Chapter 57: Fifty-Seven

“Far from that.” Before he realized what he was doing, Zain found himself opening up about his life with Em, the illness that had separated them, his return to find her married with a kid, his decision to get her back and the ultimatum she'd issued him today.

“That's. . . bad?” She commented, placing down her bottle after taking a swig. She exuded genuine understanding of how he felt despite her flippant words.

“It's still hard but I guess...” He wanted to add 'I'll heal' but stopped when uncertainty set in. “I only made things difficult even though deep down I knew that she didn't love me. I just refused to accept it. Which reminds me. I stayed celibate for five whole years after Emma and I separated. Clearly, that bastard is a poor excuse of a man.”

“Well, you had far more drastic reasons to. But thank you for trying to make me feel better.” Standing up, she polished the rest of her beer. Opening her purse, she took some bills and tossed them on the counter. “I should be going.”

She stumbled with just a step. Swiftly, Zain held her in place, realizing some seconds later how close they were from the way he was holding her. “Just how many bottles did you take?”

“Uhm, four?” She replied, causing Zain to wonder about her endurance rate.

“Will you be driving?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“I'lI take you.” He offered before he could think about it. “You don't look too sober.”

She waggled her fingers at him, shaking her head, her voice more slurry than before as she spoke. “Don't exaggerate. I'm not drunk, and I can drive on my own.”

She made to walk away, then stumbled. Taking it to his advantage, he cocked an eyebrow. “So much for not being drunk.”

“You know what? I'll just call Ryan to...” She trailed off as sadness flashed in her eyes, and Zain figured that Ryan was the name of her asshole ex boyfriend. “Fine. Take me.”

They took her car, Zain deciding to pick up his later after dropping her off. Even though he didn't feel quite as sober, he believed he was in a much better position to drive than she was.

As he drove using the address she'd given him, she talked more about herself; her job as an obscure model and aspirations to become a fashion designer. Modelling did suit her, considering her beauty and shapely, curvaceous body.

After a while, it was obvious the alcohol had set in quite much than before, and she talked on top of her voice, laughing raucously, crying when something reminded her of her ex, and laughing, then back to crying.

It was deplorable, and he found himself distressed by her state.

On reaching a large edifice where she told him to stop, she told him her apartment was on the tenth floor even though it wasn't necessary. Parking somewhere suitable before they stepped out of the car, Zain decided that she probably wanted him to accompany her to her apartment where she would feel more safe.

“Okay, so here we are. Safe and sound.” He grinned as they reached her door while she fiddled with her keys and tried to open it. Taking it from her, Zain unlocked the door for her.

As she took back the keys and stepped in, she turned to look at him still standing outside. “Hey, thank you for today.” She laughed. “You know, you're awesome and damn right. Ryan is a jerk. An asshole.”

Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck. He stiffened, but barely a second later, his body reacted to the heat of hers, hardening him in a demanding rush of need. The reaction was so sudden that Zain realized that he hadn't felt this kind of desire with anybody apart from Em.

Then she pulled back, and he nearly groaned just as their eyes met. One minute they were gazing into each other's eyes, and the next, they were clinging to each other, kissing furiously like crazy, until minutes later, their bodies were taking a ride of lust and passion, cresting on an orgiastic release.

***~***

“No!” A loud shriek and a sharp pull of a body from atop his plucked Zain from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he immediately closed it as he met the intense glare of the artificial light, then squinting, he finally adjusted to it's effect.

As he finally pried them open, he found the woman he'd met at the bar last night scrambling for sheets to cover her nudeness. What the hell?

The memories from yesterday infused his mind, and he nearly smiled until he heard her loud scream. “What have I done?”

Then her gaze whipped to his, and she glared at him. “You, you! You raped me!” She accused, making Zain widen his eyes, horrified. “Oh my goodness who am I fooling?” She backed away until her back touched a wall, covering her mouth with both hands, a look of horror still etched unto her beautiful face.

“Oh God, I failed my promise to my mother!” As tears begun to well in her eyes, Zain got out of the bed and made to go to her when she pointed a finger to stop him, still glaring at him. “Stay away. And God, please cover yourself.”

Shit! He'd totally forgotten that she'd had a promise to keep. Guilt begun pricking at his conscience, because he'd be damned if he said he hadn't been sober enough to stop things from escalating.

He could've stopped them when they begun undressing, and yet he'd allowed himself to give in to the sizzled desire and passion which had replaced his feelings for Emma temporarily.

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. “I dated Ryan for two whole years. He wanted us to make love so bad, but I'd always refused because I wanted to fulfil my promise to my mum to only sleep with the man I marry. And then what?”

She looked at him, regret swimming in the sea of her eyes, while Zain looked around for his clothes and only found his boxers. “I have a fucking one night stand with a stranger I'd never met until yesterday and who's fucking name I don't even know!”

“It doesn't have to be a one night stand, you know.” Zain found himself saying before he knew the words were out.

“What the heck do you mean?” She asked sharply.

He took some tentative steps forward towards her, pausing when he saw her glare at his legs. “You know we can be something more than just partners of a one night stand. There can be something more between us.”

Her eyes widen, seemingly poleaxed by his suggestion. “Hello? My boyfriend broke up with me yesterday, and the woman you love broke up with you yesterday, and you want us to move on so quickly?”

Shrugging, Zain run a hand through his already tousled hair. “Life goes on, you know.” But more than that, it was because this was the first time in a very long while he'd connected with a stranger on such a level, and he saw the potential of a relationship between them.

“Is that guilt I see there?” She asked with a hint of a smile that had the knot in his stomach loosening. Her eyes trailed down and up his body as she blatantly checked him out.

“No, that's where you're wrong.” She didn't have to know that he indeed was feeling guilt, but this was far from the reason he was making this offer. Giving her a sexy model pose learned from the time he'd worked with Emma, Zain cocked his head. “So what do you say? I can't be that bad looking huh?”

She chuckled softly, the sound rich and tingly to the ear. “I'm going to have to apologize to my mum today, but I guess I can do this to compensate me failing my promise a bit.” She walked over to him. “But I'm not promising anything, and I still have a broken heart to mend.”

“Same here, you know.”

“God I can't believe you're my first.”

“Well, technically, you're the first woman I've been with in more than five years so I guess it's mutual.”

“You're crazy. I'll just be using you to get over him, you know that?” She asked, as if she still couldn't believe she was doing this. The blanket she was using to cover herself had lowered enough that he could see the upper swells of her breasts, and warmth suffused his body.

“And I'd just be using you to get over her, you know that?” He mimicked her tone.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped around him and tightened her hold on her cover. “But we would have to go slow, you know. This is just a mutual rebound relationship. And I don't want us going too fast.”

“Okay?” He said, holding himself from chuckling at her words. They'd literary crossed the limit last night, and now she was talking about not wanting them to go too fast. “Okay, so let's pretend that this is our first ever meeting. I'm Zain. Zain Chadwick.”

“Ariana. Ariana Williams.”

Her gaze suddenly flicked to the tattoo on the left side of his chest, the tattoo of Emma's name he'd got done two years ago. As regret seared him, he wondered what she was thinking. “It's nice.” Ariana said, even though her expression was unreadable.

The tattoo was a small one such that you had to be close to his chest to actually see what's written, but he realized it was still a mark anyways. At that time when he was getting it done, he'd seen it as a sign, a symbol of the hope that he and Emma would end up together one day despite the illness that had kept them apart.

In retrospect, he was beginning to appreciate that act for its immaturity. Right now he wanted to move on, to close that chapter of his life with Emma, and he was going to start by getting the tatoo covered or something.

After Zain took her number before leaving, grabbed his other clothes from the living room where they were sprawled, and made for the bar to get his car, doubts begun to set in and he begun to wonder at the wisdom of what he was doing. But just what were the odds of one of them getting hurt later on?

Weighing, Zain decided that there wasn't any. After all, it was an established fact between them that each was using the other as a rebound. They would try, but if it didn't work, he believed they could part on mutual terms.

But who knew what trying could do?