The Sheik's mysterious cook

Chapter 8 - Secret Garden

 A/N: Thank you all for reading and voting. I dedicate this chapter to @booklover-m because he (or she?) is the first person to comment on this story! I hope you like it :)     

 Why haven’t I seen him here before I asked myself. He sure was a sight for sore eyes. I could stare at him all day. I averted my gaze to not seem rude while he was talking to me. I was blushing again. I really hated my fair skin but luckily due to the constant sunshine I already picked up some color. I accepted his invitation of a tour tomorrow and I left him in the garden to get back to Sarai.

      That night when we went to bet I told her the story about the handsome prince I met in a magical garden. Even though he was neither a prince nor was the garden magical, but I wished for him to be my dream come true, my own fairytale. Sarai fell asleep fast listening to my story whereas I couldn’t fall asleep thinking about my handsome gardener and his captivating gaze. He was the first man I was interested in since my father’s death.         

      “Daddy, if you’re listening. I hope everything will turn out good. I know you would have loved your granddaughter. Please watch over her now too, since she is really important to me. I’m going to meet a very handsome gardener tomorrow. I really hope he is as good as he seems. I have a feeling he is going to play an important role in my life. Good night”. With my nightly talk to Dad finished, I turned around and watched Sarai sleep. My thoughts kept straying back to Tariq, his mesmerizing grey-blue eyes. I couldn’t quite tell what color they were, they seemed to be changing depending on the light. Thinking of his gaze as it swept across my body, I fell asleep.

      The next morning, Sarai woke me up in the middle of an amazing dream, starring Tariq and myself of course. I got up and picked out the best clothes I had that didn’t make me look too overdressed. I dressed Sarai as well and together, we skipped towards the kitchen. While Sarai was enjoying her cereal at the small table in the kitchen that was here just so Sarai ad a place to eat and color while I was working, I started on the royal families breakfast.

      Farah had told me that her brother had returned the other day so of course it had to be an extra special breakfast to impress my employer. I was kind of afraid to disappoint him but today, nothing really mattered. I was going to see Tariq again this afternoon. Everyone asked me about my good mood but I just told them that it was a really nice day and I had a very good sleep. My good mood seemed to jump over to everyone else and we put on music that we all including Sarai danced to while baking pastries, cooking eggs and bacon and freshly squeezed oranges for orange juice. To sum it up my day was going really well so far.

      After lunch was served, I dropped Sarai off with Janan and Farid and went on my way to the secret garden as I dubbed it. I loved the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett when my Dad gave it to me as a kid, and I always wanted to find one to hide from my hectic everyday life.

      When I got to the garden, Tariq was nowhere to be seen and since I was a few minutes early, I sat down at the bench, where he found me yesterday. I didn’t even have to wait another five minutes before my Prince Charming appeared. “Good Afternoon Tariq” I greeted him. “Hello beautiful. How has your day been so far?” He asked me and I told him about my fun day I had with all the staff dancing in the kitchen while preparing the royal families breakfast. But I didn’t tell him about my dream about him, that would be way to embarrassing.

      Tariq laughed when I told him how chef Bola was dancing to a One Direction song, which Sarai seemed to love. I also told him that his garden was my secret garden and he promised me he would never tell anyone that I would hide here. But I needed to promise him to never show the garden to anyone else, since it was the sheiks favorite garden and he already made an exception for me to be there. While he told me that he seemed to be not able to stop grinning. I was curious what was so funny but I guessed it must be an inside joke kind of thing. It was easy to talk to Tariq and there were no awkward pauses where no one knew what to say. Our conversation was flowing as if we knew each other forever.