and Aahil glanced at her quickly before the woman threw her arms around him.
"Hi Nida. Nice to see you again" Aahil said politely. She pulled back and smiled at him, not once sparing Sanam even a glance.
Sanam eyed her short navy shift dress and felt a stab of jealousy at watching this woman throw herself at her husband.
Sanam shook her head to clear her thoughts. Sure he was her husband, but it was only for three months... right?
"Hmmm... Nice indeed. I haven't seen you in ages. How about a one on one performance review later?" she flirted. Aahil just stared wide-eyed, wanting the ground to swallow him whole right then.
"Same room as last time?" she whispered seductively, leaning towards him. Aahil's eyes widened even more. Sanam was right next to him and probably heard it all.
Sanam didn't know what came over her but before she could watch this woman get any closer to Aahil, she moved slightly to her left, effectively shielding Aahil from this Nida woman and held out her hand.
"Hi. I'm Mrs Aahil Raza Ibrahim and no, we won't be using the usual room this time. We're here for our honeymoon and my husband just requested the honeymoon suite" Sanam blabbered, and held out her hand for Nida to shake.
Aahil was rooted to the spot. He couldn't believe what Sanam had just said, and what she had made it sound like. What she had sounded like, though, was jealous - but he couldn't bring himself to believe that she was.
"Excuse me?" Nida blurted out, looking from Aahil to Sanam and then back again for confirmation.
"Aahil? This is your wife? You're married...?" Nida said, almost sarcastically as she eyed Sanam up and down disbelievingly.
Aahil took his cue - and some advantage - from his wife and slowly put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him and tucking her into his side. He smiled as he answered.
"I most certainly am married, and yes... this is my beautiful wife" he said, his voice laced with pride as he looked down to Sanam. She faked a smile back at him.
"What the hell...?" Sanam thought to herself, as an unfamiliar feeling crept up on her.
"I can't believe this..." Nida muttered. She was about to say something else, but then the receptionist walked over to them. "Here are your cards for the presidential honeymoon suite" she chirped.
Aahil smiled tightly at Nida. "Obviously. Only the best for my Jaan" he said, as he nuzzled her hair. They started walking and he turned back quickly.
"Thanks"
As soon as they got into the elevator, Aahil smirked at her. He'd loved the jealous streak he'd seen in her just now. Sanam tried to struggle out of his embrace, but he wouldn't let go and so she glared at him, irritated.
"What the hell, Aahil! No one can see us now! Let me go"
"Oh, I should let you go? What the hell was that out there, Sanam?" he retorted. He wasn't going to back down until he made her admit that she had been jealous of Nida being so close to him.
"What? That was in front of others and this bloody charade has us doing all sorts of things, so what? And what was that about the usual room and a one on one performance review?" she muttered, highly annoyed at him.
He didn't meet her gaze. Sanam's eyes widened as realisation dawned on her.
"Oh my God... You've... with her?! Let me go!" Sanam screeched, and Aahil loosened his grip immediately.
"It was just some harmless flirting, Sanam... relax" he said, trying to diffuse the situation.
Damn Nida!
"Right. Whatever. I don't really care anyway. Why the pretence of the honeymoon suite? You have your usual room; we could've just stayed there..." Sanam muttered.
Aahil didn't answer. He didn't want to tell her that... well, there had been some other girls in that room besides Nida and well... he didn't want to take Sanam there.
In fact... He decided that he would give up that room completely now.
Aahil almost groaned when he'd opened the suite door and peeked inside before Sanam walked in ahead of him. The little lounge area was strewn with red roses; there was a bucket of champagne on ice on a small butler's tray, and chocolate truffles in a bowl next to it.
Sanam looked around and was awed by the space. Everything was very modern, and she tried her best not to pay too much attention to the rose petals that were literally everywhere, or the champagne and truffles she'd noticed when she walked in.
There was a cream coloured two seater couch in the lounge area that looked comfortable enough to have the most amazing sleep on.
Aahil watched Sanam looking around with wide eyes and was suddenly glad they came here. The look of pure astonishment on her face was well worth all the trouble they'd had so far.
He followed her as she walked further into the suite, watching her take in everything. He had had a hand in designing the honeymoon suite so it was something he was pretty proud of.
Sanam's breath caught in her throat as she took in the king-sized bed in the middle of the large bedroom.
"Do you like it?" he asked softly behind her. "The bed?" she blurted out. Aahil chuckled softly. "The whole suite, Sanam"
"Hmmm, very nice" was all she could utter. Between the sudden visions in her mind of what a couple really did on honeymoon - on that bed, and Aahil's soft laughter, Sanam was literally speechless at her own wicked thoughts.
The fact was that they were not a couple. Not at all.
She felt guilty that he didn't know about the whole three month clause in her contract marriage, but Begum Sahiba had forbidden her from saying anything to him.
Sanam still wondered why though.
She sank down to sit on the bed. "Tired?" Aahil asked again. He was being overly sweet and nice all of a sudden.
"No, not really. I mean, what do we do now?" she asked as he set the bags down. He raised his eyebrow at her quizzically and she caught the naughty glint in his eye.
"I meant..." she started but he cut her off. "I know what you meant, Sanam. You hungry?" he asked. She nodded.
"Ok, uhm... let's change and then we can go down to the pool deck for a snack. The dinner at the restaurant here is a bit later and it's amazing, so we can just relax until then" he said. "Ok" she nodded and smiled.
He was clearly making an effort to not be grumpy. The least she could do was be nice too. Well, try to anyhow.
"So... you and the manager, hey?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual tone as she walked away to grab her suitcase.
Aahil stilled as he took a shirt out of his suitcase. "Uhm... it wasn't... Nothing serious" he said, hoping she would just forget it now.
"She still likes you" Sanam continued. "Well, I don't like her!" he snapped.
"I was just saying... Anyway, I'll just go and change" Sanam said dragging her suitcase into the bathroom. It felt like a ton of bricks - what the hell did Lateef pack?
Aahil looked up to the ceiling. "Thank God she will be out of those jeans"
But then he looked towards the bathroom door and imagined her taking off those jeans. His pulse leaped. "Argh!" he silently screamed.
"Oh My GOD!" Sanam screamed.
Aahil jumped off the bed and knocked at the bathroom door frantically. "Sanam! Sanam, what's wrong? Open the door!" he shouted.
"It's ok. I am ok... I think" she said, feeling a weird warmth at hearing the concern in Aahil's voice.
"Just open the door, Sanam" he bit out frustratedly. He knew how independent she was but what if she was hurt or something and just being stubborn?
"I really am ok. You go ahead and change in the bedroom. I will be a while" Sanam said, her cheek pressed up against the door.
"Sanam... I will kick the door in myself" he warned. Sanam flung open the door otherwise he'd never leave her alone to change but because he was leaning against it, he fell into the bathroom, landing on top of a pile of clothes and a bewildered Sanam - in what looked like nothing but the fluffy white bathrobe the hotel provides.
Once again... they forgot their surroundings, their position... everything, as they stared into each other's eyes. Aahil couldn't help himself and stroked Sanam's cheek gently when he noticed the faint blush.
She closed her eyes in response, savouring his feather light touch, and held him tightly by his shirt at the point where his buttons were undone.
Still in somewhat of a daze, his hand travelled along the loose collar of the robe; his fingers itching to reach just beneath and feel the skin on her shoulder that looked so soft, so smooth.
His hand moved further still and finally made contact with her skin. But that was all it took for Sanam to break out of her trance. She shuffled and stood up quickly, readjusting the loosely tied bathrobe around her.
Aahil wanted to slap himself. A ruined moment, indeed.
"Are you ok?" she asked as she helped him up. His breath hitched as he noticed properly how she looked in what she wore. It would be so easy to untie the loosely knotted belt at her waist.
"What were you thinking, leaning against the door like that?" she scolded. He blinked out of his daze. "What was I thinking? I thought you'd hurt yourself!" he bit out before turning to leave.
"Just change and then we can go" he muttered, not giving a second thought as to why the huge bathroom was strewn with clothes.
"What the hell was Lateef thinking? And where did he get all these kinds of clothes from?" she muttered to herself. She sat amongst them, closed her eyes and placed her hand on something.
"OK, whatever this is... I will wear" she said, challenging herself.
But when she opened her eyes, she found a black satin slip of fabric posing as a nightie in her hands, and her eyes widened. "Seriously... what was Lateef thinking? Argh!" she muttered.
"Ok Sanam. Relax. Stop hyperventilating. What did Aahil say? Pool deck. Light lunch... right..." she spoke to herself as she picked a white cotton sun dress out of the pile. It was short but it would do.
Anyway, it wasn't as if she had much choice.
She knocked on the door when she was done. "I'm done. Are you?" she called. "Finally" he muttered. "I heard that!" she said, affronted by his allegation that she had taken forever to get ready.
She opened the door and was treated to quite a sight. There was her gorgeous - one thing she could not deny was the looks he'd been blessed with -husband in casual cargo shorts, a white shirt hanging loosely around him and barely buttoned up at all. He looked up at her and his eyes betrayed the shock he felt. Sanam was dressed in a dress. A short one.
Aahil gulped and turned away.
Sanam figured he was upset about what she had worn.
She stepped forward. "Listen, I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I... Lateef only packed all this kind of stuff for me and so I don't really have a choice, ok?"
"No, it's not that. You look... you look great. And this is kind of a holiday so... Shall we go?" he said, all the while looking out the sliding doors onto the suite's private pool deck.
Sanam almost smiled. He had said she looked great... but then... what was his problem? He seemed grumpy all over again.
Aahil dragged his hand over his eyes tiredly. Of course he'd wanted her to change out of her jeans... but into that?!
"I could put my jeans on. I can see you're not happy with me wearing this..." she said and turned around.
"Oh God, no!" Aahil thought to himself, and before he had time to think through what he was doing, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, twirling her so that her dress swirled around her.
Just like earlier that day, she landed on his chest and looked up into his eyes.
"I said... you look great. Better than that, even. Let's go" he grit out with a forced control despite her being wrapped in his arms.
He let go of her and started towards the door before turning back to find a shocked Sanam with her eyes glazed over.
"Coming?" he asked. Sanam blinked and hurried forward. The elevator ride down to the pool deck was filled with a slightly awkward silence as the both of them stole quick glances at each other.
Sanam rolled her eyes as they walked past reception and caught sight of Nida hurrying towards them.
She deftly linked her arm in Aahil's earning herself a soft but surprised smile from him. But when he heard Nida's voice, he realised why Sanam had done it.
He had to admit, he was quite enjoying his wife's sudden possessiveness over him. He pulled her a little closer.
"Aahil... off for lunch?" Nida enquired. She was slightly business-like, but bordered on flirty. Sanam was about to answer her when Aahil unlinked his arm from hers and turned to her.
"Sanam baby. Would you mind just waiting for me at the pool deck? I need to check something with Nida quickly about the resort"
Nida's smile suddenly brightened but Sanam's face fell. Aahil felt guilty, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.
"Fine" she said, and stalked off towards the door where the pool deck sign could be seen.
Aahil turned to Nida, who was looking at him rather expectantly.
"Listen Nida. Whatever happened with us before... it can't happen again, ok? I am married now, so..."
"Yeah, I got it. Look, I had no idea, ok? And I'm sorry your wife is so upset" Nida replied sheepishly.
"You think she's upset?" Aahil asked in surprise.
"Oh definitely. You better get back out there, before you get into any more trouble" Nida nudged him out toward the pool deck.
Aahil stood and watched Sanam sulk into the fruity cocktail on the table. She had the most adorable look on her face, and as if she could sense him, she looked up and met his gaze.
He quickly straightened up and started walking towards the table she'd chosen.
"That was quick" she muttered, but Aahil picked up on her sarcasm. "I told you, I just had to check something with her quickly, y'know, about the resort" he tried to placate her.
"Yeah sure. Listen, you go do whatever you want to with Nida. I'm suddenly not very hungry anymore. I'll just go back to the room" she said as she got up from her chair.
Sanam knew she was acting silly and childish, and feeling hurt over nothing, and that she and Aahil weren't even a real couple for goodness' sake. But she couldn't help the feelings that had erupted in her ever since she saw that woman draped over over him.
And now, he'd left her alone - even though it was less than ten minutes - on their honeymoon, so that he could check something with her. Sanam felt like a fool. It's not like she hadn't realised that Aahil and Nida had been together before but she was his wife - and she had been right there!
Aahil stood up too. He was suddenly worried. Sanam looked as though she would burst into tears any minute now. He reached out for her.
"Sanam... ok, sorry. I didn't mean to do that, it was just..."
"Whatever, ok? It's not like we're a real couple or anything, or that this so-called marriage will last forever, so you can go and spend the next two days with her, I don't really care!" Sanam almost yelled.
Aahil's expression became confused and Sanam realised what she had blurted out in her fury.
"Not a real couple? So-called marriage won't...? What are you talking about?" he asked quietly, holding onto her arm.
"Nothing! Look, why don't you just go do that damn one on one review with that stupid Nida and... Let. Me. Go." Sanam said coldly.
Aahil had just about lost all self-restraint hearing her sass him, and being all jealous and possessive over him.
What had really sent him over the edge though, was the way she'd pouted every time she thought she was finished shouting at him.
He pulled Sanam close to him very quickly and stared at her.
"I want a one on one session with my wife!" he growled before swooping in on her lips. Sanam was boggled. What the hell just happened?!
She could feel his lips urgent against hers; his tongue forcing its way inside. Parting her lips to give him entry, Sanam stopped thinking of what was happening and just started feeling. And boy, did it feel good!
Aahil smiled against her lips as she sighed against his. His hands roamed the length of her back and she ruffled his hair, moving closer to him. Aahil wanted even more... he pulled her even closer, tried kissing her even deeper.
But suddenly Sanam pulled away, breathless and beautiful.
"Aahil..." she whispered, taking a few steps back. He just moved closer. "I think we should try that again" he said huskily.
Sanam glared at him suddenly and felt so stupid. "You were just in there... with her and now... now you want me to...? I can't believe you!" she said.
She was back to looking as though she'd burst into tears.
He frowned. "You think what? That I was in there... with her? What?" he asked, furious at Sanam's allegation when it dawned on him.
"That you and-"
Aahil had had enough of this drama.
"Aaah! What are you doing? Put me down! Aahil!" Sanam yelled, beating his back with her fists, as he walked off past reception with Sanam slung over his shoulder caveman style.
"Newlyweds..." she heard Aahil say by way of explanation to whoever was in the elevator with them. She could hear the smile in his voice as he said it too. How embarrassing. She hid her face in her hands against his back.
Aahil had a tight hold on her so she couldn't move. Not that she wasn't already super-aware of where his hands were holding her.
His fingers lazily kneaded the back of her thighs making her tummy clench in awareness. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her pulse throbbed in nervous anticipation of what he was going to do. To her?
The doors opened and then shut again. Sanam heard feet shuffling, and realised they were alone again.
"Aahil! Put me down or I am going to scream" Sanam yelled.
"Oh baby, of course you're going to scream..." he said wickedly as he smacked her butt.
**********
I just couldn't resist this pic - Aahil looks completely wickedly sexy!
I imagined that look on his face when he told Sanam that she would scream 😳
