They met at an outdoor spot they used to visit when they were still courted. It was Rina’s idea, to remind him of what he’d lost the minute he walked out the door without giving her a chance to explain herself and going ahead to get on with her best friend who sabotaged everything she had, up to their child. She knew Finn was going to arrive on time, given the fact that he’d walked up to her himself the last time, so she spent longer than necessary at home, taking her time to get ready.
Rina sat in front of her vanity, gazing into the mirror as she carefully applied very light makeup, choosing subtle and warm colors. She had chosen a pair of cargo pants for the occasion, always from Pages of Claire, a big t-shirt she had taken from Zayn’s freshly laundered pile the last time, and a pair of Nike. The plan was to dress down, but still appear exquisite and classy.
Done with her make-up, Rina proceeded to put her hair up in a bun, dyed wine this time, with a few tendrils intentionally escaping to frame her face, when Zayn sauntered into the room without knocking. She’d grown used to it already, the occasional pushing of her door, his sudden appearance in the room with something to discuss about their contract. At other times, he said nothing, gazing at her through the crack at the door, when he thought she was asleep. But as always, Rina didn’t want to overthink it. Jumping into conclusions was the last thing on her mind.
When he moved in, he stopped behind her, looking at her reflection through the mirror as she arranged the tresses framing her petite face. He loved the color on her but hadn’t said it out loud yet. He didn’t think it would help anything or anyone having those words between them.
“You look pretty,” he said instead, locking eyes with her. “I almost do not want to let you go to see him, but I can’t hold you back. That, and the fact that you need to flaunt your success in his face, after everything he did to you.”
She looked up at him. “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”
“Oh, by all means, I want to see the look on his face when he attempts to get you back, and you turning him down, because I am certain that is what this is all about.”
“Sad that you aren’t coming with me.”
“Who says I am not?”
That was when Rina noticed that he was dressed as well, his keys in one hand. “I am not going with you because I don’t trust you. Far from it. I know you will honor the terms of our contract as this means as much to you as it does to me. But I don’t trust that Finn will not make any funny move. I need to be there to protect you just in case he gets overly passionate.”
“Zayn…”
“I know people like him. They never stop until someone pushes them to the war and forces them into submission.”
That touched Rina in ways she couldn’t explain. It broke and then fixed her up almost immediately, ticking all the boxes in her head. Sad that he was off-limits.
“Okay,” she breathed. “But we are taking your jaguar.”
“Of course,” he winked at her. “What other car to make a dramatic entrance?”
Zayn waited for Rina till she was done getting ready before driving her to the park. He stayed close, pecking her forehead before she alighted the car, even if no one was watching. She looked out the window to confirm when Zayn pulled away, then looked back at him with a questioning gaze. He avoided her eyes, unlocking the doors and telling her he would take a short stroll around them and make some calls. She only needed to wave him over when she needed help.
Making her way inside, Rina saw Finn coming outside, his eyes tired and disappointed. “Going somewhere?” she teased.
His eyes and mood lifted immediately. “Rina, I didn’t think you were going to come anymore. I thought…”
“Honestly, I was thinking about it. Today would have been a great day to just rest indoors, especially since I just got back from my trip, but my fiance told me to come see you, to hear what you have to say.”
“Your fiance,” Finn murmured. They’d turned around to head back inside, walking slowly side-by-side. “Zayn Graham is a formidable force, I have to admit. But the thing I don’t understand is how you could move on so fast when you only just got divorced last year. Don’t you think you need to think this through? Marriage isn’t such an easy thing.”
“Yeah,” Rina blurted, unable to hide the venom in her tone. “At least, ours wasn’t. Still, the one thing it taught me is that it takes a man that is not like you to treat me right and I dare say that I have found that man.”
“But you don’t know him that well,” Finn pushed like they were old-time friends catching up.
“He has treated me better than you ever did, or could ever dream of doing, Finn, so don’t tell me who I should be with and who I shouldn’t. It is not in your place.”
“About that,” he cleared his throat noisily, then kept silent for a few seconds. “I was thinking about something, Rina. Since you left, nothing has been the same for me. Kayla is…well, you know your best friend.”
“I don’t.”
Finn couldn’t blame her. “She has made some demands I cannot meet up with, and I keep counting the hours until she tosses me out of her life. Kayla has been doing a lot of that these days, kicking people out of her life like they never mattered. I can feel that I am going to be one of those victims soon.”
Rina scoffed. “Did you just call yourself a victim?”