The Royal Crush

17

I was wearing an off-white dress that reached below my knees and had lace sleeves. I curled my hair, put a bit of makeup and hurried downstairs with Keith.

"Where is Chace and Carson?" I asked as we walked to the car.

Mother gave me a weird look. "They left yesterday morning."

"They left?!"

Keith nodded. "Yes, they did."

"Wow, thank god."

Mother glared at me and got into the car. I followed suit.

"When will you guys leave?" I asked and immediately regretted at how rude it sounded. Mother's grip tightened on her clutch.

"Day after tomorrow," she said quietly and turned away. I raised an eyebrow at Keith who was giving me a strange look. He shook his head. I elbowed him and he mouthed "later".

We reached Aquafina, an incredibly fancy seafood place. We walked in and got to our reserved table. There was hardly anyone else in the restaurant. The interior was done beautifully and I couldn't help but admire their creativity.

A minute later, the Al-Kuwari family walked in and we automatically stood to greet them. They exuded power unintentionally, they just had this naturally royal vibe that kinda made you feel a bit intimidated at times. Mr. Al-Kuwari was a regal, handsome man, flanked on either side by his beautiful wife and daughter. Zara smiled and gave me a little wave which I returned enthusiastically.

We shook hands and sat down. Mahn, these Arabs just have this majestic vibe that makes you want to impress them. I smoothed my dress and hoped my hair wasn't out of place as I picked up my fork. Then I realized the food hadn't arrived yet and slowly put the fork down, hoping no one had noticed.

Zara was wearing a long maroon dress and a white Hermes scarf covered her hair. I couldn't recognize the dress, probably Valentino. As usual, she looked like she'd just walked off a runway. I had a feeling she and Vivi would get along well.

Our fathers were busy discussing business. Her mother turned to me.

"Chloe, right?"

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Zara has told me about you. She says you're excellent at writing."

I flushed. "Oh, thank you. I guess I'm alright."

"What are your plans after graduation?"

I glanced at my mother. "Um, I haven't really decided yet. I'll probably major in Journalism, or Literature."

"Interesting. That's a wonderful choice. In case you're looking further, we have connections at Al-Jazeera."

My eyes widened. "Al-Jazeera?!"

Her mother laughed lightly. "Yes, of course."

Holy shit. I've always wanted to work in either BBC or Al-Jazeera. My History teacher once told me that to know both sides of a story, one must watch both BBC and Al-Jazeera. Wow.

"That is so wonderfully kind of you. I really appreciate the gesture," I said humbly.

She waved her hand. "Don't mention it."

I was so jealous of Zara, she had such an amazing mother. My mother was talking to Zara. Apparently Zara wants to be an architect. Wow, they're all money-makers. A businessman father, interior designer mother and architect daughter. Nice.

The dinner was pleasant. The food was good but Zara didn't eat much. I wondered if she was one of those picky salad rabbits. I hoped not. I hate those kind of girls.