He found her just a ten-minute walk from his door.
‘You shouldn’t be here at night on your own,’ James said, and he sat on a bench beside her. She could not bring herself to look at him so she looked at the park that she loved where she had for a little while believed she’d belonged.
‘The only thing that scares me about this night is that I’ll believe your lies and your excuses...’ She turned very briefly and it hurt too much to look at his cheating face so she turned away. ‘I see you’ve gone off blonde women since you met me,’ Leila sneered in disgust.
‘Yep.’
‘Well, was she worth it?’
‘Actually, no,’ James said, and he caught the hand that came to meet him. ‘It was Manu...’
‘I don’t need her name,’ Leila said, and she crumpled because even in their darkest row he sat patiently beside her.
‘She’s been trying to help me so that I can contact your brother, so I can ask him to speak with your family.’
‘In a hotel room?’ Leila challenged. ‘I heard you talking. I heard you laughing...’
‘In a business suite,’ James said. ‘Manu’s sitting parked at The Harrington in case you go there.’
‘You come home stinking of perfume...you are laughing with another woman behind closed doors...’
‘She was laughing at me, Leila,’ James said, and something in his voice made her turn around and she watched as he gritted his teeth and then made himself say it.
He took a breath, forced the words out.
‘Ana ata’allam al arabiyya.’
She didn’t laugh as he told her that he had been learning Arabic. She just stared and did not feel a fool for believing him.
‘You’ve been doing that for me?’
‘I was hoping that I might be able to speak with your father. I didn’t want to tell you because honestly, at times, Leila, I’m not sure if I am ever going to be able to speak it well enough. I didn’t want you to get your hopes up and I didn’t want you laughing at my attempts.’