Page 24 of Tarek

“Didn’t everyone.”

“No, I didn’t. I never watched Harry Potter my mom wouldn’t allow it.”

He stares at me in disbelief. “We have to fix that. Either way being at my housekeeper’s side inspired me to cook. She taught me so much.”

“Is she alive still?”

With somber eyes his lips fold. “No, she died some years ago. She didn’t get to see any of the restaurants I opened.”

“I think she would have loved each one.”

He nods. “Yeah me too.”

I can tell that his housekeeper meant a lot to him, by the way his tone softens.

“Do you have like a ritual or routine that helps you to focus?”

He takes a sip of his wine. “I like to come in early in the morning. The silence, the peace. I look forward to that most of all.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that. You appear to be so extroverted,” I state.

“Extroverted. I mean in my line of work I have to be, but I like peace like everyone else.” Tarek reaches across and wraps a prosciutto around a bread stick and munches on it.

“Enough about me. Tell me who is Penny other than the woman that comes to her friend’s rescue.”

I laugh at the small reference to Zeeta and her boss Rhet.

“Do you think they will be okay?” I ask looking at my phone realizing I received no text from Zeeta.

“I don’t know much about your friend. But Rhet is one of my best friends. She is safe with him.” His voice is lined with confidence, and it calms me down.

I nod in agreement. “Okay, good.”

“Now about you. What college did you attend? What’s your career choice?”

Here we go, this is where everyone begins to treat me a little differently.

“I didn’t go to college. I went to work after high school. I did begin to learn to code at first as a hobby.” I waited for his judgement not that I care but…

“What do you to for work?” He pours more rose into my glass.

“I own a cyber security firm called the Asylum and I am also a software engineer,” I reach for my wine glass and take a sip.

He scoffs. “Your company is named after a mental institution. That’s fucking amazing. So, what are you like genius?”

“My mom and professors think so, but…”

“But?”

“But I have ADHD, and I have never taken a test to know.”

“So, no MENSA for you?” He waves at someone who is leaving.

“Not for me.”

“In high school were you popular?” Tarek drizzles some honey on a slice of pear. The honey falls on his thumb and he sucks it off. My insides squeezed while I was trying to concentrate on the question.

“In high school I was just chill. I wasn’t anything special to anyone. I did my schoolwork and chilled.”

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