— while at the fruitful beginnings of their relationship, sloane hadn’t necessarily considered herself the perfect example for her boyfriend’s son though practice always did have the habit of finally making perfect and she was starting to enjoy spending time with her young, little protégé, perhaps even more so than her solo encounters with his father. though as time passed and they had fallen into their own humdrum routine brimming with playdates and tired excuses for not having enough time for intimacy, she couldn’t help but feel as if there was always something missing, a lost part of herself she couldn’t quite put a name to much less describe to her loving yet oblivious boyfriend. needless to say, it wasn’t long at all for their relationship to eventually come to its own conclusion. though the blame wasn’t entirely hers — or his, sloane couldn’t help but feel her own kind of guilt for her part in the break-up. if she was only brave enough to be honest with zahid, tell him how she really felt then perhaps they would’ve been able to make another go at it ? instead she had to settle for these brief and clandestine meetings, almost clambering to his beck and call whenever arif was upset or struggling to settle just before bedtime.
“ oh my, tell us how you really feel, why don’t you ? though i wouldn’t exactly disagree with you on that, he’s definitely got dick potential ” sloane disguises a soft chuckle behind the palm of her hand, knowing his critique is more than well-deserved. if it wasn’t for her co-workers, the generous perks ( as few and far between as they are at the moment ) and the overall job security, sloane would’ve handed in her resignation years ago yet here she is with her own deadlines looming and nothing to show for the countless hours she’s spent in deep procrastination apart from a few more strands of greying hair and the beginnings of her own caffeine addiction. though with their own abrupt adjustments aside, there isn’t a assignment in her immediate future that could possibly tear her away from wanting to spend time with zahid and asif, like older, more familiar times. “ thank you for that tempting offer, i might have to take you up on it since i already made a very serious and legally-binding pinky promise to asif i’d be around to see whether or not charlie finally gets his own golden ticket and goes to the chocolate factory. can’t exactly let my favourite guy down at such a pivotal moment, right ? ”.
ARIF’S SINCERE LOVE FOR SLOANE had made for a messier break - up than it could’ve been. there was no clean cut, no clear line, a definite ending. instead it’s as if their loop is a little askew, but the wheel still turns somehow and though zahid knows he’s probably doing both himself and sloane a great disservice with whatever shape their relationship have taken now, he can never say no to arif. was it cruel to deprive him of the only mother figure he had ever known ? perhaps, and that’s why when the conclusion of sloane and zahid’s relationship had come, zahid found himself holding on too hard even as they were ripping at the seams. he had never wanted it to end, had never known how to hold onto something without smothering it, and maybe that had been his mistake. he tries not to dwell on it.
hands are thrown up in mock surrender, though zahid isn’t prepared to take back a single word. « oh no, you wouldn’t be so cruel. he refuses to watch the movie with anyone but you, » the father points out. even he dims in comparison. as he gazes at sloane, admiration evident, zahid repositions himself in his seat and clears his throat. « i know i’m stepping out of line here, so forgive me for being so blunt, but .. » he pauses, thinks, then jumps back in before he gets the chance to overthink, « what are you doing for christmas this year ? » despite not really growing up celebrating the holiday himself, zahid figures arif would enjoy the festive air of it all, and even more so if sloane would entertain the thought of joining them for a dinner or two. of course, it’s not traditional to ask that of an ex, even less so when zahid assumes she must have plans of her own, but he’s never been bashful.
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