Chapter Four: You know him? #
Aliya woke up with the smell of coffee in the morning and walked downstairs. She found her way to the kitchen, where Alex made French toast.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“Do you have some tea?”
“Yes. My mum drinks tea.” He said, looking through the cabinets. “Here!”
He pulled out a beautiful green colored box with white patterns on it. Inside were twelve small tins with equally beautiful designs. Each one had a small label on it.
“Dragon Well,” she said, reading the label. “What is in it?”
“It’s the tea the Queen serves when dignitaries visit her.”
“Then I will definitely have this one. I learnt about liquor from my uncle and dad. Shireen knows tea. She and her mom go to a tea party every month. Speaking of the devil!” Aliya checked her phone for messages.
“Still nothing. This is so weird.” She texted her, “Hey. How was the ride home?”
“Let’s go to the breakfast table.” He said, pointing to the window.
“That is a nice view.” There was a big window on the far side of the kitchen. There was a bench with cushions along with the window. The breakfast table was marble, and opposite the bench were some chairs. They sat on the bench with plates and fruit on the table. One could see the mountains and the sea. It was cloudy, but the visibility was still good. He put his arm around her and turned her so she was leaning against him and could look out the window. He was eating with his other hand. She took a sip of the tea, and it was delicious.
“What would you like to do today?” asked Alex.
“Just sit here if possible.”
“Are you cold?”
“Little. But I am ok. I like cold. I do not like heat.”
“How’s the tea?”
“It’s great. Worthy of a queen. I want to google you. Let me see what the world is saying.”
“Okay.”
After a few minutes, “Here. Equally intelligent and good-looking is the Knight’s son. At twenty, he has a Bachelor’s from Harvard, Ph.D. from MIT, multiple publications, and 19 patents. I thought you were twenty-one when you got your Ph.D.?”
“I turned twenty-one that year in October. That is how I count it for a fair comparison.”
Aliya got back to reading. “A perfectionist with a desire to know the answers of the universe, he is also searching for a life companion. Look out, girls, he is single!”
“My dad’s PR.” He said.
“Did you try to google me?”
“No.”
There was a text. “It’s Shireen. ‘The ride back was fine. Talk later.’ What the hell is this? This is like a half message.”
“Maybe she is busy. " Stop worrying and put the phone down,” he said, taking the phone.
She finished her tea. “I can’t. Something is wrong. May I take a rain check? I anyway need a change of clothes.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
“No. We are fine. Don’t worry.”
They got dressed and were in the car. “You should pack a bag and ask your driver to drop it off with me. Then I can see you on Friday too.”
Aliya smiled. “I have to study too and finish homework.”
“You can bring the books and use my computer. I hate being alone. We don’t have to talk. I will be fine sitting beside you.”
“Let me see what I can do.”
They were at her place, and they kissed goodbye. Naz and Paul were waiting.
“Good morning,” they said teasingly in chorus.
“Good morning,” she said while fingerprinting. She went up and called Shireen, but there was no answer. Aliya sent a text, “Come over?” and went to take a shower. The entire day passed, and nothing.
Aliya’s phone rang in the evening, and it was Alex. “Hey,” answered Aliya in a monotone.
“Hey. Did you hear from Shireen?”
“No. I called her, but nothing.”
“Do you want to go over to her house?”
“No. I will see her tomorrow morning. Nothing I can do right now.”
“It’s probably nothing.”
“I hope so!”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
“Did you pack a bag?”
“No. I forgot. I will do it right away. I will give it to Ben tomorrow morning; he can drop it off after dropping me off at school. Is that ok?”
“Absolutely. I will be waiting. Good night!”
“Good night.”
She packed a bag and went to sleep. The following day at school, she saw the girls but no Shireen.
“Hey, where is Shireen?” asked Aliya.
“I think she is running late.” Said Melia.
“What happened after I left on Saturday?”
“A few minutes later, Mike said he had to go as his dad wanted to see him. He asked Aryan to drop Shireen.” Said Jun.
“Oh no! Why didn’t she call me?”
The girls shrugged. The bell rang for the first period, and Shireen arrived. Aliya ran to Shireen and started walking with her, “Hey. I called you, and you didn’t call back. Is everything ok?”
“Can we talk about it after school?” said Shireen, not looking at Aliya.
“I have the debate club after school.”
“Of course. Then let’s talk on Friday.” Shireen said dryly.
The day went by. Shireen was fine with all the other girls except Aliya. “Well, I won’t know it before Friday.” She thought.
Alex texted her in the evening.
“Got your bag. It’s in the closet waiting for you. Did you talk to Shireen?”
“I tried, but she snubbed me the entire day. She told me to talk to her on Friday.”
Alex called. “What happened?”
“I have no idea. She didn’t talk to me all day. When I told her I couldn’t talk after school as I have debate club, she said ‘Of course’ in a mean way.”
“Isn’t Mike in your debate club?”
“Yes. Melia, my other friend, told me that Mike had left a few minutes after I left. My cousin, Aryan, dropped her home.”
“Aliya, I think Mike is interested in you instead of Shireen, and she does not like that.”
“I will kill that little worm.”
Alex laughed. “Don’t kill anybody. Ask Mike next time you see him.”
“Ok! This is so stupid.”
“You will sort it out on Friday. These things happen. Let me know if I can do something.”
“No. This helped.”
“OK. Take care. I will see you soon.”
“Ok. Bye!”
She focused on studying, and the following days were the same. Shireen ignored Aliya. On Wednesday after debate club, Aliya asked Mike if he could stay to talk. Aliya and Mike sat on the bench outside the school.
“You told me you like someone from our group.” Asked Aliya.
“Yes.”
“May I ask who that person is?”
“Ummmmmm”
“Mike, people are fighting with each other over you. It will be much more peaceful if you just cleared things out.”
“I don’t think I am ready for that.”
“It’s not so hard, you know.”
“Umm, No.”
“So, you are fine with people fighting over you and breaking friendships?” Aliya said with frustration.
“No. But I can’t tell the person until I face the consequences. I don’t even know her. It would be great if we were friends without the pretense of romance. Then I would know if it’s real or not. I wouldn’t want to be hurt or hurt someone else.”
Aliya sighed. “That’s great thinking, Mike.” She said, touching his arm.
“Thanks. I knew you would understand. I hope you can relay this to the people who are fighting.”
She laughed, “I will try.”
“Saturday, at the mall?”
“I will let you know. Thanks for staying over.” She said, standing up.
“You are welcome. Take care.”
“Bye.”
Aliya felt better as she walked to her car. She called Alex in the evening.
“Hey. I talked to Mike.”
“Is he alive?”
Aliya laughed. “Yes.” And she told him about the meeting.
“Okay. I met with the colleague who had told me about the restaurant.”
“Did you tell him how much you hated it?”
“No. I told his wife how much I hated the strip club.”
“Oh boy.”
“They will have a pretty romantic night tonight.” He said in an evil voice. “Where would you like to go this Friday?”
“I am supposed to meet Shireen Friday. Can we do Saturday instead?”
“Sure. What would you like to do?”
“Would it be ok if we stayed in and watched a movie with popcorn and pizza? Maybe Star Wars.”
“You can’t see me, but I am smiling.”
“At 7?”
“Yes. See you.”
“Bye”
Soon, it was Friday. After the last class, Aliya stopped Shireen on her way to her car.
“Hey. Can we talk?” asked Aliya.
“Not right now. I will stop by”.
“I will be waiting.”
She eagerly went home, took showered, and got dressed in comfortable clothes. She was wearing a halter grey silk top and matching grey shots. She had asked Nana to leave early as Shireen was coming over. The champagne chilled in the bucket, and strawberries were arranged on a beautiful plate. She picked a book and started reading.
The time went on. 5, 6, 7, and there was no Shireen. Her phone rang, and she jumped to see if Shireen was calling, but it was Alex.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” she said sadly.
“What happened? Did things not work out with Shireen?”
“She told me that she would come over after school. But it is already seven. I don’t think she is coming.”
“Would you like me to take you to her place?”
“No. I will go tomorrow. I prepared her favourite dinner.”
“Aww. Should I come over?”
“I am too depressed.”
“Alright. Take care.”
“I will.”
She tossed the strawberries and champagne into the fridge and turned on the tv. At eight, there was a bell. Aliya jumped and ran to the intercom. “Mr. Alexander Knight is here to see you.” She was surprised. “Ok, thank you.” He came up, and she was so happy to see him that she ran and hugged him. He hugged her back and got out of the elevator.
“What the hell was that?” said Alex. “The ID, the fingerprints. It took me twenty minutes to get here and thirty minutes to go through your security. I told them I am Alexander Knight, and no one cared.”
She laughed.
“At least you are laughing.” Said Alex holding her.
She frowned. He hugged her. “It’s ok. Let her calm down. I got you something, but your trolls took it.”
“They are just scanning it. It will be up soon.” She heard a ding. “There it is.”
She went to the elevator and picked it up. It was a bag, and Alex opened it. There were chocolates, champagne, fruits, coffee, tea, and a ladybug playing music and other stuff. “Aww, thank you.” She said, hugging him. “Thanks for coming.” And she kissed him.
“Anything for you. So, where’s that dinner? I brought the 90 Dom!”
She laughed. “Shireen’s favourite dinner is champagne and strawberries. So technically, you brought dinner. Nana must have cooked something. Let me check.” She went towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. “How does Chinese sound?”
“Sounds great.”
She turned the oven on to heat the food. There were already two plates on the dining table. She placed the champagne bottle in the bucket to chill.
“What were you watching?” asked Alex looking at her tv.
“A terrible zombie movie.”
“Come sit here. You look so cute,” he said, hugging and kissing her. Soon they were lip-locked in a passionate kiss.
“Are there cameras inside?” asked Alex.
“No, just outside.”
With that, he kissed her again. Her cute clothes were soon on the floor, and they were one with each other. A few minutes later, they sat on the couch with a blanket over them.
“I bet you have never done that on this couch before.” Said Alex petting the couch.
“That is something nobody has ever done on this couch before.”
“I need to order new shirts if you are going to keep tearing them.”
Aliya was blushing.
“I am hungry. And I need to wash my hands from all that fingerprinting.” Said Alex getting up.
“That way.” Said Aliya pointing towards the guest bathroom.
“See you in a bit.” He kissed her and grabbed his bag on the way to the bathroom.
She went into her room to clean up. She was so happy that he had come. She was lonely that evening. When she came out, he was eating strawberries, and he had put the food in the oven and opened the champagne. He handed her a glass and toasted, “To a night of amore.” She smiled and acknowledged the toast. They sat on the couch with food, and the zombie movie was still playing.
“You like horror movies?” asked Alex.
“Yes. Do you?”
“Not really.”
She took the remote, browsed her video files, and played a movie while Alex got food on his plate. The movie started, and it was Star Wars.
“Awww. You are the best.” Said Alex kissing her.
They ate and drank champagne. After they were done eating, he paused the movie.
“I will be right back,” and he walked towards the restroom.
“Make sure you come to the right seat. Do not go to the neighbour’s flat.”
“Very funny.” He said mockingly.
She got up and cleared the food and dishes. They started the movie, and the night of amore started before it could end.
“Which one’s your bedroom?” he said, breaking the kiss.
“That one.” She said, pointing to the right. He picked her up and took her to her bed. Their clothes had not followed them, and the postman rang twice. They were soon asleep.
Aliya woke up to a bell ring and went to the intercom. “Ms. Shireen Alston is here for you.”
“Could you give me one minute?” said Aliya.
She ran to the bedroom, picked up the clothes on the way, and jolted Alex out of sleep. “Hey. Shireen is here. It’s 10 am. We overslept,” And he was up. “Don’t come out. There is the bathroom.”
She got dressed and pressed the intercom. “Ok. Send her up, please.” Aliya was fidgeting and trying to look nonchalant. The elevator doors opened, and she extended her arms to hug her. But Shireen barged in, pushing her aside, and screamed, “How could you do this to me?”
“Whay..whay..what?” said Aliya, still asleep.
“How could you do this to me? I saw you. You and Mike, on the bench on Wednesday after club.” She was walking around furiously.
“We were just talking.” Said Aliya scanning the room for Alex’s stuff.
“You were talking?” she screamed louder. “You laugh and touch a guy’s arm when you talk.” Shireen was walking around furiously.
Aliya saw his watch on the dining table. “Yes, yes, just talking.” She said, sliding towards the dining table and pushing the watch on the chair on the other side. When Shireen turned around, Aliya was half bent over the dining table with her arms extended.
“What are you doing?” asked Shireen.
“Stretching. It’s good to stretch in the morning.” Said Aliya stretching her arms over her head.
“I am talking, and you are stretching,” Shireen screamed louder and started walking again.
Aliya dropped her shoulders and said, “Could we please sit down? I haven’t even had my tea yet.”
“It’s 10’ o clock,” Shireen screamed while taking a seat. Aliya went to make tea for her. “What is going on with you?” asked Shireen normally.
“Nothing is going on between Mike and me. Trust me.”
“You have been so chirpy. Since when do you talk to boys? Since you talked to Mike, there has been a skip in your step.” Alex was watching all this, and he was smiling.
“No skip. No skip.” Aliya said, holding her head and putting the teacup on the table. “I am not interested in Mike. I was telling him that he should tell us clearly of his interests. He said that first, he would like to be friends with her to get to know each other. He plans to ask her out for a prom in May. I told him I understood, and that is when I touched his arm to relay my understanding.”
“What you say makes sense, but your behavior is singing another saga?” Shireen said, standing up.
“No saga. No saga.”
This went on for a while, where Shireen was accused, and Aliya calmly gave clarifications.
“Tell me now. Tell me now if you want Mike. I will step out of the way for you. But you need to tell me now. You cannot stab me behind my back.” Screamed Shireen.
Aliya was sitting, holding her head down, and Shireen stood like a cloud over her. A thunderous lightning cloud.
“She does not like him.” Said Alex coming out of her bedroom in her dressing gown. He looked so cute but spoke with such command that the girls didn’t even notice.
Aliya looked up, and Shireen turned around. “What?” she said calmly.
“Aliya does not like him because Aliya likes me.” He said, walking towards Aliya and taking a seat next to her.
“What” screamed Shireen. “Ok. Someone needs to tell me what is going on here right now.”
“I am Alexander Knight, and Aliya is my girlfriend. The skip, the saga is because of me.” Added Alex.
“What?” said Shireen. She walked towards the couch and walked back towards the table. “What?”
She sat down, and suddenly all her anger was replaced by excitement. “Tell me everything.”
Aliya told her the story, and she listened without saying a word.
“You are Rupert Brooke!” cried Shireen getting up and pointing at Alex
“Who?” asked Alex.
“He was a striking young poet who wrote about sad wars.” Said, Aliya. “Shireen had given you a nom de plume since we didn’t know your name.”
“Hi. I am Shireen Alston.” Said Shireen extending her arm to shake.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Alexander Knight.”
“Wait, Alexander Knight, as in Graham Knight’s son. Oh my God, oh my god, oh my God!” she said, screaming and jumping.
“You know him?” Asked Aliya.
“Not him, but I know of him.” Said Shireen. “My dad works for Microsoft, and your dad is on the board.”
Before Alex could say anything, Shireen chimed in. “And he told my dad that you live here, and my dad told my mom. And my mom told everyone at the tea party. Oh my God! Oh my God!”
“They are a national gazette family, you know.” Said Aliya to Alex. Alex laughed.
“I can’t wait to tell that stupid Naomi that Alexander Knight is dating my best friend.” Said Shireen.
“No, you can’t tell anybody.” Screamed Aliya.
“What?” Shireen stopped jumping. “Why?” she sat down.
“I am still a minor, and even then, it is illegal in nineteen states.” Said, Aliya.
“Nineteen states? Really? That is hot,” said Alex touching her face.
“One crazy person at a time.” Said, Aliya.
“Wait. You two already did it, didn’t you?” Shireen screamed.
Alex was nodding yes with a smile. Aliya looked at him, and he changed to shaking no with a serious face.
“How was it? Did you do it in the jacuzzi?” asked Shireen.
“There’s a jacuzzi?” asked Alex.
“You have been here all night, and she hasn’t shown you around. Let me!” she said, getting up. “Aliya, red tea, please, upstairs.” She held Alex’s arm to walk him around. Alex looked back and mouthed, “Coffee.” Aliya was not amused.
“Ok! You have seen her bedroom and the living room. To the left of the kitchen is her gym. Library to the left of her bedroom. Next to that is a guest room. Guest bathroom. Entrance. Left of that is the door to her bar.” It was an amazing collection. “And now we step out and go up.” Next to the bar was another elevator. She pressed the up button, and it opened into a roof terrace with a retractable glass roof. There was a Jacuzzi at one end. A sectional couch was ahead of it, which could easily seat sixteen. Aliya was already sitting on the couch. Tea, coffee, biscuits, and fruit were on the table."
“We could have been here last night!” said Alex to Aliya, sitting beside her.
“So, what did Mike say?” asked Shireen.
“What I told you. Also, he asked if he could meet us at the mall.” Said, Aliya.
“Are we going to the mall?” asked Shireen.
“Yes, can we go to the mall?” asked Alex with puppy eyes.
“Are you two crazy? Why don’t you text Mike and ask him to meet you? Naz can drop you at the mall.” Said, Aliya.
“I don’t have his number.”
“I can give you that.”
“What if he doesn’t come because you are not going?”
Aliya held her head.
“If he doesn’t come, you know he’s interested in someone else, and you can move on. And if he does come, you can spend time with him, get to know him.” Said, Alex.
“Ok. What’s his number?”
Aliya took out her phone and gave her the number. “What should I type?”
“Hi. I got your number from Aliya. She is busy today, but we are still going to the mall. Would you like to join?” Said, Alex. “Be straight, to the point. Like she was.”
“He’s nice.” Said Shireen.
“I know.” Said Aliya combing her fingers through Alex’s hair.
The phone buzzed. “I can’t read it. You read.” She said, giving the phone to Aliya.
“See you at noon!”
“What?” said Shireen.
“That’s what it says. See you at noon!”
“Yay” screamed Shireen. She was jumping. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she hugged Alex and Aliya.
“I will call Naz and walk you out.” Said Aliya standing up.
“Nice to meet you. I am happy for you guys.” Said Shireen to Alex.
They started walking towards the elevator when Shireen turned around, “You know. You owe me.”
“Pardon?” said Alex.
“You owe me. She never wanted to go anywhere. I forced her to go to that mall.”
“Thank you. I am forever in your debt.” Said, Alex.
“I like champagne and jewelry and cars and ….” He couldn’t hear the last word as Aliya was dragging her out. He was smiling and fell back on the bed, looking at the sky. Aliya came back.
“I am not a morning person. Anything before noon is too early for me.” Said Alex placing his head in her lap and closing his eyes.
“Thanks for coming out. I really appreciate it.” Said, Aliya.
“I couldn’t let you stretch alone.”
“You saw that.” Said Aliya embarrassed.
“Stretching is great in the morning,” said Alex mockingly.
“Could I request something?” asked Aliya.
“Absolutely.”
“Could you not gift me anything for my birthday?”
“Why?” said Alex getting up.
“You already gave me a ring, and it’s beautiful. Instead, could we go to the restaurant at Space needle?”
“The revolving restaurant?”
“Yes. I have never been there.”
“Of course, we can go there. I will take care of it. Anything else you would like?”
“No, that’s all. Thank you. I need to talk to Shireen to drop the idea of a party. Would you like to go back to bed?”
“No, I am up. Just not ready to be up.” He said, closing his eyes and lying in her lap.
They spent the day watching movies and caressing each other. The night was spent on the terrace, under the sky, under a blanket with nothing else between them. Soon, it was Sunday evening, and Alex had left. Shireen had dropped the plan of a birthday party to give them privacy.