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She took the key from his hand as they got off the elevator. “Which apartment?”
He pointed out the one at the far end of the floor.
As they sauntered in that direction, he looked down at her. “So about this old place of yours—if it felt like home, and I’m assuming your new place doesn’t, why did you move?”
“A friend from Zohayd begged me to room with her, as she couldn’t live alone, and the new place was right by her work. Then she up and got married on me and went back to Zohayd, and I never got around to going back to my place. But now that you might be buying a place this close, it would save us a lot of commuting if I got it back. Hope it’s still on the market.”
“Choose this apartment, and I’ll make it on the market.”
“Oh. Watch out, world, for the big, bad tycoon. He snaps his fingers and the market yelps and rolls over.”
He gave her a deep bow. “At your service.”
They laughed and exchanged wit missiles as they entered the opulent duplex through a marble-framed doorway. Then she fell silent as she beheld what looked straight out of the pages of Architectural Digest. Sweeping, superbly organized layouts with long galleries, an elegant staircase, lush finishes, oversize windows, high ceilings and a spacious terrace that wrapped around two sides of the apartment. It was even furnished to the highest standards she’d ever seen and very, very much to her taste.
In only minutes of looking around, she turned to Aram. “Okay, no need to see anything more. Or any other place. I hereby proclaim that you will find utmost comfort here.”
He again bowed deeply, azure flames of merriment leaping in his eyes. “My Minuscule Mistress, thy will be done.”
And in the next hour, it was. He immediately called the Realtor, who zoomed over with the contracts. Aram passed them to her to read before he signed, and she made some amendments before giving him the green light. From then on, it took only minutes for the check to be handed over and the Realtor to leave the apartment almost bouncing in delight.
Aram came back from walking the lady to the front door, his smile flooding his magnificent new place in its radiance.
“Now to inaugurate the apartment with our first meal.” He threw himself down beside her on the elegant couch. “So what are we eating?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him and tsked. “This inability to make decisions without my say-so is becoming worrisome.”
He slid down farther on the couch, reclining his big, powerful body more comfortably. “I’ve been making business decisions for countless employees, clients and shareholders for the past eight years. I’m due for a perpetual vacation from making minor-to moderate-sized decisions for the rest of my personal life.”
She gave him her best stern scowl, which she resignedly knew he thought was the most adorable thing ever. “And I’m the one who’s supposed to pick up the slack and suddenly be responsible for your decisions as well as mine?”
He nodded in utmost complacency. “You do it so well, so naturally. And it’s your fault. You’re the one who got me used to this.” His gaze became that cross between cajoling and imploring that he’d perfected. “You’re not leaving me in the lurch now, are you?”
“Stop with the eyes!” she admonished. “Or I swear I’ll blindfold you.”
“What a brilliant idea. Then besides making decisions for me, you’ll have to lead me around by the hand. Even more unaccountability for me to revel in.”
She threw her hands up. “Sushi, okay. Here’s your decision before I find myself taking over your business, too, while you go indulge in the teenage irresponsibility you evidently never had.”
Chuckling, he got out his phone. Then he proceeded to ask her exactly what kind of sushi they were eating, piece by piece, until she had to slam him with a cushion.
After they’d wiped off the delicious feast, he was pouring her jasmine tea when she noticed him looking at her in an even more unsettling, contemplative way.
“What?” she croaked.
“I was wondering if you were always this interesting.”
“And I’m wondering if you were always this condescending. Oh, wait, you were even worse. You used to look at me like I was a strange life-form.”
“You were a strange life-form. I mean, green body makeup? And pink contacts? Pink? Did you have those custom-made?” He rejoined her on the couch with his own cup. “What statement were you making?”
She was loath to remember those times when she’d felt alone even while deluged by people. When she used to look at him and know that nogoom el sama a’arablaha—that the stars in the sky were closer than he was. Now, though he was a breath away, he remained as distant, as impossible to reach.
She sighed, shaking free from the wave of melancholy. “One of my stepmothers, Maysoon’s mother, popularized Kanza the Monster’s name until everyone was using it. So I decided to go the whole hog and look the part.”
His eyes went grim, as if imagining having his hands on those who’d been so inconsiderate with her. Knowing him, she didn’t put it past him that he would act on his outrage on behalf of her former self.
“What made you give it up?” His voice was dark with barely suppressed anger. “Then go all the way in the other direction, doing without any sort of enhancement?”
