Hired To Be Mine

Chapter 10

As Eugene and Ana left, the atmosphere in the house completely changed. Ana didn't know what to make of the scene that was taking place in front of her. Zion, her second eldest was rambling on about something to Salim who was drying him off with a dry towel. Ryan looked a little scared, which wasn't a real surprise because he was always hesitant with strangers. What surprised Nicole was the admiration that shone in Ryan's eyes. He was looking at Salim expectantly. He was still wet though. Salim had dried off Ray first and was now drying Zion who couldn't keep his excitement over something in check. Ryan was holding himself beside Zion waiting for Salim to finish his brother and star drying him, which was a first.

The boys never depended on anyone for their needs. Neither for baths, nor for dressing themselves. They always did things themselves, and sometimes had each other to help themselves out, but never took any fourth person's help. So, seeing her son's willing to let Salim 'in' was too disturbing for Nicole.

She didn't know what to make out of it. She knew she shouldn't expect too much from Salim 'cause no matter how much the boys loved him, he can never replace their father. And she really can't ask him to do that either. So she stood there for a while and let the scene unfold in front of her.

As Salim moved to Ryan, the boy gave him a hesitant smile and let Salim towel dry him. Zion had this contented smile while he stared at Salim.

"Mama?" A small tug at her pajama pant made her look down only to find Ray standing at her foot draped in a towel with a curious look. "Who is that man?" the boy asked pointing at Salim who now pulled Zion and Ryan closer and was talking to them about something.

"He... is a friend baby" Nicole said getting down to his level and smiled brilliantly.

"Why is he here? And why didn't he leave when aunt Ana left?" Ray asked with a frown etched on his small forehead.

"Why baby? Don't you like him?" she asked her heart already feeling heavy with the thought of Ray not liking Salim.

"He is... nice" Ray said hesitantly. "Zion and Ryan like him too" he said.

"But... you don't like him" Nicole sighed. She didn't need her kids to spell it out for her, to understand what was going on in their minds.

"He is nice" Ray pouted.

"It is a good thing right?" she gently asked him.

"NO. I don't like him" Ray said shaking his head violently and ran off into his room. Nicole followed her gaze as he ran away past Salim who stared at him with a blank face. As soon as Ray ran past him, Zion and Ryan too followed him and soon disappeared into their room.

"What was that about?" Salim asked Nicole, to which she just shook her head and sighed.

"Coffee?" She asked knowing very well that Salim didn't drink tea but only Coffee with less milk and extra sugar.

******

"Ray" Ryan mumbled as he saw his brother pull a tee shirt over his head frantically.

"Ray" Zion snapped as he glared at his brother. "Why did you run away? Didn't mama tell you that it is bad to behave like that in front of guests?"

Ray mumbled something which was completely muffled because of the fabric of the tee shirt that was still over his head. Zion sighed and walked up to him and pulled it down so that his head came out of it.

"He is not a guest" Ray mumbled angrily as he ran to the door and shut it close.

"He int?" Ryan asked innocently as he stared at the now closed door and his brother who stood against it.

"Isn't Ryan... Isn't, say Isszzz....nnnntttt" Zion tried to make Ryan spell out the word 'Isn't',

"Eeeeeeessssnnnntt" Ryan repeated as Zion opened his mouth and showing Ryan how to press his tongue in between his teeth to get the sound right.

"See.. it isn't so bad after all" Zion said patting Ryan and gave him a proud smile. Ryan smiled shyly and started wearing his own clothes from the lower compartment of the shelf.

"So Ray... you were saying?" Zion asked turning his attention back to Ray, who sat on his bed fully dressed in a tee and shorts.

"Mama is going to marry him" he said with a pout.

"Eally?" Ryan asked with genuine excitement while Zion frowned at the way he said 'Really'.

"Yes. That's what happens when mom's bring a stranger man to meet her kids. She only has Aunty Simmer, Aunty Kelly and Aunt Ana as friends. He is not her friend and he is a man so yupp, he is going to marry momma", Ray said crossing his arms across his chest.

"But he is cute" Ryan mumbles "and s..sweet" he said looking at Ray, hopefully to let this go and accept the man as momma's new husband.

"But he is a man. Didn't you see that movie that we watched last Saturday when momma wasn't home... Z! What was that movie?" Ray asked Zion.

"hmmm.... the movie with that evil man who kills his wife and kids?" he asked his brother who nodded his head in a 'yes' "Step father" he said proudly because he was the only one who remembered the movie name while his brother's couldn't.

"we were not su..su..pose to watch that moee" Ryan mumbled frowning at his brothers, remembering that day when Ray and Zion fooled Aunt Ana and watched that movie in T.V which they weren't allowed to watch, while their mom was away for work.

"Yeah, that movie" Ray said ignoring Ryan, "Didn't you both see what happened to all those people. That man, Step father kills everyone. And that man" he said pointing to the closed door, "will be our Step father", he said emphasizing on the last word to Ryan.

"But Salim isn't a psycho" Zion said rolling his eyes at his brother.

"What if he is and he kills us all like that evil man in Stepfather?"

"He won't" Ryan said who was again ignored by his brothers.

" We will protect momma" Zion said irritated with his brother because he already liked Salim and did not want to see him as a psycho step father.

"But..." Ray was interrupted by a knock on the door.

****

"I will go get them for lunch. They barely ate anything since last night" Nicole said placing the coffee mug under the sink to rinse it before placing it in the dishwasher.

"No, let me. Why don't you serve the food, I will get them" Salim offered as he placed the coffee mug in the dishwasher and walked towards the boys' room.

So far, the day went surprisingly well. After the bath, boys felt really calm and peaceful. All they have to do is have a nice meal and good sleep and they will be back to their usual self. He knew how the boys must be feeling with the lack of a strong male figure to look up to. For a long time in his younger life, he felt the same voidness as well, with his father and uncles being busy with business and not taking any time for him. But soon he took the comfort of his friends and got over it.

And Salim was sure that at this tender age, it must be very difficult for the boys to understand why there was no father to them, or any grandfather or at least a distant uncle in their lives, while they watched other kids in park playing with their fathers and grandfathers. Jealousy and remorse could've easily sown their seeds into those innocent brains and thus turning them into rebels.

Knock Knock. He knocked on the door after taking a deep breath and slowly peered open the door. He saw that two of them were dressed while the other was still in the towel he wrapped around him.

"Hey guys, lets have some lunch shall we?" Salim said casually as he studied the boys. They looked almost similar with slight differences. They all had round faces and chocolate brown eyes with dark hair. But there were also slight differences among them which made them special than the other two. Like, Ray was the serious type. With one look Salim knew that Ray would be the calculating type who would show him hell before giving into him.

Where as Zion was the ever charming sweetheart who immediately warmed up to him. He even noted the way he helped out his brothers while they were in bath, like holding Ryan's hand who looked very nervous and scared. Or like cleaning the soap out of Ray's forehead before it could reach his eyes, and he even helped Salim out by telling him that they three had different soaps and which one belonged to whose.

He looked at Ryan, immediately recognizing him by his expressions as he stood beside Ray and nervously looked up at him. Salim gave him a warm genuine smile and motioned his out.

Slowly the Ray and Ryan walked out while Zion hurried with his clothes. Salim walked to the table where Nicole was almost done with setting up the cutlery.

"Z!" she called out for Zion as she helped Ray and Ryan into their high seats. Zion quickly ran to his mother, now fully dressed and was quickly placed into his seat.

*****

Nicole had no idea what to say to break the silence. There was an awkward silence at the table other than the sound of the spoons and forks Salim and Nicole used. She would scold Ray for playing with food, Zion to stop stuffing his mouth with so much food at once and Ryan to stop fussing and finish his greens.

"Cho?" Zion said as he swallowed a piece of bread into his mouth,,

"Z!" Nicole scolded gently reminding him not to talk with his mouth full. He gave her a sheepish smile and swallowed before resuming his talk.

"So? Salim?" he said, and Salim looked up from his plate. She wondered what he was thinking about, he was so silent since he sat down to eat. He hummed for Zion to continue.

"Are you married?" Ray asked immediately before Zion could open his mouth. Zion glared at Ray which went unnoticed by the latter. Where as Ryan stuffed his mouth with a piece of lettuce and started chewing on it roughly.

"No" Salim said pretty shaken by the sudden question.

"Do you have any dead kids or Wife?" he asked curiously and it was Nicole who gasped in surprise. Her three year old son was asking her boss whether he had a dead family.

"I... uh... no" Salim said as he stared at Ray who was scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes.

"You hesitated" Ray accused pointing his little fore finger at him.

"Ray!" Nicole snapped at her son but he was too determined to bother.

"I did not" Salim said defensively as he shuffled in his seat uncomfortably.

"You did" Ray said

"Ray stop it right now!" Nicole ordered and gave him 'no more arguments' look which immediately shut him up. "And now apologize"

He mumbled something which sounded like sorry but didn't look up at Salim or his mom after that.

She apologized to Salim which he brushed off with a smile and studied her kids. Ray seemed to be angry while Ryan looked sad and Zion lost in his own thoughts. Only God knew how difficult it is to raise three boys that too those with different mentalities and same age at once. She thought as the boys finished their meals.

"Now stay here and behave while I go and change the sheets on you bed", she said with a finality in her tone which didn't let her sons to counter.

****

Salim was amazed at how the boys listened to her when she ordered them to behave. Even Ray remained quite and not hostile towards him anymore. They were sitting on the couch while Salim sat on a love seat directly opposite to them with just a coffee table separating them. Ryan stole a few glances at him but mostly kept looking at his naked feet.

Salim was so deep in his thoughts during lunch that he barely noticed the kids and when Ray started asking him all those weird questions he was too dumbstruck to make a reply. But he knew he had to answer anything they ask, because he owed it to them.

"So, you guys got any more questions for me?" He asked running a hand through his hair.

"Yupp" Ray said looking straight into his eyes. Salim gave an amused smile as he looked at the three year old trying to intimidate him with such lovely adorable chocolate brown eyes.

"Well, ask away" he said leaning forward,

"Why are you to my mom exactly?" Ray asked

"I'm her boss but I like her and I want to be her boy friend, you know... like..." Salim trailed off not knowing how to explain to the kids what 'Boyfriend' mean

"like marrying her?" Zion asked curiously.

Salim was a bit taken back with that question. Yes, he wanted Nicole in her life as more than a girlfriend. And yes, he has started to see a future with her, but marriage? He wasn't even sure whether he loved her or not.

He realized a while back that there was nothing like true love which can't be gotten over with. He thought he loved Anya once so much that he almost gave up his Casanova ways for her and was ready for settling down, but it didn't take long for his to get over her. Yeah, he missed her and suffered a lot, but eventually he got over her. Now, he doesn't even feel anything remotely 'love' kinda feeling towards her.

So, what was this that he felt towards Nicole? He liked her, okay its more than like, but love? Did he love her? And was he really thinking of marriage? Again? And will it be worth it? Or will history repeat once again? He had no clue.

"I.. uh.." he stammered as he stared at the three who looked at him expectantly. Even Ryan was looking at him with hope along with Zion. And Ray, though had a curious look on his face, his eyes shown with an emotion only can be described as 'hope'.

How could he answer to their question without knowing the answer himself?

"Boys!" Nicole's voice put him out of his misery, literally. He was glad for the interruption as the three boys' concentration shifted to their mother who was motioning them towards their bed. Salim's gaze followed them as they reluctantly got up from the couch and walked towards the room which was now tidied up.

"Have a good sleep, I'm right here" she said as she flicked the lights off as soon as the boys got into their respective beds and closed the door leaving it slightly open to let some light in.