'Yes I know I told you. I scheduled the appointment for you. Please go. Okay? Mom, you seriously have to go.'

I was in the phone with my mother who had been insistent there was nothing wrong with her and yet I still forced her to go because I knew if I wouldn't force her she would never go to the appointment. She hated doctor's appointments. Sitting in my office, I was sipping coffee and looking through the window and staring at the majestic cerulean blue sky, I waited patiently so that my mother would be compelled to see reason and acquiesce to go to the doctor's appointment.

'Alright alright you can keep your pants on I will. Anyways darling that was not what I wanted to talk to you about. You know Mr Gupta's son? He has just recently moved to New York and well I was thinking...'

'Mom I'm gonna stop you there. No. I will not meet him.'

I could not believe I was having this talk with my mother.

'Just meet him and get to know him...you know one day you might just realize mothers really do know best!'

'Mom'

'Just meet him and see where it is heading and ... Ava, honey, we are so proud of everything you have accomplished but I want you to be with someone who makes you happy...and I also want grand children'

'Mother, you have a grandchild'

'Why do I get only one?'

'Do you know Mrs. Singh has three?'

'Mother is you seriously competing with your neighbours how many grandchildren you have?'

'Just meet him and I will go to that appointment happily.'

I sighed after being defeated.

'Okay I will. Only if you promise you will go to the appointment.'

'Dear I will,'

'Okay,'

'Bye honey,'

'Bye mom,'

What the hell just happened?

Now that the coffee was in my system I could think straight. To my displeasure I did not want to think straight. It is said that when a person goes through dilemmas and sadness by working so as to think about other things while keeping things at bay. I, however, was finding it difficult to work or sleep or eat without thinking about a certain green- eyed man. If I didn't know any better I would think someone had put a spell on me.

This was actually getting ridiculous. I couldn't think straight without him apparently. Work reminded of him every second somehow. Eating steak reminded me of how he had cooked that night. I remembered how he had looked at me.

I think you are bloody fucking gorgeous.

Sleep was the worst though. Not just his face his entire being was imprinted in my mind. His uneven crooked smile which was so boyish yet it was masculine.

Maybe it would be good to meet that Mr. Gupta's son just to take my mind off of everything; although I didn't know why every instinct in my body protested

My head and my heart heavy, I didn't know what to do. So for the first time in a long time I decided to head home early from work. I believed in a hundred percent commitment in doing the job or not doing it at all if my heart was not in it. And so I found myself at home by five o'clock in the evening. A migraine pounded in my head and I needed rest. I quickly went to my room, changed into my night shorts and went under the blankets in my duvet feeling exhausted. My last thought was that I was expecting a file to be delivered to me today from my office which I needed before I drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

I awoke after a deep slumber. Rain was coming down hard. Rain drops the size of bullets pelted my windows while the roaring of the thunder and the jet of lightning that followed sent my heart pounding in my chest like a frightened bird trying to escape. The lights of my room were turned off and I took a moment to admire the view of the glass window that had water droplets cascading down it. It looked beautiful. Rainstorms were frightening and beautiful all at the same time.

I saw the time in my phone which read 2:25 am. How long had I slept? I was going to walk to my kitchen to get a glass of water when my phone began to ring. An unknown number was calling late at night. That was odd. I picked up with curiosity and tentative answered,

'Hello?'

'You know what I hate about women? You rant and rave about how treacherous and deceitful we are and even when we do nothing wrong you don't trust us. It's all a game of hide and seek to you which is unbelievable because all I can think about is you. Do you know how frustrating that is?' I could recognize that deep, gravelly British accented voice any day.

'You are a headstrong infuriating woman with no self preservation instincts. You are too bloody stubborn for your own good, love,' he said, his voice painted with sinister colours

'Ezra?'

'I prefer Mr. Cadman mostly, although I'll admit it, love, I like it when you say my name,' he slurred suggestively.

'Are you drunk?' I said worriedly. This was confusing and disturbing although I could not deny the rush of excitement that rose in my chest after hearing his voice.

'That depends, sweetheart, how drunk do I sound?'

'Pretty drunk,'

'Well, my apologies love but I...I had to see you.'

'See me? Ezra you called me...'

'I may have failed earlier to talk about my whereabouts,' he said sheepishly.

'What do you mean? Ezra, where are you?'

'Outside your door,'

What? Oh my God.

I quickly walked through my room toward the main door.

'You see when I thought I had to see you I couldn't wait and well twenty minutes later I found myself on your doorstep,'

I opened the door to a slouched tall frame leaning against the wall with an uneven crooked grin that I had dreamt about so many times. His hair was slightly dishevelled with the sandy hair falling in odd positions as though it had been ruffled and the tie he wore was loosened so that it hung limply off his neck. His suit was hung on his shoulder with one hand while the other one held his phone to his ear. He seemed as though he'd gone from his office to a bar.

Despite my obvious shock with disbelief a small part of my brain could not but register that he looked perfect. I was beginning to think that I liked every look on him and that whatever he wore seemed to make him even more attractive for some reason.

He had a mischievous glint in his eyes like a little boy who had done something wrong and was extremely happy by it.

My heart palpitated in my chest. I didn't know what to say. I just stood there staring at him for about a minute.

'Come in,' I said tentatively.

It was still raining heavily and the rain hammered outside while I gestured for him to take a seat in the living room. As soon as I saw that he couldn't walk properly without stumbling I put his arm around my shoulder and supported him whilst walking up to the kitchen.

I made him sit in a chair and he put his hands on the dining table and rested his head on his hands like a little boy awaiting punishment. I didn't know what to say to him but I already knew what to do. I started making coffee because I knew I had to keep him sober enough to know what was happening. He didn't say a word instead he sat silently while I poured the coffee onto a mug and passed it to him.

'Drink this,' I said in a commanding voice. I wasn't upset that he had showed up at half past two in the morning, though I was worried. Did he drive himself here? Why wasn't he saying anything? I remembered how he had taken care of me when I was completely drunk; he had been so sweet.

A sense of déjà vu overtook me.

He took the mug and sipped the coffee without looking at me.

'Did you drive here?' I asked cautiously.

'My driver drove the car. Don't me ridiculous Ava.'

'Oh' I said, feeling foolish.

'What am I going to do about you?' he asked tenderly with a small smirk on his face.

My face turned brick red.

''I-...uh...what are you doing here? It's half past two in the morning,'

'He seemed to have sobered enough now that he had the coffee in his system. He said, 'I came to see you,' as though it was obvious.

'I know that. Uh...' I was waiting to spill it out for a lot of days now. 'Ezra, I'm sorry about last time at your place. I was ...'

'You were afraid,' he said finishing my sentence.

'I never counted on you to be a coward. You're a brave soldier, Miss Safdar.'

'I'm not brave,' I said, insecurity settling into every pore of my being after admitting it after a long time. I hadn't been this vulnerable to anyone before.

'I don't think that for a second, Ava. There is something about you that has me pegged from the beginning.' He said his voice drifting off as though he was in deep thought.

I sat down on a chair next to him and looked up to find him staring right at me.

'You have really long eye lashes,' I said abruptly.

He looked down and laughed shaking his head.

I smiled surreptitiously.

'Thank you for taking care of me the other day. I'm very grateful for that,' I said locking eyes with him needing him to know that it meant something big to me.

'It was my pleasure, love' he said with a smirk as thought thinking of a private joke. 'I was in the area and I saw you dancing on the bar with the bartenders,' he said with a soft laugh, 'although I must admit it was not a place I thought you would be at.'

My face was a pasty red and I wanted to crawl in hole and sit there.

'I was...I don't even know what I was thinking,'

'You clearly weren't,'

I laughed.

'I caught you before you were tumbling off the table. You were out of control, wild. I definitely did see a new side of you,' he said with a glint in his eyes that made my heart thud in my chest quite loudly. 'I took you in my arms. You were barely conscious. I knew if I left you there someone would take an advantage of you,' suddenly his eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a thin line, 'the thought made me so angry, I took you to my home as I didn't know if you had the key to your place,' suddenly he leaned in closer and I leaned in a few inches, as though sharing a secret, he said, 'and also I wanted to take you in my arms to my home.'

To my utter shock I wasn't embarrassed or angry; a part of me was actually pleased and excited.

He continued, 'I brought you to my apartment and laid you in my bed. You half woke up and called my name in the dark, I was so,' he had a serious look on his face 'relieved.'

'Oh God. Ugh,' I said feeling pathetic and embarrassed.

'It's alright. You were sort of in a daze. You complained of your dress, said it was too tight and pulled it off in the dark,' he said with a naughty grin.

I had placed my hands on my face in an attempt to cover it and closed my eyes, hoping he couldn't see me then.

'I gave you my shirt and you put it on yourself. I assure you it was not my intention at all to see you undress,' he said, I was almost relaxing when he added, 'I only wish to see you undressed when you want me to, Ava' his voice resembling something akin to arousal.

'Why do you make it so hard?' I inquisitively asked assured that he knows what I mean.

'I think you make it hard for yourself' he replied, voice dropping low almost to a whisper.

'It'll take time,'

'I'm here,' he said simply.

'You must be dehydrating, I think you should be drinking water,' I reprimanded partly because he needed to drink water and also because we were lurking into dangerous confrontations.

Ezra watched me with tranquillity as I moved from the chair poured him a glass of water from the other side of thee table and slid it to him from the table. The silence was deafening although the howling of the wind and the relentless rain outside continued. At a certain roar of thunder followed by lightning I flinched suddenly very aware of Ezra penetrating my gaze.

'Afraid of storms, are we?' and would you look at that he was amused by it.

'No I'm not, it was just unexpected,'

'Of course there's only a raging storm outside how could you expect the thunder?' he teased. He was actually quite amused.

'I'm not afraid of storms,' I pestered.

'Lies,' he said his voice strangely strong and gravelly yet gentle and sort of...aroused?

The lights suddenly went out, and for me it was as though time stopped. My heart thudded in my chest and I stood frozen to the spot.

What the hell just happened?

'The lights went out,' I said with trepidation.

'Relax, Miss Safdar it's just a power outage.'

Oh God.