She looked at him. “I thought we weren’t going to exchange gifts?” The girls and Jasmine were preoccupied with opening more gifts from under the tree and weren’t paying attention to Ruby.
He shook his head. “No, you said we wouldn’t buy each other anything after we… you know. But I’d already bought these for you.”
Ruby frowned. Now she felt bad. She’d stuck to the rules and hadn’t got him anything. He must have seen the discomfort on her face. “It’s not a big deal, Ruby. I didn’t want you to have nothing under the tree, and I didn’t know Jasmine and the girls got you anything.”
Ruby unwrapped the box and pulled out a hideous pair of light blue mittens—clearly hand knit tightly out of scratchy acrylic yarn.
Ruby laughed. “You bought these at that craft market!” There were other things in the box—a mouse ornament made from a walnut shell and a wooden bead, some soap that smelled like cinnamon and marshmallows, a gorgeous fake-emerald vintage brooch, and a jar of spicy red pepper jelly.
“I thought this stuff was for your Calgary friends?” He’d already given her that necklace he bought that day.
“I did get stuff for other people that day, but these things were always intended for you.”
She shook her head, amazed, and took the last thing out of the box—a small bag of sample-sized bottles of a drugstore skincare brand that advertised itself as being recommended by dermatologists. She rolled her eyes. Rashid had come a long way from the judgmental twat he was when they met, but she didn’t think he’d ever stop judging her skin care choices.
Then again, if this was the stuff he used, maybe she shouldn’t judge it without trying it. She grinned at him. “I love it. It’s perfect.”
They headed back to Ruby’s not long after opening presents. The moment they walked into the apartment and dropped all their things on the sofa, Rashid put his arms around Ruby’s waist.
“You seriously don’t mind that I gave you presents?” he asked. There was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. She wondered if he was remembering how she freaked out when he gave her the necklace.
“Of course not. I wish I’d broken our rule, too.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. He felt so strong and solid in her arms.
“I told you, I bought this stuff before we had the rule. And the skin care is just free samples from the clinic. I’m also not against regifting. You could give me that red pepper jelly back.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I love that shit. It’s mine.” But she was only here one more week. Could she finish it in a week?
He leaned down to kiss her neck. “Or… there are other gifts you could give me. Less tangible ones.”
She grinned, pulling his shirt to untuck it from his pants. “That I can do.” She pulled him down for a long kiss.
That night was mind-blowing, just like every night with him had been. Ruby couldn’t put her finger on why sex with Rashid felt so different compared to sex with others she’d been with. Yes, he was generous and considerate, but she’d had generous lovers before. He was skilled, but others had been skilled, too.
But mostly she felt content when they were together. She was comfortable with him. She didn’t feel she had to suck in her stomach, hide her reconstructed breasts, or explain why she’d gotten floral tattoos instead of nipple tattoos. She could be herself. Every time they were together, it felt more and more like this was where they were supposed to be.
Walking away from this fling was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever done.
Ruby didn’t see Rashid on the twenty-sixth or the twenty-seventh, since she was working long hours both days and he was with his family. They did text a few times. She sent him pictures of the grain bowl she’d grabbed for lunch, and he sent her pictures of all the UK chocolates his parents had brought for him, promising to share some with her—which seemed unnecessary since Ruby would be in the UK in a few days.
On the twenty-eighth, Ruby spent the whole day packing up her apartment. It was small, so she pretty much got it done in a few hours. She was bringing two large suitcases plus a carry-on bag to London, and everything else she owned wasgoing to get picked up on the thirty-first to be donated to a charity for refugees.
At five, Rashid picked her up for dinner with his parents and sister Ayesha. Ruby was incredibly nervous about meeting them—not only because of Ruby and Rashid’s fling (which his parents still didn’t know about, but apparently Ayesha did) but also because this family was still Ruby’s best chance to get a foot in the door in the UK hotel industry. Ruby dressed professionally for dinner—in wide-leg black dress pants and a dark red silk blouse. She really wanted to impress the Hakims tonight. But she was so nervous that she talked nonstop on the way to the restaurant in Little India. “Relax,” Rashid said. “They’ll be impressed by you, I promise.”
She exhaled. “You weren’t when we met.” He did say he’d been drawn to her, but he definitely wasn’t impressed by her professionally.
“Yeah, but I was an idiot. The rest of my family is much smarter.”
“What are they like? Is Ayesha into cottagecore like you and Jasmine?”
He laughed at that. “No. Ayesha wouldn’t be caught dead in flannel. My mom says that our family is split into country mice and city mice. Me, Jasmine, and Mom are the country mice. Dad and Ayesha are the city mice.”
Oh. That was a surprise. “If your dad’s a city mouse, why did he buy an inn in the countryside?”
“Because that’s where Mom wants to spend their golden years. I think you’ll get along well with Ayesha. She and I argue about designer versus drugstore skin care all the time.”
When they got to the restaurant, the host took them to a large table, and Hakim and Farida Hakim stood to greet Ruby warmly. In their early sixties, Rashid’s parents were a handsome couple. Farida looked a lot like Jasmine, while Hakim looked like what she’d imagine Rashid to look like at that age. Both seemed healthy and vibrant—which made sense since Rashid had mentioned they played tennis regularly. Ayesha’s appearance almost made Ruby laugh, though. She looked exactly like Jasmine—if Jasmine had just had a makeover by Miranda Priestly. While Jasmine was prone to wearing floral sweaters and pale jeans, Ayesha was in shiny black slacks and a black mock-neck sleeveless sweater. Ruby was pretty sure the sweater was a Victoria Beckham. And instead of her sister’s shoulder-length waves, Ayesha had a sleek and neat bob.
But Ayesha greeted Ruby as warmly as her parents had, kissing Ruby on both cheeks. There was a knowing twinkle in her eyes, and she grinned at Rashid after meeting Ruby. Yeah, she knew about their fling.
