15 – A Decision is Taken

The next morning, Hamir woke up early, intending to make breakfast and then head to work with Qaya – and, he thought, if Qaya woke up a bit early as well, perhaps they could linger over breakfast and take a decision about the contract marriage proposal.

To be honest, Hamir didn't mind marrying Qaya. Ideally, he would have wanted to date her first and then, if things worked out, he would have proposed to her properly and then married her. But in light of his conversation with Papa – as well as Papa's failing health and his faith in Qaya's ability to keep their business empire running properly – all of that had to be set aside.

Still, no matter what, Hamir had already come to like Qaya a fair bit – of course, not enough to get married on his own, but certainly enough not to be repulsed by the idea of getting married to her. So, overall, Papa's suggestion was not as objectionable to him as he would have thought it to be, if his Papa had made this proposal before Hamir had met Qaya.

Hamir had to acknowledge that his Papa was a rather cunning old man, making sure that Hamir and Qaya met, and that Qaya had to help Hamir with his accommodation problem…

Hamir took a quick shower and got ready, and then went out to the kitchen, intending to cook a simple breakfast for two.

To his surprise, he found Qaya already dressed and ready, sitting at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee and her laptop, fully focussed on whatever she was working on. She looked pretty as a picture, Hamir thought.

Qaya didn't even notice Hamir's arrival – she was too absorbed in her work.

"Good morning," Hamir said, his lips curling up into a smile, without him realising it.

Qaya blinked in surprise and looked up. "Oh, hi. Good morning. You're up early?" she spoke absently.

Hamir chuckled. "I should be the one saying that," he told her. "Here I was, hoping to surprise you with breakfast!"

Qaya blinked again, and Hamir suddenly thought that this beautiful young woman was rather adorable.

Perhaps his gaze was a little too intense, because a light flush dusted Qaya's cheeks.

"I was up early anyway, so I made coffee and sandwiches," she mumbled.

Hamir sniffed the air delicately. "Hmm, let me guess, classic grilled cheese?" he asked. "And the coffee… hmm, seems to be the signature single origin from our O Country estate?"

Qaya stared at him for a moment with wide eyes, and then burst out laughing. "You, sir," she said in between her peals of laughter. "You are a human bloodhound! Is there anything that your nose can't pick out?"

Hamir laughed as well, and pulled up a chair next to her. "Have you eaten already?" he asked with a smile.

Qaya shook her head.

Hamir raised an eyebrow. "Waiting for me, eh?" he teased.

Qaya flushed again. "It is basic etiquette," she mumbled. "And I had my coffee…"

Hamir grinned at her, feeling quite warm. It wouldn't be bad to spend a lifetime with mornings like this, he thought to himself.

"Are you done with work? Should we eat now?" he asked, propping his chin on his arm, with his elbow on the table. He fixed his charming gold green eyes at Qaya.

A slight frown marred Qaya's fair brow. "If you don't mind," she said softly. "Could you give me a couple of minutes? I'll wrap up quickly."

"Take your time," Hamir said generously. "You've already made breakfast, so allow me to serve it while you finish your work, all right?"

Qaya looked at him with a complicated gaze. "Do you spoil everyone like this…?" she asked in a quiet voice, barely more than a whisper.

Hamir smiled slightly and stood up. "Only the people I'm fond of," he said lightly and went off to pour himself a cup of coffee and bring out the sandwiches.

Qaya looked at his receding back for a moment, then turned her attention back to her laptop. There really was an urgent email she had to respond to.

It took her exactly two minutes to wrap up, as promised.

By the time she was done and in the process of putting away her laptop, Hamir was also done serving the sandwiches and getting a fresh pot of coffee.

Qaya watched the plates with wide eyes as Hamir put them on the table. He had not simply put the sandwiches on the plate and brought them over – he had actually decorated the plate with ketchup, mayonnaise and a bit of salad that he had quickly put together.

Qaya was generous with her praise at the presentation. This man was truly wonderful, she thought to herself. Perhaps, under the guise of helping out the President and the Goldstein Group – she could seize some happiness for herself, too – even if it was for just one year… and even if it was completely undeserved.

Hamir smiled happily at Qaya's appreciation, clearly enjoying himself very much.

The two ate together leisurely, chatting amicably, and avoiding the main topic while they were eating with silent, tacit consent.

It was only after they finished eating and Hamir insisted on cleaning up and stacking the utensils in the dishwasher that the two of them spoke about the big, big decision they had to take.

"I… I spoke to the President again last night," Qaya said quietly.

"So did I," Hamir replied, switching on the dishwasher and turning around to face her. "Qaya, if you will have me, I would be honoured to marry you as my wife. As Papa said, if you are unhappy after a year, we can get a divorce, and I promise you that the Goldstein family wouldn't treat you badly, no matter what you decide, either now or a year later," he said seriously, looking at her with an intense gaze.

Qaya stared at him for a long moment, and then smiled wryly. "I was going to say the same thing," she said softly. "It would be an honour to marry you, Hamir, and we can separate in a year, based on the situation at the time…"

And thus, the decision was taken.