The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend (The Botros Brothers Series) (3 page)

Amir had the wildest idea and knew he was going to regret it later. He decided to take Sara out
for lunch. Sara jumped at the opportunity. Anything to get out of wedding planning. Today, they were picking out the cake and colours for the groomsmen. Sara enjoyed sampling the cakes but when they started talking about clothes again, she wanted to get out. The conversation never seemed to end. The older women were indecisive. Sara and Tariq came from different cultures, so it wasn’t easy coming to an agreement.

Amir took Sara and Leylah to a beautiful, elegant Arabic restaurant for lunch. As they were seated at their table, Sara looked around the place. It was very nice, clean and sophisticated. There weren’t many people there. She checked on Leylah, who was sleeping peacefully in her stroller. She looked at Amir and smiled.

“This place is nice,” Sara said to him.

“It is, isn't it,” Amir agreed.

“You have never taken me to such a place before,” Sara looked at him with suspicion. “You want something from me?” she asked. Amir laughed and denied it. He turned and saw a waitress clearing a table. He called her over. As she walked over to the table, she looked surprised to see him.

“Amir, what brings you here?” she asked, not looking pleased. Sara looked at her.

“Hello, Soraya,” Amir grinned at her. “I came for lunch,” he added. She kept a straight face and said nothing. She wasn’t buying it. And who was this woman with him? Seeing him with another woman caused unfamiliar feelings inside her, but she didn’t want him to know.

“What may I get you?” Soraya asked.

Ignoring her question, “This is Sara,” Amir began. Soraya’s heart sank.

“Hello,” Soraya said. She wasn’t sure if she should bow or smile. She chose to do neither. Sara smiled at her and extended her hand.

“My brother’s wife to be,” Amir added. Soraya raised her eyebrows. She was surprised and relieved. She shook Sara's hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Soraya said.

“You look surprised,” Sara said and laughed. “I know, I am still not used to the idea,” she added. Soraya smiled awkwardly. She looked down at the stroller. Her heart melted when she saw little Leylah sleeping. She was so tiny and adorable. Her cheeks were so rosy. Sara noticed Soraya looking at the baby. She stroked Leylah on the cheek. “Tariq's. Her name is Leylah,” Sara said and smiled like a proud mother.

“She’s beautiful,” Soraya said.

“Thank you,” Sara said. “It's all thanks to Tariq's genes but if you tell him I told you, I will deny it!” Sara added. Soraya laughed with her. Amir raised an eyebrow. He spent months trying to make Soraya laugh and Sara managed to do so in less than five minutes.

“How do you know Amir?” Sara asked Soraya.

“I’ve known the Botros family most of my life,” Soraya replied. Amir felt a little offended. He would have wanted her to talk about him with a bit more warmth. He groaned to himself.

“I am ready to order,” Amir said. Soraya turned robotically and faced Amir. “I shall have grilled steak with salad, lots of tomatoes in the salad please. I would also like na’an on the side with fresh hummus,” he continued.

“I'll have manakish,” Sara said. It reminded her of pizza, but she enjoyed the flavour more. Soraya noted everything down before she left. She returned with drinks and appetisers. Amir was watching her as she served them. Sara could see him looking at her so intently. After she left, Sara returned her attention to Amir. “So, who is she?” Sara asked.

“Malik’s sister,” Amir said.

“Really? They don't look alike at all.”

“Not so much, no,” he replied.

“But I see the way you look at her.”

Amir sighed. He wanted to act as if he didn't know what she was talking about, but her tenacity was on another level. She wouldn't believe him if he denied it and he was tired of hiding it from her. She wouldn't let him be. “Okay, she is the woman I have been seeing,” he said quietly after a long pause. Sara's eyes widened.

“Oh, my gosh! Her? That's why you brought me here?” Sara asked. She was pleasantly surprised.

“Yes, but she is a stubborn one.” Amir narrowed his eyes. He started eating his na’an. Sara chuckled.

“Tell me more about her.”

Amir nodded and carried on eating. He had so much to say about her but no words escaped his mouth. Soraya returned just in time. She carefully placed their plates on the table. Sara smiled at the sight of the food. She was so hungry and it looked delicious. She looked up, Amir was watching Soraya. 

“You have it bad,” Sara said to Amir as Soraya walked away. Amir’s jaw dropped. Sara laughed softly and nodded. She looked down at her plate. She picked up her fork and knife and started eating. It was heavenly. She felt like she hadn't eaten in days. She glanced down to check on Leylah. She was still sleeping soundly.

“Does Malik know?” Sara asked.

“No,” Amir replied.

“Have you told her how you feel?”

“I can't even make sense of it myself,” he admitted.

Sara shook her head. He was exactly like his brother. They didn't understand their own hearts. It must be encoded in their DNA, but she had always thought that Amir was slightly different in that department. It had taken Tariq time to realise how he felt about Sara. When he finally said it, it wasn't even a simple,
I love you.
He said it in some roundabout way. Soraya was in for a ride with Amir. The Botros brothers were not easy to deal with.

Soraya returned to clear the table after Sara and Amir had finished eating. “It was nice to meet you, Soraya. You look nothing like your brother, I must say,” Sara said to her.

“Growing up, people always said I looked like a boy. Malik was the good looking one,” Soraya said.

“People said I acted like a boy. Actually, they still do,” Sara replied. Both of them laughed with each other. “But if you looked like a boy growing up, I must say that isn’t true anymore,” she added.

“Thank you,” Soraya replied with a smile.

“You're not in the oil business like your brother?”

“No, I am still at university. I am studying accounting and finance.”

“Wow, brains and beauty.”

Amir frowned. They were getting along so easily. In fact, they were carrying on as if he wasn’t even there. It was peculiar to him. Whenever he complemented Soraya on anything, she never reacted like that. She never took him seriously or even cracked a smile around him. What did Sara have that he did not?

“Okay then, Sara, if the two of you are done flirting; shall we leave?” Amir interrupted. They both looked at him as if he was crazy. He cleared his throat and looked away. Sara rubbed Soraya's arm before they left. She pushed the stroller and headed for the exit with Amir.

Soraya was full of mixed emotions. She was surprised to see Amir at the restaurant. She didn't even know why it affected her to see him with another woman or why she was relieved to find out that they weren't together. Sara was nice to her and Soraya took an immediate liking to her. She felt her spirits lifted after seeing Amir. This was all too much for her. Soraya shook the thoughts away and went back to work. Amir was someone that she was not prepared to deal with. She did not know what his intentions were or if she could trust him. He was always seen with different women. Maybe he did not even see her as a woman.

The wedding was fast approaching. The only thing left to do was for Sara to
choose a dress. Her mother, Fiddah and Aaliyah all went along with Sara to help with the wedding gown. As soon as her doctor had given her the ok, Sara began exercising to lose the baby weight. When they arrived at the boutique, a woman welcomed them. She seemed to know whom Fiddah was and was excited to meet her. Sara looked around the place. It was filled with different types of wedding dresses. They all seemed rather expensive. She stood there playing with her ring. There were too many options. She had no idea where to begin. They always said that most girls started planning their wedding at the age of seven. She was not that girl. All she wanted was Tariq. She didn’t care about the rest.

“Aren't they lovely?” Fiddah asked Sara with a smile.

“There are far too many choices,” Sara replied.

“The more, the better. We have to pick the most perfect dress for you.”

The four of them sat down. The woman who worked in the boutique brought them a tray of refreshments. Sara frowned. There wasn't anything on the tray that she liked. She checked on Leylah who was sleeping in her stroller. She moved her into a better position. The saleswoman asked them what kind of gown they were looking for.

Fiddah replied with something elegant, preferably made out of the finest silk. She was not too big on embroidery. A simple dress would be better on Sara; her beauty was enough to light up the entire place. She did not need a dress to make her any more gorgeous. Mrs. Mathews agreed with Fiddah's idea, but added that the dress should have lace sleeves. Aaliyah thought something tight fitting to show off her hourglass figure would be better. She preferred all the embroidery and satin for the gown. Sara rubbed her temples. She had no idea that planning a wedding would be so difficult. She had underestimated the whole thing.

The saleswoman brought out a rail with a selection of dresses matching the various descriptions the women gave her. Sara felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her jeans. It was a text message from Amir, “
what are you doing?”
the message read.

“Wedding dress shopping, kill me now,”
Sara replied.

The doorbell sounded. The saleswoman opened the door. Sara was surprised to see Tariq's mother walk in. She wore a stern facial expression. Sara got up to greet her but she was feeling awkward. She was not expecting to see her nor did she know what to say to her. She hadn't been part of the wedding plans.

“Hello, Sara,” Mrs. Botros said formally.

“Hi, how are you?” Sara replied.

“I am well.”

“What brings you by?” Fiddah asked the question on everyone’s minds.

“Since I have not been included in the wedding plans, I have come to help choose the dress, if you'll have me,” she replied. Before Sara could say anything, her mother jumped into the conversation.

“No, we will not have you,” Mrs. Mathews said as she stood up. Sara's eyes widened.

“I understand how you are feelin--” Mrs. Botros started to say.

“No, you do not,” Mrs. Mathews was not pleased with Tariq's mother and her tone and words made it very apparent. “You act as if your family is too good for my girl simply because we come from a different background. It’s a shame I was not here when you insulted her, if I was…” Sara quickly cut her off before she could finish. The last time the two women had met was in the hospital. Tariq's mother fell in love with Leylah but paid little attention to Sara or her mother.

“Mum, enough. She is here now, let's accept her help. In the near future, hopefully she will see why her son loves me,” Sara said softly. Mrs. Boutros looked down at the stroller. Her heart softened when she saw little Leylah cuddled up in her stroller.

“She's so adorable,” Mrs. Botros said.

“Thank you,” Sara replied. Fiddah and Aaliyah were still sitting and watching the drama unfold. Fiddah couldn’t figure out how she knew where they were, as she hadn’t shared the information with her.

“I do know that my son loves you, I see that now. I can learn to love you too,” she said looking at Sara. Every time she had questioned Tariq about Sara, he got defensive. She had never seen him so passionate about someone, or so protective. Sara smiled and nodded. That was enough for her.

Sara escaped to the dressing room with a few dresses. It was so intense with Tariq’s mother there. She pulled out her phone. There was a message from Amir. “
I can’t come rescue you, a dress has to be picked. I hate my assistant.”

Sara laughed softly. He complained about his assistant every chance he got. She replied back, “
Give her a chance. Your mother is here, what a surprise... a very awkward one.”

“What? Why? How did she find out? How are you coping?”
Amir replied instantly. He was shocked when he read the message. He had to read it twice to make sure that what he read was right.

“To help with the dresses. I am trying one on now. It’s so frumpy”,
Sara replied before she left the dressing room to model the dress for the other women. They looked unimpressed when they saw her.

“I dislike it too,” she said.

“It's okay dear, try another,” Fiddah suggested.

Sara walked back to the dressing room. Dresses were difficult enough for Sara, but she was having trouble navigating the wedding dresses with all the extra layers and fastenings. Lucky for her, there was a shop assistant to help her with it.

“I want to see her.”
Sara frowned as she read Amir's message. She received another before she replied.
“Soraya.” 

Sara smiled as she replied, “
Then go see her. What is holding you back?”

She could not help but wonder if Tariq had the same issues when he wanted to see her, before they were together. She changed into another dress and went to show it to the others. Aaliyah was the only one who liked it this time. So far, she had only tried on two dresses, but she was already sick of it. She was hoping that Leylah would wake up and cry, and then she could go breast feed and stop with all this fuss.

She went back to show them the third dress. This time it was a plain one. Her mother frowned when she saw the dress. “Doesn't do you enough justice,” her mother said.

“I agree, it is too plain,” Mrs. Botros said. She was into more lavish and high quality materials. Sara shrugged her shoulders. She walked over to the stroller to check on Leylah.

“She's fine, dear. Do not worry so much,” Fiddah said to Sara. “She loves her daughter too much, she is already an overprotective parent,” she added. Sara pouted and headed back to the dressing room. She heard her mother laughing with Fiddah. They both agreed that Sara checked on Leylah too much.

“She never wants to see me; I mean there is no enthusiasm there when we meet. She never lets me take her out or ever initiates a meeting.”
Amir's text message said. Sara could picture his face saying it. It amused her. She hit reply.

“Sometimes people can hide their feelings well, for example Tariq!! Now man up and go see her. If she really didn’t want to see you, then she would have chased you away for good.”
Sara sent the message. These messages between them were getting her through the dress fitting. She walked out of the dressing room and started roaming around wearing only her t-shirt. The assistant who was helping her gasped. She did not know what to say to Sara.

Sara came to a halt when she saw a breathtaking dress. This is what she wanted. It was not too flashy or plain. The material was beautiful. She asked the assistant to get her that dress and she slipped into it immediately.

When Sara walked back out in the dress, they all gasped at the sight of her. The dress was simply beautiful and she was beautiful in it too. Mrs. Botros had her hand on her heart. The dress was perfect. For the first time, she could almost see why her son loved her. She stood there with an innocent expression, waiting for approval.

“Sara, you look gorgeous,” Aaliyah said as she stood up. She made circles around Sara to get a complete view of the dress.

“I agree,” Mrs. Botros said and gave Sara half a smile. Sara smiled back. Her mother looked at her silently. She never expected that her little girl would get married so quickly. In the short time she had known Tariq, she had quickly grown to like him. She knew that he was good for her daughter.

“Mum, please don't get emotional,” Sara said.

“I can't help it,” her mother replied. Mrs. Mathews sighed deeply. “My little girl is not so little anymore,” she said.

Sara was relieved to have chosen a dress. The seamstress took her measurements for the alterations to the gown. The shoes weren't hard to pick as Sara found what she wanted quickly. They walked out of the boutique. Aaliyah had linked her arm around Sara's. Mrs. Mathews was pushing the stroller.

Fiddah and Mrs. Botros left together. Tariq's mother had told Sara that she would come over for dinner soon. Sara was dreading it. The only thing that calmed her down was the fact that Tariq was going to be there.

“Shall I go?”
Amir's message.

Sara shook her head and replied, “
GO NOW!!!!!!!”