9.

Dimitri drove her back to the apartment building after their night out ended. He walked her to the door, and they stood outside for a few minutes talking until he had to leave. This time, tucking away any awkwardness she felt, Ayesha perked up and asked for his number. With little hesitation, Dimitri typed it into her phone and made her call so she could see it ring, and he saved her name on his phone.

They said goodbye, and he returned to his car. Ayesha remained outside, waved goodbye and only went in after his car took the turn and disappeared.

Ayesha breezed past through the hall, not paying attention to anyone as she got into the elevator. Though they had not made plans to go out some other time, she was content with how the night went.

No, it had not been a date. Yes, she was developing a bit of a crush on someone she had only met a handful of times. One of those times was when he ran her over, but she didn’t think much about those things. Dimitri was an easy person to like. At least by her standards. He was down-to-earth, handsome and empathetic, but he didn’t like sugar.

Ayesha laughed, then slapped her palm over her mouth before remembering she was alone. The silly smile pasted on her lips remained throughout the elevator ride. She couldn’t seem to help it. Dimitri was nothing she thought she would be endeared to and everything she imagined herself liking. It made no sense.

“Welcome back?” Joseph greeted her from the kitchen as he watched her walk in. He took in her smile and grinned. “I see you enjoyed yourself.”

“Evening to you too.” She sighed, strutting over to the counter and taking a seat. “When did you get back?”

“An hour ago. How did the date go.”

“It wasn’t a date exactly. We simply went out…”

“For drinks. You said that already.” He kept his eyes on the pan. “You seem excited, so I want to believe it went well. Unless you met another ruggedly handsome man in the lobby that put that smile off your face.”

“I did not meet anyone in the lobby. Yes, it was nice. He took me to a café, and we had a few drinks and snacks.”

“Dimitri, right?” She nodded, reaching over into the pan and snagged a piece of sausage. He tried to slap her arm, but she pulled back quickly, popping it into her mouth. “Is he a townie or a tourist?”

“Why would that be important?”

“If he is a tourist, he’d be leaving soon, and all this excitement would go to waste. A townie means there is more time to build into a meaningful relationship.”

“There is no building into anything.”

“Denial." He waved the wooden spoon at her face. ”Townie or tourist?”

“Townie. He was away for a long time because of work but is back to stay. He decided to take a break from work and things like that.”

Joseph’s lips pursed and his stirring seized for a moment. “Really. How long was he gone?”

“Don’t remember. I just know he has been away for a long time. The funny thing is, we met the same day he returned. What a way to be back, huh, nearly running someone over.”

“What’s his full name again?”

“Hmm?” She snatched another piece from the pan. Joseph didn’t stop her this time; all his attention was on her. “What?”

“His full name.”

“Dimitri Adams.

For some time, Joseph only stared at her as if he was waiting for her to figure something out, but Ayesha stared back at him. His expression of awed astonishment morphed into a Cheshire smile. Joseph turned the gas off and then leaned back against the sink.

“Ayesha?”

“Yeah.”

“You do know who Dimitri Adams is, right? Please, tell me you know.”

She stopped chewing, trying to remember if she ever thought he looked like someone she should know. “Is he famous? Don’t tell me he is an actor?”

“Ayesha, you need to stop this.” Joseph admonished with a loving smile. “We have been here for over a month. Why do you choose to live under a rock? Dimitri Adams is the oldest son of Benedict Harold Adams, the Mayor of the town you are living in.”

“Who?”

“Dimitri. Your Dimitri is the mayor’s son.”

“Are you being serious?”

“G****e Dimitri Adams right now and confirm it for yourself.”

She didn’t even try to reach for her phone. Instead, she recalled all the conversations she had about the return of the mayor’s son. His name had never come up, but now that Joseph had mentioned it, the stories were, undoubtedly, the same.

Everything made sense, including the fact most people never seemed interested in him. For a son of the mayor, Ayesha would suspect he was a person of interest who would garner attention everywhere he moved. It wasn’t so. The simple reason being few people remembered what he looked like.

Denial passed quickly, replaced by astonishment. “I honestly don’t even know what to say.”

“I do.” Joseph laughed. “You are one lucky girl. Do you know how many of the ladies in my team were drooling over that guy at the party? They talked about his hair, his suit, and his smile. They would do anything to have him glance in their direction, and you got to go out to eat with him.”

“Joseph, it’s not funny.”

“You are right. It’s hilarious. Of all the people you could have a crush on in this town, you go for the one guy that is right at the top. You have to tell me your secret. Was it the accident? Is that how you roped him in because I saw some women I would like to catch for myself.”

“I don’t get it. Why didn’t he say something?”

“Like what? Hello, my name is Dimitri Adams, the mayor’s son. That would sound like bragging to me.” Joseph scoffed. “In all fairness, he might have assumed that you knew. His father’s name is everywhere in this town. It’s not his fault you walk around with your head in the clouds.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Oh, it’s weird. It’s weird that you are this uptight about it. He is the son of the mayor, not the mayor himself. You should be glad, it speaks to his character. You know, humility and things like that.”

“I guess you’re right," Ayesha mumbled in reply.

After Joseph had retired to bed for the night she tossed and turned in hers. Her phone lay on the bedside table, facedown in front of her. She glared at it like it was about to sprout legs and strut out of the room.

The entire conversation at dinner ran through her mind. Ayesha tried to fight the overwhelming urge to take Joseph’s advice and look up Dimitri’s information on the internet. It felt a bit intrusive to her. He wasn’t some random figure, but someone she knew.

She didn’t want to feel like she was looking into his life. It was the same courtesy she wanted to be extended to her.

Of course, if anyone were to search for the name Ayesha Hansely, they would come up with nothing. She had made sure to be as detached from her old life as possible, even when it meant letting go of her last name.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she picked up her phone and typed Dimitri’s name into the search bar. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as the page loaded. It took a few seconds then his picture popped up first, followed by his name and several other details. There was his age, siblings, net worth, and parents. There was an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to him.

The agricultural business he ran, the one he had spoken of so casually, was worth billions of dollars.

He owned farms around the world and lived in Dubai for the past seven years before he came back. Not only was he well-known in town, notoriously so, but he was also known around the world as an astute businessman with a strong work drive and an eye for success.

She dropped the phone and snuggled further into the sheets. Hugging a pillow tightly to her chest, she stared out the window from her bed. Ayesha had no problem with him being wealthy, he was the humble kind of rich, and she appreciated that. While he sported branded clothes and went to pricey cafes and stores, he was well-spoken and felt genuine.

The biggest problem for her came from the obvious fact that he was an important man in the community, both in the town and outside of it.

“Always keep your eye out, little girl. You should always know who deserves your time and who does not."

“Get out of my head.”

The last thing she needed was her parents in her head, making the situation worse than it was. No doubt they would be elated to find out she finally had someone ”worth her time" as a friend. Ayesha didn’t want to live a life that mirrored what they wanted for her, but did that mean she should cut out people who reminded her of home?

Nothing had ever happened to her when she was Dimitri. He sounded and behaved nothing like her family. There were no cameras or wondering eyes providing unwanted attention. Watford was an entire continent away from home, and her coming here meant freedom to live as she liked.

A friend was a friend, whether they were rich or not.

As things resolved in her mind and tension eased out of her body, she snuggled back underneath the covers and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, but despite her joys from the day, nightmares waited for her as they did most nights since she left home.