Hot Night With CEO

Di the parking lot of the market, many people were already staring at them. “Are you sure you want to enter the market, Mr. Darian?” Fahira asked hesitantly, looking at Darian as he removed his helmet.

“Why not?” Darian replied, following Fahira’s gaze as it wandered around.

“Maybe they think we’re filming a soap opera!” Darian laughed, holding Fahira’s hand as they entered the market. Fahira was surprised by Darian’s relaxed attitude, as he didn’t seem bothered or disgusted by the slightly muddy streets left from the previous night’s rain.

Fahira’s thoughts were spot-on. All eyes were on Darian. He stood out like a candle amidst a swarm of small winged creatures called moths. Those small creatures always flocked to the light when it rained. It was a favorite activity for her and Ariel when they were kids. They used to turn off all the lights in the house and light candles placed in a basin of water. The adorable winged creatures would then gather around the candles.

Now, all the women, both buyers and sellers, who met them looked at Darian with knowing smiles. Meanwhile, the man with brown eyes was only focused on her. Fahira sighed resignedly, feeling she was more suitable to be Darian’s assistant rather than his lover. In the market, Darian stood out with his well-maintained fair skin, which was not exactly white but more towards a light tan. Yet, that was its own allure that couldn’t be denied by women who loved handsome men like Fahira. Not to mention his huggable chest and the strong muscles formed from regular exercise. Currently, Darian was like a magnet in a sea of creatures called women.

“Is this your future husband, Miss Fahira? He’s so handsome! Where did you find someone like him?” asked the regular meat seller, whom Fahira always bought from.

“Yes, ma’am, he’s my future husband. Please pray that everything goes well,” Darian replied kindly, paying no attention to Fahira’s annoyed expression due to his offhand response.

“He hasn’t even proposed yet, and he’s already claiming to be the future husband!” Fahira protested inwardly.

“How much, ma’am?” Fahira quickly ended the conversation before the man beside her announced their fake relationship to everyone.

Fahira didn’t feel they had a special relationship other than boss and secretary. Even though Darian had expressed his feelings, Fahira hadn’t heard him say “I love you” directly.

After buying meat, chicken, and fresh fish, Fahira moved on to the vegetable stalls. Just like the other vendors, it was bustling here. “Oh God, there’s a foreigner here. Let’s take a selfie! I want to show off to my ex-boyfriend!” someone around 21 years old said to Darian. Darian looked at Fahira, asking for her approval, but Fahira just ignored the girl and moved to another stall.

“I’m sorry, Miss, my future wife is the jealous type, she might get angry if she finds out!” Darian replied, approaching Fahira and putting his arm around her shoulder.

“Stingy!” the girl retorted, giving Fahira a sharp look before leaving.

Finally, after a long drama, Darian and Fahira ended up at a cart selling cendol (a traditional Indonesian drink) by the roadside to refresh themselves. “Are you sure, Mr. Darian, that you want to drink here with me? Or do you want it to go, so we can drink it at home later?” Fahira asked hesitantly. “Oh God, a sultan’s child drinking cendol by the roadside in the scorching sun. Isn’t he afraid of melting in that handsome body of his!” Fahira thought, blushing as she watched Darian calmly gulp down the cendol despite the heat of the sun. But Fahira’s concerns were pointless, as Darian simply enjoyed the cendol, asking for a refill from the vendor.

“What’s this, Miss Fahira? It’s so refreshing! Come on, try it!” Darian said, not paying attention to Fahira’s question as he handed her cendol that was still untouched on the table.

“Cendol, Sir! A traditional drink from the countryside,” Fahira replied, making Darian’s eyebrows furrow. Clearly, Darian was clueless about the Javanese language.

“Sen-dol!” Darian pronounced it awkwardly, which sounded very amusing to Fahira’s ears. Instantly, she burst into laughter when she saw Darian repeatedly mispronounce the word “cendol.” Darian was taken aback by Fahira’s natural laughter, something he had never seen before. Sensing Darian’s strange gaze, Fahira quickly stifled her laughter and pretended to be indifferent while stirring her cendol.

“Your laugh is beautiful!” Darian whispered, leaning closer to Fahira’s ear.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fahira replied annoyed, moving her face away from Darian’s, her cheeks flushed.

Unbeknownst to them, two teenage boys were observing their intimacy. Ariel and Ariel were not far from them. “Mi, is that foreigner Ms. Fahiraya’s boyfriend?” curious, Ariel asked, to which Ariel responded with a shrug.

“Let’s go!” Ariel said, getting up from his seat to pay for their drinks. Ariel’s intuition seemed correct. That man was the one who had been troubling her sister lately. Before leaving, Ariel glanced back at Darian and Fahira’s intimacy. If she could choose a future brother-in-law, Ariel would support Fahira being with Dr. Gavin, who was undoubtedly kind and friendly. Moreover, the young doctor was always gentle with Fahira, and Ariel couldn’t find any negative traits in him.

“Fahira, I’ll pick you up for work tomorrow, okay?”

“It’s already afternoon; let’s just head back!” Fahira interjected, uninterested in responding to Darian’s offer. She got up from her seat and paid for their drinks.

Darian was already on the motorcycle with numerous shopping bags. Fahira looked back at Darian, who looked cute. With his long legs, her small moped looked like a children’s toy electric bike that could be rented at a park near her house.

“Please, Fahira, stop smiling like that. I might be tempted to take you to the registrar’s office right now!” Darian grumbled because every time he saw Fahira’s smiling lips, his heart would beat abnormally.

“Hold on!” Darian said, reaching for Fahira’s hand to wrap around his waist.

All the way, there was no more conversation. Fahira, seated behind Darian, unconsciously rested her head on his back, inhaling his masculine scent. Darian’s smile widened as his left hand held Fahira’s hand, and they finally arrived at Fahira’s house.

“Fahira, we’re here. Did you fall asleep?” Darian said as he stopped the motorcycle, but Fahira was still motionless behind him.

“Oh, we’re here already!” Fahira said, coming to her senses and quickly getting off the motorcycle.

Both of them carried the shopping bags and went up the stairs to the second floor. Fahira exchanged polite greetings with the neighbors they passed several times. Fahira pretended not to notice the inquisitive looks of the people as she walked in front of Darian.

Once inside, Fahira immediately organized the groceries that needed to go into the refrigerator. She put each type of fish into separate plastic bags before placing them in the freezer. For vegetables and fruits, she grouped them together and neatly arranged them in the bottom compartment of the fridge. As for the spices, she wrapped them in paper to keep them fresh. Meanwhile, Darian went into the bedroom to check his phone. He had been so preoccupied with Fahira that he had forgotten about his phone since last night.

Darian checked his phone battery, which was at 15%. It was enough to read all the messages and missed calls. On the screen were messages from David, his mom, and Alea. He decided to read David’s messages first. Darian couldn’t help but chuckle as he read David’s dozens of concerned messages since last night. Erick had contacted David after Darian left the J-Rocks Night Club completely drunk. When David’s phone was back on, he called and checked Darian’s apartment, only to find it empty. David’s last message managed to elicit a laugh from Darian.

David:

“Darian, you’re not kidnapped, are you?”

“I swear if you don’t give me any news until tomorrow morning, I’ll report it to your mom and the police!”

Still laughing, Darian replied with a series of messages to his friend.

Darian:

“You know, David, I’m being kidnapped by a beautiful girl! I feel like staying here forever. I don’t mind being kidnapped for the rest of my life!”

“Oh, and take care of Alea. I don’t want her to bother my life again!”

David:

“Oh, damn! I’m here, worrying like a mother looking for her lost child, and you’re having fun there!”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

After replying to David’s messages, Darian turned off his phone. He didn’t want to waste this precious time with the girl he admired. He went out of the room to find Fahira, but she was in her own room. Darian decided to sit on the sofa and turned on the 20-inch LED TV. It was small compared to the TV at his home. The gentle breeze that came through the window seemed to lull Darian to sleep gradually. After a while, Ariel came in. The 18-year-old teenager saw Darian sound asleep on the sofa with the TV still on and went to find his sister.

Fahira came out of her room after showering, feeling refreshed. Her parents had instilled in her the habit of maintaining cleanliness since she was a child. Especially since she had been in a crowded place like the market. Once Fahira got home, she immediately organized the groceries and cleaned herself.

“Back already, Sis?” Ariel asked, and his sister’s sudden appearance made him jump in surprise.

“I’m sorry, did I startle you, Ariel?” Fahira panicked and quickly approached Ariel, touching his chest. Fahira was worried about Ariel’s heart condition.

“I’m fine, Sis. Is that guy still here?” Ariel said, not happy with the lingering gaze still directed at the sleeping Darian.

“He’s still tired. He accompanied me shopping, and then he fell asleep,” Fahira explained with a smile. She knew Ariel wasn’t comfortable with Darian’s presence, especially after last night when Darian showed up drunk.

“Let’s pray, shall we? I’ve already performed ablution; you wait in my room,” Fahira suggested, pushing Ariel into his room.

Ariel went out of his room wearing a sarong, a t-shirt, and holding a peci (a traditional Muslim cap). He would perform ablution first and then join Fahira in her room. However, just as Ariel and Fahira were about to start praying, a voice interrupted Ariel’s takbir. “May I join the prayer?”

Ariel and Fahira exchanged glances before Fahira took the initiative to answer, “Of course, please!” Ariel moved back, and Fahira moved to the back as well, setting up the prayer mat for him. Before starting the prayer, Darian glanced at Fahira and Ariel briefly before facing the qibla (the direction of prayer) and wiping the wet hair from his ablution. Fahira and Ariel faintly heard Darian’s fluent prayer intention (niat salat).

Thump. Fahira was stunned with a pounding heart. “Was this man in front of her the one who would be her future husband?”