‘I’m staying over,’ he said and hung up.
Sen hadn’t planned on staying over when he’d called Shona, but when he heard vulnerability in her voice, he instinctively knew he had to be there for her. He just wished she opened up to him more. As he packed his overnight bag, he tried to remember how they’d actually hooked up.
Earlier, he’d lied when Sam had asked him about Shona. The truth was Sen had always been attracted to her. He was drawn to her authenticity, but her unpredictable nature and disorderly lifestyle kept him from asking her out. It made him nervous. He wasn’t talking about the pile of clothing in her closet or her disorganised dining room. He was referring to her always having to opt for plan B because plan A wasn’t properly planned. He was completely the opposite. His life was structured. If truth be told, he was often impressed with Shona’s resourcefulness when things didn’t work out, like the orange T-shirt episode. But it made him anxious.
That aside, he couldn’t help being drawn to her like a magnet. When she walked down the aisle at Sam and Anni’s wedding, something had shifted in him. He was completely sober when he made the decision to pursue her that night. After the wedding formalities, Shona and Sen were exhausted and a little tipsy, but they both knew exactly what they were getting into. It was an unspoken understanding that they had to get the desire for each other out of their systems.
They found themselves in his hotel room and Shona was everything he imagined she would be. So responsive. So satisfying. So beautiful. It was supposed to be a one-and-done deal. But the next night he was at her flat and then the next, until they decided to put a label on it: a no-strings-attached fling.
The cardinal rule was secrecy. They didn’t want the whole town to know, nor for their friendships with Sam and Anni to suffer when they called it quits. Because that was a given; they just didn’t speak about when.
It couldn’t be just a booty call because they were still friends. And somewhere along the line eating supper together, sometimes watching a movie or him working on his laptop while she worked on her creations just came naturally. But they’d never spent the night together. He always went home. Shona never came over to his apartment as she didn’t have a car and would be too proud to accept a ride.
He locked his apartment and headed down to the taxi waiting for him. He didn’t want to risk someone spotting his car outside her place in the morning. Thankfully, he didn’t need to sneak around Shona’s neighbours. The flat next to hers was empty for most of the year because the elderly owners only used it when visiting family in Rally. The guy who lived opposite her was rarely at home. Shona joked that he was a secret agent.
After stopping at Luca’s to pick up their takeaway supper, the taxi drew up outside Shona’s apartment block. Sen paid the driver and made his way up to her flat. He took the lift and observed his reflection in the mirror as it went up.
On most days, he saw Shona straight after work so he would be in a suit. But tonight he wore faded jeans and a black tee. His hair was a bit ruffled. With the overnight bag on his shoulder, he looked like a man ready for a weekend away.
The doors opened and he stood outside Shona’s flat. He knocked and waited.
She opened the door and eyed his overnight bag. ‘So you were serious then?’
He ignored her and followed her into the living room. He put his bag down and held out the paper bags containing their meal.
‘Luca’s. Fine dining indeed,’ Shona remarked.
Luca’swasfine dining. It was the restaurant where you proposed to your girlfriend or celebrated a milestone birthday or anniversary.
Sen looked towards the dining room, shrugged and put thefood on the coffee table.
‘Wait. Wait right here. Do not open those bags,’ Shona said and rushed to the kitchen.
Sen looked around. He spotted some framed photos on the wall. He hadn’t noticed them before. He stepped closer and analysed each picture. They were family photos and a few with Anni and Shona. He couldn’t help but notice that in every family picture, the Shahs were in their shop. Shona left for her prom from the shop? Her dad’s 50th birthday party was in the back room at the shop. There was not a single photo on the beach or on holiday, or even their family home.
‘What are you looking at?’
Sen turned and wagged his eyebrows at Shona. ‘You have a photo of me,’ he said.
‘With other people,’ she replied casually.
‘But it’s still a photograph of me…in your house…on display,’ he teased.
‘Sen, it’s a photo of the bridal party at Anni and Sam’s wedding. I could hardly cut you out.’
‘If you say so,’ he smiled, and headed towards the food.
Shona followed and reached for the bags. ‘Let’s go to the kitchen,’ she said.
He followed her. He rarely paid attention to her kitchen, although he would often walk in, usually in the dark, to get something to drink.
He looked around. It was confusing. Everything was white. Gleaming white. Hardly any touches of colourful, vibrant Shona. Shona stood in the bright, white kitchen in a deep red T-shirt dress.
‘A lot of magnets,’ he commented, gesturing at her fridge door. He went to take a closer look; they were mementos from different countries.
‘I didn’t know you travelled,’ he said.
Shona plated the meals.
