3

Salma wasn't aware Adam followed her to her doorstep. After he ensured she reached home, he returned to his. The day was about to end. He asked himself if it was a dream, why was there another night?

Salma spewed in her mouth the running vodka directly from its bottle after she struggled to fall asleep. She was back to her lonely nights. She had tossed left and right on the bed waiting for sleep. Like Adam told her, everything was weird about the day-her dream. She spent almost all day with him and didn't realize she would get lonely in the night. In the past, she would pass the time by watching television or scrolling through reels until she fell asleep, but as there was no TV signal or network coverage, she became bored and restless. She was bored as there was nothing to do. Restless, she didn't even know why she was. Her mind was blank, as in total blank. She wasn't thinking of anything.

After she finished the bottle in the hope it would make her sleep, she returned to the bed.

Adam spruced up unable to sleep too.

"Why can't I sleep? I've taken three cups of chamomile tea already. Why isn't it working on me when it works on Mother?" he asked literally no one.

"Why isn't the damn vodka making me sleep?" Salma mumbled with irritation after she lay down for several minutes and still didn't fall asleep.

Adam did some stretching exercises to make his body get tired. He laid down again and hoped this time, he would get to sleep, but after many minutes, his eyes opened.

"I'm bored. I'll die from isolation if I don't talk to someone. I'm tired. Let this dream be over. I miss my life now. I didn't know I'd say this, but I really miss people." Salma groaned. The doorbell rang, which instantly made her get up to attend to it. Her mind thought God answered her prayer and sent her someone. After she opened the door, she saw a skeptical Adam.

"Are you really the only one left here?" she asked him and made space for him to enter, and he did.

"You drink too. I'll not be surprised."

"I know my limits, don't worry."

"I came because it is not good to sleep alone. There is a hadith which explains..."

"Save it to yourself, please. I'm not religious." she whispered and giggled to silence him before he could speak.

"Make yourself tea. I don't cook, so you won't find a meal." She sat down on the couch after him.

"Thank you for your great hospitality. I'm glad you didn't forget the culture of offering food and water to guests."

"What kind of woman do you think I am? Be honest. Tell me what impression you have on me."

"You told me you wanted our companies to develop understanding and be partners. It is something that would never happen because of my impression."

"O....Kay!"

"I have to ask you this question. You're very young. You don't live with your family. Furthermore, you don't wish to go back to them. I wonder how you made it. Are you also like those women who sell their bodies to wealthy men to build themselves?"

"I'm not hurt. You said it indirectly. Look me in the eye like others and tell me I sleep around. It would be more convenient."

"It is a question. Do you?"

"Yes. The answer was so obvious. Everyone wishes to get rich quickly, especially a person like me who doesn't have her parents by her side. No advisor, as I don't listen to anyone but my head. I did. I've lost count of the men, wealthy men, I slept with."

"I have no idea what to say. You failed your parents and the society."

"Thank you, Mr. Judge for declaring that."

Her rather too relaxed mood bounced him out of her presence to the kitchen to make himself another cup of tea. The woman chose the wrong path, and she was proud to confess it. She was not from their culture as he was certain women there had so much shyness they don't even speak to the other gender unless related with thick connection.

"Sugar is in the blue jar. Make a cup for me too. I wish to taste the tea of the man who took away my company's title from me."

Adam prepared coffee for them. He didn't find tea leaves and also wanted her to be sober as quickly as possible. He had promised to guide her to the right path during his time at her house, that was, until tomorrow morning.

"Coffee? I asked for tea." She made a frown and looked at him.

"Drink it quickly. We have to discuss something important."

"I hope it's not marriage. I'll not marry anyone in this life. Never." she said, and blew on the steam from the cup to make it cooler. All the while, Adam minded his business and sipped his coffee at his convenient time. He was going to reply her after she got her sense back as right now, she was just spitting rubbish.

The cup slipped from her hand and fell when she fell asleep on the couch. Adam cleaned the mess she made and deemed it more appropriate to talk to her in the morning. Since he couldn't enter her room without her acceptance which she couldn't give as she was already sleeping, he went to the kitchen to sleep.