The Little Taste of Marrakech Ch. 02

Sunday morning, Aziz made his way out the restaurant kitchen to the small beautiful courtyard behind his restaurant. The rain had finally stopped in the wee hours of the morning and the sun shone brightly over the courtyard. He placed the freshly made bread on the round table next to the assortment of jams. The table could easily seat six, just as comfortable as it could seat two. It was made as an equivalent to the chef's table put in the courtyard right off the kitchen. The courtyard was small and intimate. Here were flowers planted along the mosaic walls, a fountainhead of a lion spewed water gently into the pool below where floating lotus blossoms bobbed and swayed. His Somali cat, Mina, sat at the pool's edge observing his master's movements while the bushy tail swished back and forth.

It was meant to be a sanctuary away from the bustle of the outside world. It held up well, really. So much so that it was the meeting spot for Sunday brunch between him, Irena, and Ibrahim. Truthfully, Sasha invited herself one Sunday with Irena and never left. Free food and drink always got Sasha through anyone's door. The woman had a hearty appetite and that much he could admire.

Aziz smirked as he looked down at the set table. He was rather proud of himself. Even though he always cooked Sunday brunch, didn't mean he was always happy with it. However, there was an added addition. Towards the middle of the table was a flower arrangement that boasted Maui flowers, Orchids, foliage and Bird of Paradise. The latter was Sasha's favorite flower.Trust Sasha to favor a flower that looks as though it can take someone's eye out.Aziz chuckled to himself as he stroked the orange petal of Bird of Paradise. Then he sighed. In his heart Aziz knew that the flowers were just a peace gesture to placate his own guilt.

Over the last two days he'd contemplated how to address Friday night's folly. No matter how he convinced himself, Aziz couldn't help but feel as though he had gone overboard. Yes, Sasha had pushed up on him but she'd done that many times before. However, not once had she come to touching him inappropriately. On top of that, the look on her face was not one he could erase and it made him afraid. There was sadness, disappointment, and fear in the expression that marred her beautiful features just before she replaced her mask. He'd seen sadness and disappointment on her features but never fear.

The fear is what bothered him the most. Sasha was his lioness...His?Before he could explore the thought further, the sound of footsteps got his attention.

"Why are you looking at flowers so intently, my friend?" Ibrahim rubbed his scruff in an just-woke-up fashion. And indeed he must have because he was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Sunday brunch was the only time Ibrahim could care less who saw him on the way over to Aziz's restaurant.

"No reason." Aziz said quickly. "Nothing to see, really."

"Aziz Dehbi is finally losing it, eh?" Ibrahim eyes his friend suspiciously, "First, chuckling at flowers then scolding at them, now denying their existence."

Aziz gave his friend a sharp look before retreating to the kitchen to put the kettle to boil.

"Woman troubles, I suspect." Ibrahim smiled mischievously.

"Really? Then maybe Sasha has man troubles because girlfriend would not, and could not get out of bed this morning." Irena strut in briskly, whipping off her sunglasses. A hangover is whatIsuspect."

"Oh please! The last time she had food poisoning and she still brought herself to breakfast!" Aziz grumbled from the kitchen. "She's just whining!"

The two men exchanged looks.

"Know something we don't?" Irena tilted her head right back through the open doorway. There wasn't really a need too considering the doorway was made of sliding glass.

"No!" Aziz snapped at them as he walked past them right to the table, kettle in hand. "Now eat or starve."

Aziz went about pouring tea his brows knitted in concentration. A strand of hair fell from his loose ponytail into his eyes. If Sasha were here she would have tucked it in for him without a second glance backward. Aziz frowned, why was she cowering. She never cowered.How do I know that?He chastised himself.Because she doesn't like to lose...

He was concentrating so much on his thoughts that Aziz almost missed Mina reaching for the salami on the table. Gently he lifted Mina off the table and back onto the ground.

"I'll put you back inside, you bad boy!" Aziz sat down and the other two followed suit and began to eat brunch. "Just know that she'll come. Late, but she will come."

_-_-_-

After Irena's departure, Sasha slunk out of bed and into the bathroom looking like the red-eyed, bedraggled, lioness. Quite frankly her head felt like she had the life force drained out of her. How she'd made it home last night after the bachelorett party was beyond her. At first, Sasha had RSVP-ed that she wasn't coming a little over a week ago. Then Friday night rolled around and Sahsa found herself in a real state of depression after what happened. She ate twice as much while sitting in front the tv screen playing point, shoot, and/or stab video games on her PS3.

Sasha was a firm believer that when one can't act out violently in reality, video games will suffice. She'd learned this years ago in her middle school stages. Sasha always had a temper that sometimes ended in things being destroyed or people being hurt. It was something she had to learn to control very quickly after two arrests. For Sasha, sadness would turn to anger and anger would turn to rage very quickly. Even though it took quite some time for her to get to the point of anger, it was always simmering. One transgression would add to another until the cauldron boiled over.

She didn't know what to feel after what happened with Aziz Friday night. A part of her hoped that he was serious. Aziz had encroached on territory that usually, is quite forbidden to joke about. Sasha'd been beating the thoughts back about if he was serious or if what he did was truly all in jest.

That hard on wasn't a joke. Every bit of it was solid, pulsing, and hot.Sasha gripped the edges of the quartz bowl that made up her sink as hot pulse struck her core. Friday night she was fighting with herself not to break her morals and to keep their banter light but the moment Aziz snaked his hand up her shirt, Sasha had forgotten all about where they were and the why nots.

Sasha turned on the cold water and splashed her face. Yes, she wanted Aziz Dehbi. She'd wanted him for months now. But the divide and conquer Sasha could never bring herself to openly tell him. There was always this nagging insecurity that he wanted a nice Arab girl that suited his taste or that her burnt sienna complexion was too dark for him.

Rejection was not an answer- ever- to Sasha. If she had ever taken no for an answer in her life; the world had better believe she was coming back stronger, better, more determined than ever to make it rue the day it told her no. It was all fun and games till someone got hurt.

Sasha squared her shoulders as she looked at her face in the mirror again. So what she got her feelings hurt. Mama never taught her to be a coward. Sasha was going to this breakfast and deal with Aziz just like she normally would. Nothing her insecurities said was going to change that fact.

After a shower and some eye drops, Sasha stepped out the door with her purse in hand and head held high. As she walked to her designated parking spot, Sasha dug around for her keys only to find that they weren't there. That didn't seem right. This was the purse that she used last night. When Sasha finally looked up, it seemed as though her car decided to follow her keys to the kingdom of lost.

Apparently, arriving toward the end of brunch was now in play. Well, if that was the way life wanted to play it, then Sasha would follow suit. Forget the wedges, she whipped out a pair of stylish boat shoes from her purse and stuffed her feet into them. Sasha had ten long blocks to rehash the night; between when she left for the bar to arriving home at four in the morning.

-_-_-_-_-

By the time she arrived, the men were finishing their second round of eating. Mina was the first to notice her arrival and leapt off of Aziz's lap to strut across the courtyard in her direction. The cat wound himself around Sasha's legs and let out a contented purr when she scratched behind his ears. Aziz looked up from his plate and visibly relaxed but his eyes narrowed once he honed in on her pants.

Today she wore those pants he abhorred so much. They were supposed to be skinny jeans but were a size too big for her. That wasn't the part that bothered him the most though. It was the fact that those pants had every stain imaginable that didn't go away after washing. There were paint stains, food stains, even oil stains, singe marks, and lastly rips and frays at the knees and threadbare, including a hole, on the inner thigh. Sasha called them her 'comfort' jeans; the pants she wore when she didn't want to wear sweatpants.

They were rolled up a few inches above the ankles and hung loosely off her hips with a leather belt. The plaid button up blouse was tucked in and paired with a purse and boat shoes. The entire get-up on that fine line where it looked like she got dressed in the dark, when in fact, Aziz knew damn well Sasha was just too lazy to give a damn. He liked to call those jeans the-don't-give-a-damns. However, nothing would give Aziz more pleasure than stuffing it in his fire pit and adding lots and lots of lighter fluid. Even so, the overall outfit was passable enough to walk out on the street in.

"Hello Mina. Everyone!" Sasha grinned, as she plopped herself down between Ibrahim and Irena. "Oh my god!Sosorry I'm late. I had to walk all the way over here."

"Um... Why?" Irena asked. "You could barely get out of bed this morning."

"Well..." Sasha stalled by putting rose jam on her pita bread. "My car wasn't where I thought I left it."

"What?" Aziz looked at her confused as he placed the halal salami in front of her. "I gave all the tenants designated parking spots. You and Irena included."

"I know, I know, but-!"

"Come to think about it. It wasn't in the parking lot this morning." Irena popped a grape into her mouth. "Where is your car?"

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me that..." Sasha looked embarrassed looking down at her plate.

Ibrahim burst out laughing. "Oh this is good! She lost her car again!"

"Again?" Aziz looked at him questioningly, nudging a free strand of hair out of his face. He'd never known Sasha to be irresponsible.

"Shut up! I didn't lose it!" She took a bite out of her pita bread to mask her next sentence. "Ay joos dun no where eet iz."

"Hmm, that sounds familiar. Did you lose it in a game again?" Irena grinned. "Does Ibrahim have to play a few rounds of poker to get it back for you?"

"How do you lose a car, Sasha?" Nor did he know her to be a gambler. Aziz couldn't help but smile despite the seriousness of the situation. "Do you at least have the keys?"

Sasha cleared her throat and stuffed her mouth even more avoiding eye contact.

"I take that as a 'no'." Ibrahim chuckled. "How much did you really have to drink last night, lightweight?"

"I'm not a lightweight!" Now we got to the heart of the matter. Aziz shook his head. Two drinks should be Sasha's limit, always. He had to instill that upon her after his first encounter with her drunken ranting. An episode, Sasha conveniently forgot about afterward.

"Yes you are!" Irena answered for everyone.

"Look, whatever. It's either two places. The police impound or with the bartender at the cabaret club."

"Or stolen." Ibrahim chimed for good measure.

"Man, be quiet!" she whacked him a couple of times playfully. "Christ! You just keep wishing ill on me!"

"Me?" Ibrahim's eyes opened widely.

Sasha hissed as she through him an annoyed look. Aziz rose from the table, taking the teapot with him.

"I'll go make you some fresh tea and then you can tell us all about your night at the cabaret club where you "misplaced" your vehicle."

When he reached the kitchen he heard Sasha ask about the bouquet on the table.

"Hey, what's with the obnoxious flowers?" she grinned jokingly, "I hope the owner wouldn't notice if I snagged one."

"I hope not. I think they're yours after all." Irena smiled.

"Bullshit!" Sasha shook her head. "No one's ever given me flowers before."

"There's a first for everything." Ibrahim stated kind of serious. Sasha didn't respond.

After the tea was made and Aziz was settled, Sasha launched into her story of how she remembered the night going. Though there were some holes to fill, the trio listening found themselves laughing at appropriate moments and cracking their own jokes. It wasn't long before Aziz found himself paying more attention to Sasha's facial expressions and mannerisms than what she spoke of. It was well after one, when Ibrahim decided to leave. Irena had some errands to run so as the late straggler Sasha stayed on to help Aziz clean up.

For a while they remained in silence as she washed dishes and Aziz cleared away the table and put away any extra food. When he was finished with his duties Aziz studied Sasha's form. The girl was balanced on one leg, the adjacent leg was bent at the knee and bracing the first. It was an awkward pose that she would occasionally shift from leg to leg as she washed. Sahsa was relaxed except for the posture of her shoulders that alerted him to her awareness of him.

He'd noted the way she watched him in silence from the corner of her eyes. Even now, Sasha was aware of Aziz's gaze on her. She refused to be the first to break the silence though. Always, Sasha wanted to be near Aziz, soaking up his warmth and his attention. A lot of the times she felt silly and would suddenly find a reason to leave. Even now, Sasha could feel herself becoming antsy. Aziz's scrutinizing wasn't helping either.

"How are you feeling? Better since this morning's hang over?" Aziz asked.

"Mhmm..." Sasha smiled, "All thanks to your lovely tea. It gave me my strength back."

"You make it sound like an elixer." He nudged her gently before continuing. "You shouldn't drink so much. Nights like last night could turn dangerous."

"Don't start, mister." Sasha turned over a glass and continued on. "I'm twenty-six years of age and frankly I don't go out much. I'm a homebody outside of here and work. Last night was an excuse to let loose."

"Hmm... was losing your car part of that plan?" Aziz teased.

"Here we go again." Sasha stopped washing and looked at him. "I simply forgot it. I remember dropping the keys in a jar with the bartender! I think that's pretty responsible."

"Please, Sasha. I'm beginning to think you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached to your body!" he continued. "Remember the time your forgot your clientele book here?"

"Among other things..." she snorted. Her response wasn't one he was expecting.

"Like?"

Sasha looked at him for a moment, her eyebrows knitted together with a deciding expression. There was a response lurking behind her eyes and was just on the tip of her tongue but instead Aziz could see her visibly choosing a different answer.

"Like as a kid I used to go shopping with my mom and forget the shopping bags I was holding in the previous store. I would always put it down when some mischief caught my attention." What Sasha really wanted to say was something along the lines of her heart, but that would be far too cheesy.

Aziz laughed. "I bet you took your share of beatings for that."

"You got that right." Sasha nodded, smiling more to herself that to him. "Or once I went on vacation to Venezuela to visit my father's family and lost my glasses under their half built house."

"You wear glasses?"

"Sometimes. I mainly wear my contacts now." Sasha drained the sink and emptied excess food waste into the trash bin. "I only wear my glasses at night before bed or if I'm home all day."

When she looked up, Aziz was in the middle of scrutinizing her again. Aziz picked up a dishtowel and began to dry the dishes when he realized he was staring.Imagine that...Aziz felt compelled to know more. There were many things on his mind that he wanted to ask her on top of wanting to apologize.

"I couldn't tell how blind you were, given how accurate you are at cleaning up." He teased.

"Well, I'm used to it. I clean up after Irena, or my ma or pa cooks. I don't do the cooking- ever- and it is better for everyone that way."

Aziz paused midway drying and studied Sasha. "You don't cook?"

"Come on, Zi. Ever notice I show up after all the cooking is said and done? I think it is a fair trade I clean up, no?" Sasha laughed at this confused facial expression. It then dawned on him that she was right. He always thought that she was just being courteous.

"Sasha... you don't know how to cook?" Aziz leaned against the counter top genuine surprise on his face.

"That's right." Sasha giggled nervously as she avoided his gaze by putting away the dry dishes. "Go on, tease me all you want."

"You've never tried to learn?"

"Oh, I've tried. I can cook at least twenty-five different recipes of ramen out the packet but everything else just comes out atrocious." Sasha snorted. Nervously, she bit the corner of her lip and looked at him sheepishly. "Why? Is that a deal breaker?"

"No, it's not!" Aziz found her nervousness cute. He snapped the towel against her ass as she turned to put away another dish. Sasha yelped and jumped nearly dropping the dish.

"Damn it, Aziz! What was that for?" Sasha rounded on him, putting the dish down and lunging for the towel. He caught her hand easily and pulled her to him.

"For looking sad. How about I teach you how to cook?" Aziz looked down at her with a heat in his eyes that made her shiver. It made her nervous and gave her a feeling that built in the pit of her stomach then down to the apex of her thighs. If he looked at her like that a little more and she wouldn't be able to keep her clothing on.

"Greater men than you have tried." Sasha shrugged. "It's not just bad tasting food but I'm also a hazard."

"Well, you've never had me as a teacher." Aziz leaned in close. His face filled her vision, their noses barely touching. "I bet you don't pay half as much attention to them as you do me. Am I right?"

Did he know?Sasha wondered.I haven't exactly made a secret about it.Her light brown eyes searched his hazel then wandered down his face to his lips. Unconsciously, Sasha own lips parted and she lifted herself on her toes, grazing them against his. She waited for him to pull away, but he didn't. Heart pounding in her chest, Sasha embedded her fingers in his hair and pressed her lips to his hungrily. At first, Aziz was shocked at he fervor and didn't respond but then he pulled her totally into his arms. He lifted her off the ground and onto the countertop. As he slowed their kiss, Aziz's hand slid over her ass and gave each globe a squeeze.

"Sasha?" Aziz looked down at the spaced out Sasha whose lips were less than an inch from his. "The answer to me teaching you?"

Sasha blinked, finally coming back to reality then rocketed out of Aziz's hands, knocking over the nearest pair of glasses.

"Oh no!" she knelt to pick up the shards. What the hell had she been thinking? It was one thing to have fantasies in the privacy of your bedroom but right in front of a love interest was a recipe for disaster. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." He squatted to help clean up.

God damn it!It would be so hot the way he'd unbutton her shirt and groped her chest. Then how sensually slow those tough hands grazed her nipples. She moved across to the kitchen to the trashcan, holding the glass tensely in her grasp. Sasha shivered with her eyes squeezed shut then moaned out loud. Aziz looked up from his sweeping when he heard her moan. There was a trail of blood across the kitchen to where he stood.