“You’re not great at waitressing either,” he said. “Good thing you’re going into broadcasting. You know, you never told me why.”
“Radio saved my life,” I said quietly. “When my father was in thehospital and we were waiting to hear if he would live through the night, and then waiting to hear if he would live through the first surgery, and then the second and the third, waiting to hear if he would ever walk again, radio and podcasts kept me distracted. They kept me upbeat and gave me something to think about other than my life. Later, when he was recovering, Baba and I binged entire shows while he was doing physio or waiting for the pain to pass. Storytelling helped us forget for a little while. That’s when I realized I wanted to tell stories for the rest of my life.”
Aydin stared at me while I was talking, his gaze moving from my eyes to my lips and back. My face grew hot. “You think that’s dumb, right?”
He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I was just thinking I never thought I would meet someone like you.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant. “Did you spend the past year dreaming about an opinionated broadcaster?” I asked. Our conversation had been getting too serious.
“Yes,” he said simply. “You’re ambitious, independent, loyal, smart. I love your family. You make me laugh. I can’t stop staring at you.”
The butterflies floating in my stomach were making it hard to finish the biryani poutine. I put down the fork. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
Aydin shook his head, and I could see that his fists were balled at his sides. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while. I’m afraid that when I tell you the rest of it, you’ll hate me.”
“I tried hating you. That didn’t work out so well,” I said.
“Me too.” He took a deep breath, then blurted, “My father wants me to marry Zulfa.”
My stomach dropped. “I see.”
“I’ve known her my whole life. I also know she’s in love with someone else, in Vancouver, and that her parents have been putting pressure on her to marry me. I offered to pretend to be her fiancé for a few months, to make our parents happy. In exchange, she would help me launch the restaurant.”
“Sounds like the plot of a romcom,” I said.
His answering smile was bleak. “It isn’t that sort of movie,” he said. “I’m telling you this because I want you to understand the kind of man my father is. He wants the world to operate in a certain way and he expects obedience and loyalty from the people in his life, especially me. Becoming engaged to Zulfa was one of two conditions he set before he agreed to back my restaurant. I initially agreed because Zulfa needed time so she and Zain could make plans. But the other reason was because I needed my dad’s money and support to start Wholistic Grill.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “Rashid will be so disappointed,” I murmured.
Aydin laughed, shaking his head. “You’re not making this easy for me,” he said. I knew there was more, that I wouldn’t like what came next.
“Am I supposed to make things easier for you?” I asked.
We exchanged a long glance. “Ever since we met, you’ve turned my world upside down. Just let me get through this first, and then you can decide what you want to do next.”
I nodded, wheels turning in my mind. “You said getting engaged to Zulfa was your father’s first condition for backing Wholistic Grill. What was his second condition?”
“My dad thinks I lack the killer instinct needed to succeed in business. He said if I wanted his money, I would have to prove I was a worthy investment.”
My conversation with Zulfa came back to me now, her insight into Aydin and his strained relationship with his father. I could believe that Junaid Uncle saw his son as an investment, to be held on to until a suitable return was achieved. And I could imagine Aydin tying himself in knots to comply, though his very nature rebelled.
He continued, voice a monotone now, and my heart sped up at this hint of Cold Aydin’s return. “I lied to you before. It was no coincidence that I built Wholistic Grill in Golden Crescent.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“To keep my father’s investment, I had to open Wholistic Grill next to another, well-established restaurant. I had six months to put it out of business. I chose Three Sisters. I would prove myself when you closed.” He recited the facts slowly, as if they were a confession.
Which I realized they were. It took me a moment to absorb his words. When I had, I slowly stood up. My heart was beating so fast I wasn’t sure if I could remain upright. I gripped the table, and Aydin started to move towards me, but I held up my hand. He froze in place, anxious eyes locked on my face.
“Then I guess I was right all along,” I said, voice strangely calm. Why was I so calm? “You’ve been my enemy from the start.”
His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
And then I wasn’t calm anymore. I was furious. “What are you sorry about, exactly? For working to destroy my family from the first moment we met?”
“It wasn’t personal. You were a stranger,” Aydin answered, a note of pleading in his voice.
“You would have been fine with putting another family out of business, just to get your father’s money and vote of confidence?” I asked, voice rising.
