‘How sweet, is he looking for me?’ Sofia appears by my side as Kai vanishes into the crowd, and if she doesn’t look like the cat that ate the canary, then I don’t know what does.I hope its skinny bones frickin’ choke her. ‘Didn’t he tell you about our after parties? So wild!’ she adds loudly, sinuous arms waving above her head. People around us cheer in agreement as the music’s beat pulses into the soles of my feet.
‘And, look, there’s Essam.’ A dark painted nail points to one of the sofas and sure enough, Essam’s long frame, so similar to Kai’s, lounges across the seating, a girl pressed tightly to each side. He raises his glass over the distance as Sofia adds, ‘I think you did him a favour, no?’
I feel quite sick at the spectacle. He’s a douche who doesn’t deserve a wife’s love, let alone the love of a child.
‘You’re just one of many who have passed through Kai’s bed. Just a moment’s fancy,’ she taunts. ‘Gone like that.’ She clicks her fingers inches from my face. ‘We will go back to as before once he tires of you. And make no mistake, he will.’
‘I don’t give a fuck what used to be,’ I respond. ‘Come to that, I don’t care for has-beens, either.’ My retort sounds quite cool, despite the heat of the blood pumping through my head. Unfortunately, my words don’t achieve the required response—I want her to leave me alone—instead, she leans closer to whisper in my ear.
‘You are just one of many,habibti,and when he took you to his bed, it was still warm from my body.’ I almost stagger back, needing to escape her words, treading on the foot of someone behind. ‘And when he marries,Iwill still be there. With him. For him. In his bed.’
‘Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?’ My words are like ash in my mouth, her eyes flashing with triumph.
‘Ah, you don’t know!’
A hand clamps my elbow as Kai reaches my side. A torrent of angry words, a mixture of Arabic and French, seem to make her shrink before my eyes, but all I can think is,marriage? He’s not about to propose. My face is hot and I feel like my legs will give way as, with his last hurled words, he turns me bodily, making a rough path out through the crowd and pulling me behind him.
Outside and back on the jetty, I’m helped into a much smaller boat, situated between theLaylaand a neighbouring vessel. Kai slips out of his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders as a crew member throws him a set of keys. All this happens without words spoken between us. I can’t speak, and it looks like he doesn’t want to, as thoughts crowd my head. He takes the wheel and the boat whirs in response, any chance for questions dying in the noise.
I cling to the metal bar in front, wind whipping through my hair and sea spraying my face as the vessel powers through the water. Kai’s strong silhouette is highlighted by the moon, feet planted wide, rigid backed.
He doesn’t look behind once.
At the marina, help is on hand to secure ropes as Kai helps me onto land. His Bentley is parked in a nearby bay and yet we still don’t speak, avoiding the thousand explanations to be made as the car roars to life.
Well, there is one thing I want to say.
‘I want to go home.’
