Stopping his car in front of his, or rather, his father's mansion, he got out and made his way to the front door. As soon as he stepped in the house, he saw his mother running towards him.
"Oh honey, hurry! You're late! Your father is getting upset! Hurry... Go change in to the clothes I've kept on your bed, and..." His mom paused. "...Take a shower please! You reek of chemicals! Go! Hurry!"
Without giving him a chance to speak, his mom pushed him towards the stairs leading to his room. He frowned and shook his head as he saw the time. It was 7:50 pm. He didn't have much time. He'd have to act quick or his "dear" father would create a scene.
Entering his bedroom, he saw a dark grey suit and pants, with a black button up shirt neatly laid out on his bed. Tossing his lab coat and backpack on the bed with a sigh, he darted towards the bathroom to freshen up.
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As the chauffeur drove their car up to the entrance of the magnificent restaurant, Raza couldn't help but smirk. He already knew it. His father had gone ahead and invited the Javaids to one of the most expensive and lavish steakhouses in Los Angeles; even the world; CUT by Wolfgang Puck.
As they step out of the car, all three of them plastered fake and bright smiles upon their faces to keep the facade of the "perfect family" unscathed. Two security guards open the doors on each side, for the family to walk in.
"Reservation under Ahmed Idris." His father's voice, laced with fauxlite, but still borderline harsh, rang through the air as the staff member slightly widened his eyes, realising who the person in front of him was, before, he glanced at the waiting list and nodded his head, telling them to follow. All this while, Raza tried his best not to roll his eyes; already fed up, and wanting nothing more but to run back to his bed.
After they settled in a corner, away from the prying eyes and ears of the people in the restaurant, Raza glanced around tiredly as he tried to stifle a yawn. He felt a hand on his forearm, as his mother turned him, and started brushing his hair into a better position and patted his suit to get rid of non existent wrinkles. He softly smiled as he saw his mother quietly fumbling around, and grabbed onto her wrists. "Calm down Mom. It's going to be okay." He tried comforting her, as he knew she was being anxious for this meeting. It merely irked his interest even more. Why was his mother so nervous? She had been doing this ever since she married his father 30 years ago, she was basically a professional now.
He heard his father scoff and glanced up to see him observing them. His jaw clenched, but he decided to ignore it, as he always did. The awkward tension continued for some 5 to 7 minutes, as Raza tried his best to lean back in his seat and drift to sleep, seeing as no one was starting up a conversation. As he shifted to make himself more comfortable, he heard his mother's excited yet soft voice whisper.
"Oh! They're here! Raza..." she slightly shook him, as he opened his eyes immediately and propped himself up on his seat, adjusting his suit.
Glancing up, he saw a middle aged couple walking towards them, but no sign of a girl.
'Why am I even looking for her?' he asked himself, annoyed.
As the family stood up to greet their guests, he caught sight of a figure just behind the couple. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, just as the couple turned back to push the girl behind them forward. She was wearing a plain black dress with black leggings and black stilettos, and her straight dark brown hair cascaded down her back, accentuating her fair skin, which was adorned with simple yet decent makeup.
"This is our daughter Ayeza." They introduced the girl, , who had a soft smile plastered on her face as she greeted them politely with a, "Hello. Nice to meet you."
And Raza's breath hitched.
He swore he had never seen such elegance, such beauty, nor heard such a melodious voice before.
What was this feeling? It was like this mysterious stranger had cast a spell on him, and enchanted him within seconds.
He tried looking away but he found it extremely difficult to rip his eyes off of her radiant figure. She was literally glowing in his eyes. As if the rest of his surroundings were blurred and the only thing clear was the jewel in front of him.
'Ayeza...hmmm...even the name is beautiful, just like her...wait WHAT?!' He clenched his jaw at his thoughts. What was this beautiful stranger doing to him? He saw how her cheeks were tinted red, and how she quickly averted her eyes from him.
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Feeling a strong stare at her, she turned towards the only person she hadn't noticed yet. Her eyes landed on a tall and buff figure clad in a dark grey suit; definitely one of her weaknesses, she thought; observing how his broad shoulders were tensed. As she traveled her eyes further up, she saw a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, along with full lips, a sharp nose and wavy black hair; which complimented his beautiful olive skin so well; resting on his forehead, falling in front of his eyes. Nonetheless she could still feel the intense gaze from those dark orbs, hidden behind his hair, and felt herself immediately grow hot, as her cheeks flushed crimson. She saw his jaw clenching, and immediately averted her eyes, embarrassed, as she thought he caught her staring.
'How can someone be this beautiful? This is not okay for my heart...' She whined in her head.
As everyone took their seats, she refrained from looking towards his direction, scared to face the beautiful stranger, as she could still sense his gaze on her.
The dinner proceeded well with everyone enjoying their food and having small talk in between. Plans were made for the upcoming week, for the newly shifted family to tour around the area and get familiar with their surroundings, of course, with the help of the Ahmeds.
Ayeza noticed how Raza would not speak unless absolutely necessary and that most of his answers were short and curt. She also noted how, whenever she spoke up, his jaw would always clench and his eyes would narrow, as he kept his head down, not even sparing her a glance, giving her the impression that he didn't really like her. The thought did dull her mood a little, but she found herself smiling along whenever she saw him smiling softly at his mother's insistence to tag along with them.
Raza found himself being dragged into almost every plan there was for tomorrow and the day after, and could not find it in himself to refuse. As, first of all, the next 2 days were the weekend, and he couldn't get away by saying he's busy. Secondly, because his mother would look up at him with those hopeful eyes and he would just give in with a soft nod and a small smile. And lastly, he wanted to see this beautiful stranger again.
Whenever he heard her soft voice, speaking to his parents, he couldn't help but feel a fluttering in his heart, and that made him frown and clench his jaw in frustration, as he furiously eyed his food. But with the outings coming up, he found himself excited and thought to give the beautiful stranger a chance. He was slowly coming to terms with his heart, and decided not to push this foreign yet exciting feeling away, and instead embrace it with a clear head and open arms.
YOU ARE READING
Simply Irresistible
Romance"Why were you with him ALONE in there? You know I don't like that guy, yet you still go and meet him!" He glared at me. "What are u even talking about? Why would you care? If you did, you would never treat me like a STRANGER!" She answered back. "Fo...
