Love for Rent

x Tutti Frutti x

'Who is that?' I asked Shahzaib when I noticed a picture of a girl in his wallet as he was taking out the money to pay for our dinner. He remained silent, but I sensed him getting tensed.

'You don't have to tell me anything that upsets you', I repeated his line from earlier, and he gave me a slight nod. We both left the restaurant, but there was one more stop I wanted to make before going back to the hotel.

'This way,' I called out, and he stopped to look at me. I let him follow me as we walked to an ice cream shop I spotted on the way to the restaurant.

'Two tutti frutti with extra dry fruits and red syrup,' I told the server.

'Just one, I don't feel like it' He stopped the server.

'Then I will have two,' I said while paying to the street vendor.

'You really don't like ice cream, or is it because you're sad' I peeked at him while walking back to the car holding two cups of ice cream. He was usually talking, but ever since I asked him about that girl, he changed suddenly. He was here, but not really with me. I was always curious about other relationships, but I was more intrigued in knowing now. Did she break his heart? Married someone else? Or he just loved someone one-sided. What was his story?

'Hey,' I shouted and stopped walking, making him look at me with no expression. I placed my cup on the car's hood, took a spoonful of ice cream, and offered it to him.

'I don't know what happened, but by the look on your face, I know it hurts...but you will be fine' I nodded at him. He just stared but didn't take the spoon, so I was to leave when he took my wrist in his hand and tasted the ice cream, his eyes not leaving mine. I felt weird, so I tried to drop my hand from his grip, but he didn't let go. When he noticed my discomfort, he let go of my hand, took an extra cup from me, and started eating in silence. I witnessed so many emotions of his, but I never thought seeing him looking troubled and defeated in a way would make me that bad.

'If she hurt you this much, then was it even worth it?' I uttered without even realizing it, but he heard it. He glanced in my direction and chuckled lightly, not in a fun way, but it was a bitter laugh. Like he was laughing at himself.

'Have you been in love?' He questioned me and shook my head to say no, and dropped my eyes to break our eye contact. He shifted the attention to me, and I felt exposed under his sharp glare. There was space between us, but when he looked at me so carefully, I felt intimated by him.

'Then you have never experienced life.' He sounded like a teacher.

'I have experienced my share of life already,' I responded right away and walked past him to get inside the car, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. I lost my balance and crashed into him.

'Don't say this,' I heard him say, and I opened my eyes to meet his eyes that were on me.

'Love is a luxury I can't afford, and I have no interest in possessing it' I pushed my hand against his chest to get back on my feet and took a step away from him and let go of the breath I was holding in. My chest felt so tight. His cologne smell lingered around me, and the sensation of his hold stayed on my body. I had never felt anything like it before.

'You're lucky if you haven't been in love' He started talking like how he was before on our way back to the hotel.

'I think love is suitable for rich people. When real life knocks on the door, love leaves through the window. I never had time to think about my life. One work led to another, and for Ma and me, we just went where money took us. That's why I am here with you. I don't know about the soul, but if I do have it, I think I sold it'. I replied as I tried to crawl back out of my web of thoughts. Sometimes my imagination and reality looked like they were becoming one and someone. Even my existence felt like a dream.

'You have a soul Seher' I heard him say a moment later, and I smiled in return.

'I know it hurts...but you will be fine,' He added. I eyed him and caught him smiling.

'Would you like to become friends? I think after talking about soul and love, people either fall in love or become friends, we can't be lovers, but let's be friends,' I offered, liking how he made me feel. Not many people made me feel seen, but he did.

'What would be my benefits?' He inquired, appearing more interested in negotiation but continued with a slight haze of amazement in his slow grin.

'Three favor each, and we can't say no,' I thought.

'Anything?' He raised his eyebrow and challenged me.

'Not that, but anything apart from that' I couldn't say the word, so I left the bargain at that. We reached the hotel, and we went to the elevator to go to the hotel.

'So coming back to the topic, anything apart from that? What's that?' He shifted closer to me bumped into my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him, and he tried to hide his smile but failed.

'Good night' I was about to go to my room when he called from him.

'I want to ask you a favor,' He said from behind as he approached me.

'Oh, so now you want...' I turned to face him, not realizing how close he was standing behind me. I automatically moved back, but there was a door behind me that opened. I was about to fall on my back, but Shahzaib quickly moved and secured my arm around me, pulling me up.

'Careful' He looked worried when my eyes settled on his face.

'Thanks,' I said, and he moved back immediately.

'Your favor' I reminded him, interested in hearing what he was going to ask me.

'Stay in my room' He came close to me again and stopped just a few inches away from me. I opened my mouth to protest, but my throat got dry, and I couldn't say a word.

'I can't sleep, just lay next to me' I would have slapped if someone else had said to me, but when he asked me this, I didn't feel upset. There were no bad intentions in his favor. Something in him really wanted me to believe him.

'I'll be there in a while. I need to call my Ma first,' I told him, and a sign of relief showed on his face. He went to his room without saying anything, and I went to my room and called Ma and spoke to her for over an hour. By the time the night came to an end, it was already too late, so I started if I should still go into his room. I couldn't sleep and felt restless, so I decided to go and check on him. As soon as I opened the door, I saw him right in front of me with his hand up like he was about to knock on the door.

We both laughed, and he gestured me to his room, and I followed.

'I thought you might have slept,' He said as we walked to his room. When I went inside, I saw two queen beds.

'You can take your pick,' He said. I sat down on one bed, and he laid down on the other. I stayed up looking at him, he didn't say anything at first, but then he turned his head and acknowledged my wandering stare at him.

'You don't have to be worried. I won't do anything to you,' He said.

'I know you won't, I just realized something' I laid on the bed too, facing him.

'You can't sleep at night, can you?' I stared into his teary eyes, and before I could stop myself, I went to him and held his shoulder.

'It's okay,' I took a deep breath and keptpatting his shoulder in silence until he fell asleep in my lap.

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Hi lovelies,

Hope you're all doing great. Let me know what you're up to these days? I have been watching a lot of movies and new tv shows. 

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