Scarred For Life

Chapter 62

*
The next morning was spent in the confines of their suite. Adnan called for room service, and breakfast was a stately affair of omelettes, oatmeal, garlic bread with hummus and strawberry-flavored tea. They ate on the terrace, their silence occasionally broken by the clink of cutlery on ceramic. Below, the ever-constant turmoil of a thousand cars, buses and dreaded cyclists rumbling past reminded them that sooner or later, they would have to dive into the chaos at well.

Afterwards, the remainder of the morning was spent touring the Upper-East side. Still looking to appease, Adnan took her to every jewelry store in the vicinity. Tiffany and Co. was their first stop, then they swept over to The Crown Building for a pitstop at Bvlgari, lingering just long enough for Afrah to choose a pair of diamond earrings.

They crossed over to Trump Tower, where Adnan insisted on taking Afrah's picture before they headed into the Ice Cream Parlor. They popped into Gucci afterwards, where Afrah got a faux leather coat she knew she'd never wear, a pair of knee-length boots and a blouse she thought looked nice. Fashion had never been an area of interest for her, and so they didn't splurge around in the multitude of clothing stores around.

Lunch was a quick stop at Pizza Rollio before they returned to the hotel to deposit their bags. They hopped into a cab afterwards and headed down to Central Park. Adnan suggested they take the subway, but Afrah deemed it too 'unhygienic', a respectable way of saying 'dirty'.

"So," Adnan said as they walked through the trees and rows of benches underneath the mounting heat with her hand in his, "is New York living up to your expectations so far?"

Afrah closed her eyes and allowed the sound of several people walking past and the distant rumbling of unseen cars to fill her auditory senses.

"It's bemusing," she said. "Certainly not what I expected, but I love it regardless."

"Would you be looking to coming back one day?" he asked.

"Of course." She smiled. "Maybe then we can spend some time on Broadway, or see the Empire State Building."

Adnan shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Afrah raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him.

"There could be a giant ape running around the city even as we speak," he said, his head snapping this way and that. "I will not have him dragging you up the side of that building."

"And why is that?" Afrah laughed.

"Because I'm afraid of heights," he said. "And how would I be able to rescue you if it did?"

"I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Adnan," she said.

"Everyone is afraid of something," he said quietly.

"Well, I should point out that King Kong's victim was a blonde," she said. "And in case you haven't noticed, my hair is black."

"And I think it's absolutely spectacular," he said, kissing her forehead. "Black is definitely your color."

His charm carried them all the way to the Central Park zoo. Afrah spent most of her time photographing the exotic birds spotted with every color of the rainbow. Adnan pointed out a panda rolling on its back, and Afrah thought it looked remarkably like Po from Kung Fu Panda.

"It appears this panda hasn't quite learned the concept of clothing yet," he laughed as they strolled onwards. Unfortunately, there weren't any lions or tigers or elephants. For that, they would have to go to the Bronx zoo, and Afrah wasn't too keen on that. Instead, they headed back to the hotel.

Afrah spent the rest of her evening in the spa, while Adnan went out to see a friend. She had wanted to follow him, but after meeting Chris, she was wary of his friends; especially the ones in the States.