Unintended Consequences (Act One) Completed

Chapter 24: Doing It Right

"So you're just going to move down the hall?"

Unique looked at me like I had just suggested that I leave her alone in a lion's den wearing a meat suit. Honestly, I felt like this was the right thing to do. But I couldn't deny that I had ulterior motives. The contract we were due to sign with Xi Global had been amended at the last minute to give them a greater say in the day to day management of my company. While the final word was always mine, if I decided not to play nice with the big wigs, they could pull out at any time. 

It was a shitty deal and a sneaky move. .Luckily my legal team caught it. So it was back to the negotiating table for us, which meant that I would have to cut my visit home short. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered me. Ramzul was also making overtures to Xi. Of course, Xi was a large enough organization to deal with multiple contracts with smaller entities without any overlap, but I don't believe in coincidences. If Ramzul was involved there was definitely something wrong. 

"Just until the wedding."

"Why?" She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. I knew enough about women to know that this was proof that this conversation was not going well. 

"Because," how could I explain this to her? "Because I want our wedding night to be like a real wedding night. It's not going to be the same if we wake up in the same bed, go get married, and then go to sleep in the same bed again."

"That's dumb."

"And romantic?" I braced for impact. 

"And dumb," she said, the corners of her mouth softening as she considered it.

"I know, but everything we've done so far has been dumb. You can put up with this one thing, can't you?"

"What if I can't sleep without you?" Her eyes looked worried. She slept peacefully every night next to me. Despite being thousands of miles away from Smoochie and his goons, she was still worried that the memories would haunt her. 

"You can," I assured her. 

"But what if?" Her childish pout was so adorable it was impossible not to want to give in.

"Then I'll come back. I'm not going to leave you."

She smiled suddenly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Then go, then. I don't need you hogging half of my bed anyway. ," she said, spinning around and flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

Women. When would I learn?"

"What do you have planned today?"

"Your mother wants to take me shopping," she said, sounding exhausted by the prospect. 

"You don't want to go?"

"I don't want to go shopping just to shop. Shopping isn't a hobby of mine. You should know that better than anybody else. enzo nearly had to drag me from boutique to boutique the last time you sent me shopping."

"Then don't go," I said, opening the drawers and separating her things from mine. 

"I can't. There are some things that I want to buy. Or, maybe I need to buy.  I don't know yet."

I stopped packing long enough to look up at her pensive face. 

"Like what?"

"Like, I was thinking, maybe I don't look so bad in hijab. I mean, I don't think I could pull off one of those long flowy things, but maybe some pretty headwraps and a few scarves to get me started?"

"Why?"

"Remember when we had dinner and you didn't like that dress?"

"I loved that dress!" I corrected. "I freaking love that thing."