Page 27 of What Happens in Dubai

‘Yes. I don’t need much. I’m sure the club will give us towels and things when we’re there. What do you think? Have you got the products for the shoot?’ I stopped briefly, rummaging through my bag of sun cream, AirPods and magazines, now feeling paranoid I had forgotten something.

‘Yes, I have the work things. Zara, what’s that?’ Raj pointed towards my swimming goggles dangling from the edge of the bag.

‘Goggles. For a swim,’ I shrugged and pressed them firmly back into the bottom of the bag, then continued towards the taxi line.

Raj laughed loudly behind me. ‘Oh, Zara, you never fail to make me laugh!’

The car drove the fifteen-minute journey towards Zero Gravity, and as we pulled up outside, I immediately understood Raj’s hilarity. The loud techno music echoed from afar, and I glared at my colourful Aztec ensemble and sensible plait and immediately felt self-conscious.

‘So when you said beach club, you meant … it’s a club.’

‘Yes,’ he laughed. ‘On a beach, of course.’

‘Great.’ I could feel my heart sink to the bottom of my masculine-looking shoes. ‘I feel a mess, Raj. I look like an enormous fucking wasp.’ I peered out of the taxi window, disheartened. ‘Look at all the other girls strolling in here with their fucking high heels and metal G-strings. I can’t go in like this.’

Raj let out an almighty frustrated sigh. ‘Zara, we’re in Dubai. You don’t know anyone here except me.Plus,you look great. Trust me. You will regret ruining a full day out in a fancy beach club because of your low self-esteem.’ I knew he was right and I didn’t want to ruin his day either but the thought of stripping down beside these perfect model girls made me shudder. ‘Besides, when that forty-degree heat hits at one o’clock, do you think the girls with the metal G-strings will be laughing then? I can foresee third-degree burns happening in places they should never be.’ He smiled and gently squeezed my hand.

‘You coming? Don’t leave me doing the robot by myself in there.’ He opened his door, and began getting out of the car.

‘Yes, of course,’ I simpered. I wiped my sweaty arse cheeks across the leather seat and followed a step behind my friend towards the Zero Gravity entrance.

I craved a relaxing day at the beach, I wanted to enjoy myself. I also knew I couldn’t let Raj down, so instead of hiding in the taxi, I took a deep breath of bravery and attempted to make the most of my day in the sunshine.

Chapter Ten

Zero Gravity was surreal. The freshness of the architecture combined with the banging music gave me goosebumps walking in, it was such a voguish vibe. The bar-restaurant area was entirely white, overlooking the pristine beach and ocean. Behind it stood the city and its soaring skyscrapers.

We were seated in the first row of loungers bordering the sand with the glass infinity pool just behind us. I couldn’t help but feel sad Ashley wasn’t here to experience this. She would have soaked it in, enjoying every photo opportunity and relishing the atmosphere. Raj and I got comfortable. I flipped off my sliders and watched Raj pull his shirt off.

‘Nice abs, boss,’ I giggled. I had never seen Raj with his top off and I had completely underestimated his body.Where has he been hiding that?I thought.

Raj jokingly stroked his trim, toned torso and lay back on the lounger.

‘Are you not taking that dress off? You must be boiling,’ he said.

‘No. I feel too heavy.’

Raj turned his head and pulled his shades down, shooting me a disappointed look, and then retired to his sunbathing.

I lay back in an attempt to get comfy but almost instantly could feel sweat stream down my face. My thighs were sticky too. I turned my head slightly and tried to take a discreet whiff of my oxters.Am I beginning to smell already?The temperature was unbearable, and it was only eleven in the morning.

‘Can we put the umbrella up, Raj? I’m too warm.’

‘Seriously? We’ve only just arrived. I’ve come to sunbathe, not sit in the shade.’ He looked over to my melting corpse. ‘Take that fucking dress off. You’re on a beach, and it’ll cool you down.’

I let out an angry grunt and attempted to open myOK!magazine. I was only a couple of lines into the first article when I saw my sweat drip down Molly-Mae’s face as I was trying to uncover the secret to her life with Tommy. I couldn’t bear it any longer. I stood up and tugged my dress off over my head, and sat back down.

‘Better?’ Raj asked.

‘Hmm … The umbrella would be even better. I can feel my scalp burning already,’ I tutted back.

‘Well, go to the shop and get a hat because that brolly ain’t going up, Zara.’

He sounded serious, and I began to count how many more hours I’d have to stay here. Three, maybe four. I would be a puddle of eyes and teeth by then. I stood up, unable to settle, and thrust my feet into my sliders frustratedly.

Raj sat up.

‘Where are you going?’ he demanded.

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