Derick was handsome and Zina was beautiful. It was December, and the air was chilling cold, but you wouldn’t know it from the windows of the candle lit and cozy living room, the sky was dark and starry.
Derick and Zina were caught up in the details of the wedding.
Zina traced a finger across the design she had crafted for their home theater room. They were talking about their wedding plans, giddy with excitement.
“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Said Derick, taking her hands in his own.
Zina nodded, smiling. “Yes! We have so much to look forward to.”
Derick leaned in to kiss her tenderly on the cheek. “I can’t believe I get to marry you soon,” he murmured.
“I can’t believe I get to marry you soon either,” Zina whispered back, feeling like she was floating on air.
They spent hours discussing their dream wedding – the church they would be married in, who they wanted as bridesmaids and groomsmen and what kind of flowers they would use for decorations. Every detail felt special and meaningful because of the love that lay beneath it all.
Finally, Zina pulled away slightly, a twinkle in her eye.
“There’s only one thing left,” she said softly. “We need to talk about one very important person – your father.” She looked away for a moment before turning back to meet his gaze directly. “I want him to approve of our marriage just as much as we do.”
Derick smiled, touched by her thoughtfulness and love. He took a deep breath before nodding agreement. “I think it’s time we talked to him.”
“Great! So, tomorrow your exercise starts. There’s this new gym nearby, I have already spoken to the trainer there for you,” she said excitedly.
Derick’s brow furrowed with frustration. “Why do you keep disturbing yourself, Zina? I don’t need a gym. I already look wonderful the way I am and quite healthy. What difference does it make? I am also comfortable in my skin and very handsome, my darling,” his tone was playful.
“But Derick, why don’t you want to exercise or pay more mind to your looks? You look too shabby,” Zina said, her voice a blunt yet gentle inquiry.
She glared at Derick with piercing eyes, her voice cut into Derick like a hot blade in a sharp and scathing inquiry.
“But how would you think you don’t need to take care of your looks. Why don’t you want to dress nicer and exercise? You look like you left your efforts in the gutter! How long more will I keep complaining about this?” She spat, her words searing Derick’s soul like a branding iron, unable to contain her displeasure as she gestured towards his unflattering appearance.
Derick sighed and frowned as he replied, “It’s not like I don’t want to be physically fit for you. It’s just that I don’t have the time to go to the gym, and I don’t naturally like it. I’m sorry, my love.”
“And your dress sense! You don’t have time to pay attention to your styling too right?”
He grabbed her hands and affectionately said;
“My love,” his voice husky with amusement, “I wear casual clothing because it makes me feel alive and I feel more comfortable in it. I should have no worries about fashion as I’m a man and I can dress however I please as I have no need for fashion trends. I am a man of substance. Yet, I can’t take my eyes off you when you so artfully dress up in the latest fashions. So, keep paying such careful attention to your dressing,” he smiled as he looked into her eyes, “and I love you just the way you are.”
He threw his head back, letting out a deep, robust laugh at the thought of his lover’s incessant need for fashion.
Zina shook her head in disappointment.
“I give up on you!” She deadpanned.
***
Babe!” Derick called from the living room while Zara ran to him from the staircase that led to the bed room.
“Can you believe my Dad is on his way here? He just called. Please go get dressed beautifully. I don’t want him to have a clue you slept here. Also, he must not know we are planning wedding yet, since this would be the first time he would be meeting you,” he instructed, breathlessly.
“Oh my! Let me go get properly dressed then,” she hurried back upstairs, anxiety sweeping over her.
When the doorbell suddenly rang, Derick couldn’t contain his excitement and sprang to open the door, eagerly welcoming his father into the house. Zina stood there, she could feel her stomach flip as she got entranced by the sight before her: he was tall and powerfully built with broad shoulders, his muscles rippling beneath his immaculate suit. Cleanly shaven and with an irresistible ruggedness. The lines around his eyes showed a life of experience, yet he still had the same grace of a much younger man. Her heart was captivated at first glance. She couldn’t help but wonder how any man could have aged so gracefully; all she could estimate was that he must have been in his late fifties. An instant attraction to this man – the one who had raised Derick – began to overwhelm her.
Derick’s father walked over to Zina and greeted her warmly, holding out his hand for her to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zina. I am Marcus and I am the father of your boyfriend,” he said humorously in a deep, honeyed voice.
Zina offered a polite smile as they shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you too, sir,” she replied shyly.
“My son has told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you,” Derick’s father said with a wink.
Zina felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she attempted to mask her alluring feelings and her gaze darted away from her boyfriend’s father. She knew it was wrong, but she could not deny the powerful tug of attraction she felt for his captivating handsomeness and undeniable charm. Her body seemed to act on its own accord, betraying her with every glance towards him she took and she fought to keep her heart under control.
Derick noticed the icy tension that had suddenly filled the room like a thick fog between Zina and his father. Zina was fidgeting uneasily, her eyes darting from his father to him like a frightened animal. His father sat there in silence, scrutinizing Zina with a forensic eye, stripping her of her faintest secrets. Probably trying to determine if she was worthy enough to be in his son’s life.
Derick mustered every ounce of his courage to try and cut through the tension of the overwhelming awkwardness that had quickly engulfed the room with small talk, but his words fell flat in the heavy atmosphere.
His father finally broke the stalemate by excusing himself, citing errands he had yet to finish before returning home.
Before turning to go, the father’s gaze lingered on Zina with a knowing smile for few seconds and then cast one final smoldering glance at her that sent her cheeks aflame.
As he left, Derick felt as though he could still feel his father’s eyes upon her, straining to read the unspoken words between him and Zina.
The moment his father was out of sight, Derick grabbed Zina and dragged her close, his embrace tightening as he claimed every inch of her lips with a kiss that seared with the passion of their love. Her heart leapt in response to his touch. His embrace left her breathless and trembling.
For that moment, all thoughts of Marcus were quickly forgotten.