Hot Night With CEO

Darian approached Fahira, who was still in a daze.

“I can’t live without you, Fahira!” Darian’s hand lifted to caress Fahira’s cheek with a loving gaze. Fahira returned his gaze with teary eyes, unsure of how to respond as she herself was confused about her feelings.

“You are the only woman in my heart, the only one I’ve ever touched, Fahira. I’m not the man you think I am. I apologize for all the pain I’ve caused you!” Darian said with a fading intensity. Fahira was taken aback. This was the same Darian she knew, cold, arrogant, and aloof, now appearing vulnerable and hurt.

“Mr. Dari…” Suddenly, Darian’s body collapsed into Fahira’s arms. She struggled to support his weight and ended up sitting down.

With all her strength, Fahira tried to free herself from Darian’s body, attempting to drag him inside the house, but to no avail. His large frame wouldn’t budge. Eventually, she made her way to Ariel’s room and knocked on the door.

“Ariel, please help me!” Fahira called softly, knocking on the door. Soon, the handsome teenager with messy hair opened the door, his hand covering a yawn.

“What’s going on, sis? It’s still nighttime!” Ariel protested before placing his hands on Fahira’s shoulders. His eyes widened when he followed Fahira’s pointing finger, leading to the front door where someone lay sprawled face down.

“Oh my God, who is that, sis?” Ariel asked anxiously, hugging Fahira’s shoulders as they slowly made their way into the living room. He was on high alert.

“He’s our boss from the office. I have no idea how he ended up here,” Fahira replied, relief evident in her voice.

“I thought he was a thief!” Ariel quipped, retracting his hands from Fahira’s shoulders. He knelt down to check on Darian.

“Oh my God, he’s drunk!” Ariel exclaimed, covering his nose as he caught a whiff of alcohol from Darian’s body.

“Help me get him into your room. You can sleep in my room or on the couch in front of the TV!” Fahira said, reaching for Darian’s arm to help him stand up.

“Here, let me handle it, sis!” Ariel said and immediately hoisted Darian’s large frame onto his shoulder.

“Is he a man or a bear? He’s so big!” Ariel grumbled as he struggled to keep his balance with Fahira’s assistance.

“Lock the door!” Fahira instructed after they managed to lay Darian on Ariel’s bed.

“Sis!”

“Just rest, and I’ll take care of Mr. Darian!” Fahira interrupted Ariel, not wanting him to ask too many questions. She didn’t want any inquiries leading to their relationship for now.

Without saying another word, Ariel followed Fahira’s command and locked the door before lying back down on the floor. In the dim light, Ariel watched Fahira diligently taking care of Darian. She went outside to get some warm water from the thermos and brought a small towel. From where Ariel was, he saw Fahira carefully removing Darian’s jacket and shoes and gently wiping his face with the warm water.

“What is it about this man that has been troubling sis lately?” Ariel wondered to himself, pretending to close his eyes when Fahira glanced at him from a distance.

After cleaning Darian’s body as best as she could, Fahira gazed at his peaceful sleeping face. His breaths were steady, and he emitted soft snores from his slightly parted lips. He looked even more handsome while asleep, with none of the cold and aloof demeanor she encountered at the office every day. Fahira sat on the chair beside Ariel’s bed, staring intensely at Darian’s face. She let out a long sigh before finally getting up and returning to her own room. Once again, she looked at Darian with uncertain feelings before closing the door.

In her room, Fahira remained awake, gazing at the ceiling. Her hands pressed against her chest, feeling the remnants of her racing heartbeat whenever she was near the man with brown eyes. Fahira wasn’t sure if she had fallen in love with Darian. It felt like an owl yearning for the moon, an unattainable desire. The social divide between them seemed as vast as the sky and earth. Her love would only be a fragile thread hanging over an abyss. Fahira had to navigate that thin thread to reach her destination. But she realized she had no choice but to fall into that abyss.

Now all Fahira could do was mess up her bed. Turning to the right. Turning to the left. Even lying face down, Fahira still couldn’t close her eyes. Her mind and heart seemed to be left behind in Ariel’s room with the man with brown eyes.

“Better wake up and pray, then cook!” Fahira grumbled as she got up from her bed. She sat at the edge of the bed for a few minutes to gather her strength in case Darian suddenly woke up. She searched for her hair tie among the scattered pillows and cushions. “Finally found it!” she exclaimed in frustration as she gathered her messy hair and tied it up.

As usual, Fahira went about her morning activities. After performing the night prayer, reciting the Quran, and the dawn prayer, Fahira headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She glanced at Ariel’s closed bedroom door as she walked to the kitchen. Of course, it was still early in the morning, and it was Darian’s rest time. Fahira smiled when she saw that her younger brother Ariel was still sound asleep.

“Always sleeping on your stomach!” Fahira scolded, as she had grown tired of reminding Ariel about his bad sleeping habit.

She opened the refrigerator to check the available ingredients she could cook for now. It was Sunday, which meant it was time for Fahira to buy groceries for the coming week. She always made time to buy essentials like rice, fresh fish, vegetables, and fruits from the traditional market for the whole week. Going to work every morning meant she couldn’t catch the vegetable vendors passing by at 6 a. m., except for kitchen spices that sometimes were missed in her shopping list. Besides, Ariel had school, so by 6 a. m., all the household chores were usually done.

While Fahira was busy in the kitchen, Ariel performed the dawn prayer and freshened up. Fortunately, the ironed clothes were still on the table near the television because Fahira hadn’t had time to put them away in the closet.

“Ariel, have your breakfast!” Fahira called out while setting the food on the table.

“Just a sec, sis, the game is getting interesting!” Ariel replied, still focused on his mobile game.

“You’re playing games so early in the morning!” Fahira scolded and approached Ariel, forcibly taking his phone from his hands.

“Aww, sis, it’s not fun!” Ariel protested but followed Fahira to the dining table.

Ariel just glanced at his closed bedroom door while pulling the chair and sitting down.

“Hasn’t he woken up yet?” Ariel whispered. Fahira, who was pouring rice onto Ariel’s plate, could only shrug nonchalantly.

In Ariel’s room, Darian was disturbed by the sunlight peeking through the window. The glare hit his handsome face, causing his brown eyes to open forcibly. He raised his hand to massage his throbbing head, and his eyelids closed again, then slowly reopened. He found himself in a bright blue room, quite different from the gray ceiling of his own room.

“Where am I?” he murmured softly as he woke up with a still weak body. He scanned the unfamiliar room’s contents. His eyes widened as he touched his clothes. “Thank goodness, they’re still here!” Ending up in bed with a promiscuous woman was his worst fear. For him, they were dirty women who carried deadly diseases called AIDS, and Darian had always avoided them.

Darian sat on the edge of the single-sized bed that seemed almost too small for his large frame. His legs dangled to the floor as he gazed at his pair of shoes lying in the corner and the leather jacket hanging behind the door. Darian lowered his head, cupping his face with his hands. He tried to replay his memories from the previous day in his mind.

“Damn!” he cursed when he recalled his last known location. J-Rocks Night Club was his last stop before meeting Fahira. “Fahira must hate me even more now!” Darian regretted, running his hand through his hair to alleviate the headache. He felt embarrassed to meet Fahira in such a state. Worse, he was in her house.

Ariel devoured his food quickly. “Sis, I’m going out with Arif, is that okay?” Ariel asked, using puppy eyes to get permission from his super-protective sister.

“Yo…”

“Assalamualaikum!” Fahira’s greeting was interrupted by a voice from the front door.

“Ah, there’s Arif!” Ariel said, pointing at Arif who had just entered

the house. Ariel had left the door open earlier and had asked Arif to pick him up. Besides being bored at home, he intended to give Fahira and the unfamiliar man some space. Darian’s negative impression of him last night didn’t immediately make Ariel think badly of him; he trusted Fahira completely.

Click. The sound of the door opening instantly interrupted their conversation. The three pairs of eyes shifted to the mixed-race man with a disheveled appearance. “Excuse me, may I use your bathroom?” Darian stood at the doorway.

“Sis, we’ll go now, okay?” Ariel said, taking Fahira’s hand and kissing the back of it.

“Uh, wait!” Fahira was confused about which question to answer first.

“Assalamualaikum!” Ariel greeted while pulling Arif’s other hand, who was still confused with so many question marks when Ariel dragged him away.

Fahira smiled awkwardly and walked out of the room first, with Darian following. “It’s just down this way,” Fahira said nervously. There was another bathroom located in the kitchen area, but Fahira was afraid that Darian might see the mess Ariel had created by placing dirty clothes everywhere.

“Sorry!” Both Fahira and Darian said simultaneously, making the atmosphere suddenly awkward.

Fahira smiled awkwardly and walked ahead, with Darian following. “It’s just this way,” Fahira said nervously. There was another bathroom located in the kitchen area, but Fahira was afraid that Darian might see the mess Ariel had created by placing dirty clothes everywhere.

“Sorry!” Both Fahira and Darian said simultaneously, making the atmosphere suddenly awkward.

Fahira blushed and walked out of the room, holding her chest, which had started to misbehave again.