He Loves Me Weightless

| 9 |

Who is that?" The words tumbled out of my lips, my voice cracking as the female's voice rang in my head.

He told me he didn't have a girlfriend.

"Who?" He asked, further jabbing my heart. I let out a humorless laugh, shaking my head. Tears trickled down my face involuntarily and I moved to wipe them.

"I don't even know why I'm-"

"Katerina? What's wrong?" He asked, stepping closer. I held up my hands, stopping him.

"It doesn't matter," I whispered. The female yelled for him again and he rolled his eyes.

"I said I'm coming! Give me a minute," he yelled over his shoulder before turning to me with a worried frown. "Katerina? Talk to-"

"ASIM JUSTIN AMAN!!!" He let out a growl, rocking on his heels.

"Will you give me a minute, please?" My mouth gape in shock as he hurried back into the room furthest from mine.

"Alright, I'll give you a minute. I'll give you more than a minute," I muttered under my breath, wiping the tears. I hurried to the elevator, ignoring Collins calling me. Luckily, it opened for me just in time.

I pressed for ground floor. I don't know where I was going. I'd probably end up on the beach and maybe I'd let the sunburn kill me.

I took off my shoes when I was nearing the ocean with a crowd of happy people. I dumped myself in a bench away from everyone else and let the tears consume me.

First it was Chase and now it's Asim. I should have learnt my lesson the first time, but no. Katherine is too trusting.

Ugh, I really am pathetic.

I don't know how long I sat there until someone plopped down next to me. I didn't look at them.

"Katherine Bassett?" The person said. I turned to her and didn't recognize her.

"Who's asking?" I asked. She smiled, holding her hand for me to shake.

"Kajol," she said. I shook her hand, a little confused as to why she'd introduce herself to me. "So you're the famous Bassett heiress my brother's been talking about," she said.

"Your brother?" I frowned.

"Yeah, Asim," she said. "Gosh, he wouldn't stop talking about you all morning," she rolled his eyes. "You'd swear you are his first crush," she said.

"What?" I was confused as hell.

"Kajol, what lies are you feeding her now?" I tensed when I heard Asim behind us. Kajol rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I don't need to lie about you, brother. You were born a joke," she said and ducked when he tried to ruffle her hair. She looked younger than Asim. Now that I think about it, I have no idea how old Asim is.

It dawned on me then. The voice. It was her. God, I'm so stupid for jumping to conclusions. It was her sister all along and I thought it was his girlfriend.

I looked away, laughing to myself. I worked myself up for nothing.

"Don't forget. Mom wants us at home on Friday, for the Holi," Kajol said. "I'm leaving now. Did you do what I asked you to do?"

"How can I not when you were pestering me like the little brat you are," he rolled his eyes and ducked when she attempted to kick him.

Then they switched to their language. I watched as they banter with each other and before I knew it, she was leaving.

"It was nice meeting you, Katherine," she said. I smiled at her, silently scolding myself for being jealous of her. I mean, she's drop dead gorgeous, like her brother. If she was anything but a sister, I would have been beyond jealous.

I looked down as Asim settled down next to me, still in his sweatpants only. He was distracting. I can't look at him without looking at his chest.

We sat in silence for too long until he took my hand in his. The gesture warmed me up and I looked up at him.

"Are you going to tell me what happened back there, Katerina?" He asked gently, bringing my hand to his lips. I blushed, looking away.

"It's embarrassing," I admitted shyly.

"Try me," he said.

I sighed, biting on my lower lip. "Well...I heard your sister calling you and thought that...she was your girlfriend," I said slowly. I waited for him to laugh at me, but nothing happened. I dared a look at him.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you about her. She came in last night. My home is 2-3 hours away and so I stay at this hotel, since it's closer to work," he said softly. "I'm really sorry, Katerina," he kissed my knuckles one by one, his grey eyes piercing mine.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't really have you telling me everything when we've just met," I sighed. "I guess I let my insecurities get the best of me."

"Insecurities?" He frowned. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter," I said looking at the wild yet calm ocean ahead of us.

"Okay, I'll let this slide. For now. What about this morning?" He asked. I groaned, having completely forgotten. "Did I say something offensive?"

"No, you didn't." I said quickly. "I just...I was overwhelmed, I guess and...I assumed the worst,"

"And what is the worst?" I bit my lip, looking away. "Tell me, Katerina," he pressed.

"Uh, okay." I took in a deep breath. "Well, I'm a little- okay, maybe not a little- insecure about many things. Like my body," he looked me up and down. "And so when I meet someone- you in this case- I question a lot of things. Whether you like me the way I am or not? Whether you are only interested in me because of my dad and stuff. It's just ridiculous stuff-"

"Don't ridicule yourself, Katerina," he said softly, squeezing my hand in a reassuring manner.

"Right. Well, this morning, when you said that...you didn't mean to touch me, I thought that maybe you were disgusted by me and..." I trailed off, looking down. This is going to sound so weird when I say it out loud.

"And what?" He pressed gently.

I looked up at him and let out a shaky breath. "I thought that maybe you don't want to sleep with me," I admitted sheepishly. "Because of how I look. It's not that I wanted you to sleep with me," ugh, what am I saying. "Maybe I did. But that's not the point. My point is, even though we wouldn't have done anything, I would have felt better knowing you wanted me that way," I said.

He sat there, stunned to silence. I felt like vomiting. I wanted the whole world to squash me to death at this point. I'm literally begging him to f**k me.

"I-I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. This is all ridiculous. I'm sorry. I'm just going to go back-" he yanked me back down gently.

"Katerina?" He called me calmly.

"Yes...Asim?" I didn't dare look into his eyes.

"You really need to stop running away," he said. I looked up at him, confused. "I kissed you yesterday. I was sober and in the right state of mind. I kissed you even after seeing you," he said his eyes unwavering. "I meant it when I said I like you," my breath hitched in my throat. "I do. I like you a lot," he leaned in slowly, knocking what was left of my breath.

Sighing, he looked ahead of us. "I didn't know you were insecure about yourself, Katerina. With the way you carry yourself, I wouldn't have known. You're so...confident in your own skin, it's...it's magical. Really. I liked that you're outspoken, witty and intelligent," he turned to me. "You just...you intrigued me, Katerina.

Did it not occur to you that I liked your body first. It sounds wrong, I know. It's human instincts. You get attracted to what you see first before looking at other things," he said. I blinked.

"You have no idea how hard it was for me...not to touch you. I wanted to respect your privacy and not come across as...perverted, and your friend wasn't helping my case either," he said with a chuckle. I frowned then remembered what Collins told me.

"You heard them?" I asked, giggling. He groaned.

"She's a little loud," he admitted, scrunching his face, blushing. I laughed, snorting in the process. He laughed at me. "Was that a snort I heard, Katerina?" He teased me. I swatted his arm.

"I don't want you to overthink things, Katerina. You have no idea how much it bugged me seeing you cry, thinking I might have done something wrong," he said softly. "Tell me if you're feeling like this, so I know what I'm working with, okay?" I nodded.

"I'm sorry," I said guilty.

"As for your body, Katerina," he looked me up and down, his eyes visibly lustrous. I shivered despite the hot weather. "You have no idea what I see. Honestly, there's nothing to be insecure about. You're perfect," he said cupping my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. "My kind of perfect," he whispered. He leaned in until our lips were glazing but not touching. It was sweet torture. "You have no idea what you do to me, Katerina," he whispered hoarsely and I felt my body come alive. He grabbed one of my hands and guided it to his stomach. I gasped as he lowered it to his pants, right on his erection. A throaty moan resonated from deep within. "Feel that? It's all you," he said keeping my hand there.

My moan was muffled by his lips claiming mine. I basked in the kiss, letting him take the lead. We kissed until we had to pull back for air. His thumbs rub circles on my cheeks.

"Go out with me," he said. I pulled back to look at him with a playful frown.

"Is this how you ask girls out in this place?" I giggled when he blushed.

"It's been a long time, okay?" He said with a playful eye roll. "Will you? Go out with me?" He turned to me with hopeful eyes.

"Don't you have to rest for work though?" I inquired.

"Don't worry about me," he said shrugging me off. I gave him a look. "It'll only be a few hours," he negotiated. I bit my lip, prolonging his torture.

"Okay," I said with a nod. "I'd like to go out with you, Asim," I can't believe I'm doing this. I feel so giddy.

"Great. I'll pick you up in...an hour? 30 seconds?" He said.

"Hey, I have to get ready, okay? You don't give a lady 30 seconds," I said.

"Yes ma'am," he said pulling me to him. He kissed me again.

"What do I wear?" I asked pulling back.

He eyed my outfit for a second. "As much as I love the outfit, I'd say something...that covers you up pretty good. The UAE is mostly populated by Muslims, so try and not show too much skin, okay?" He said.

"Of course. I understand," I said.

●

"You're really going on a date with him?" Collins asked me as she sat, one knee propped up on the couch.

"Yeah, I guess." I said, fixing my sundress. I had opted for one of my long sundresses. I loved these dress because they were loose and didn't show my body shape and...well, they are cute as hell. I had about four of them.

I had opted for a yellow one with sunflowers and a denim half jacket. My back would be exposed, so I have to cover up. Collins tied my hair up in a cute ponytail with strands adorning my face. She went on put light makeup on.

"Okay, how do I look?" I turned to her. She scrunched her face.

"Like you're going on a walk in the middle of the Sahara desert," my face fell. "Why can't you wear one of the fancy dresses, you know, show off your curves," she whined. She didn't like my dresses and described them as 'plain'.

"It's too hot outside, Collins. Plus this is a very religious place. I can't show too much skin," I said.

"Oh s**t, I forgot about that," she admitted. "Okay, I'll let you off the hook this time." She pointed an accusing finger at me. I blew air kisses at her just as someone knocked on the door. My heart jumped.

"Okay, I think that's him," I whispered, grabbing my bag. I walked to the door and opened it slowly. Our eyes met and his widened as he took me in. I took the chance to look at him as well. He had on white jeans and a black short sleeve shirt that had...coincidentally yellow patterns. The biceps strained against the sleeves in a delicious way.

"You're looking beautiful, Katerina," he said softly, finding my eyes again.

"Thank you," I said, blushing hard. "You too," I added, then mentally groaned. "I mean that, you look...great," yummy. "Not beautiful. Well, either way," damn, what am I doing. "Sorry, I'm blabbering," I admitted with a nervous laugh, which was met with his chuckle.

"Shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand for me to take.

"Uh, Dylan. I'm heading out. I'm sure Collins isn't going anywhere, I think," I said to Dylan.

"I've been instructed to stay with you," he said pushing himself off the wall he was leaning in and walking over to me.

"What my dad doesn't know, won't kill him," I said. "Besides, if anything happens," I hooked my arm around Asim's, purposefully gripping his biceps, "Asim is with me," I said. He nodded, agreeing with me.

Before he could say anything, the door swung open and Collins peeked out. When she took in the scene before her, she winked at me.

"I got this," she said with a sly smile and turned to Dylan, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Collins grabbed his collar and yanked him into the room. I stared wide eyed at her. She winked again. "Have fun," she said before closing the door.

I looked up at Asim who wore the same expression as mine. We burst out laughing and headed out.

"What did I just witness?" Asim inquired as we walked into the elevator.

"Oh, don't worry yourself. She knows exactly what she's doing," I said. He took my hand in his then.

"Your hands are really soft," he said looking down at our intertwined hands. I looked up at him.

"Oh, you know, chubby hands are the s**t," I said.

"Damn right they are," he said leaning down to kiss me. I giggled, holding the side of his face, kissing him back. I froze when someone cleared his throat. We turned to see the elevator doors wide open and three people looking at us like we grew seconds heads. I flushed deeply and looked down. Asim spoke in the language I didn't understand and we stepped out. Once the elevator doors closed, we burst into fits of laughter.

He walked me to a parking lot, where his car was. It was an open Jeep.

"Is this your ride?" I asked him.

"It's boring, I know," he said with a shrug.

"No, I think it's cool," I said quickly. He went to open the small door for me. "It's giving me the Hawaii vibes, you know," he arched a brow at me. "That was random. But seriously, I think I like it. Especially for the hot weather," I said. "Although, I'm not sure how to get in," I said eyeing the tall step.

"Let me help you," he saw walking behind me.

"What-"

"Turn around and face me," he said. My heart hammered away as I turned to face him. He placed his hands on my waist.

"Asi-" I screamed when I was hoisted into the air until my bum landed on the chair. I was breathing heavily. "Oh my God, you almost gave me a heart attack," I said, one hand going to my chest.

"Relax. I got you," he said, holding me in place.

"How did you even do that?" I asked him, still in shock.

"Baby," he said with a smirk as he closed the distance, looking up at me. "I don't know who told you that you're heavy," he said pulling me in for a kiss that left me breathless. "That person is a weakling and doesn't know how to treat a lady," he whispered against my lips before kissing me again. I couldn't help the moan as he squeezed my waist gently.

I was left speechless. He'd handled me so easily. Just like Chase had-

Fuck.

Asim got in the driver's seat and started the car.

"Are you okay?" Asim asked me, taking my hand to give it a light kiss. I smiled at him.

"Yeah," I said.

"Are you not feeling hot in that jacket?" He said eyeing the denim jacket I had on.

"Well, the dress is an open back, so I was trying to cover up. My hair's not that long," I said.

"You can take it off. If it gets too hot, don't hesitate to take it off, okay?" He said. I nodded. "So you didn't tell me you're the famous Bassett heiress. Had to hear it from my sister," he said with an easy smile, looking at me sideways as he drove with one hand.

"I'm pretty sure I mentioned it at the club. Well, my surname. I thought you knew," I said. "Does it really matter?"

"Honestly, it didn't register to me until my sister mentioned. You know she follows you on i********:. I remember her mentioning one of the photos of you, lying down on the grass. She was really into it," he said.

"Wait, really? Am I that famous?" I asked in disbelief.

"Your father is a Millionaire, Katerina. It's automatic the world would know about you," he said.

"Are you talking about this photo?" I asked showing it to him. He turned to look and gawked. When I pulled my arm back, he stopped me.

"Oh wow," he said. "Now I know why she wouldn't stop talking about it," he said.

"Hey, you're going to crash. Focus," I said giggling.

"It's not my fault you're a distraction," he said. I laughed, shaking my head. He was making me feel all sorts of things.

"So where are we going Mr I'm-Easily-Distracted?" I asked him.

"I made a few calls and got us a spot on the boat going out in...15-20 minutes," he said looking at his watch.

"Really?" I squealed.

"You sound excited," he said his smile widening.

"I am," I said jumping in my seat. Ugh, I feel like a small child. Asim laughed at me, kissing my hand. The gesture made my heart flutter.

●

"Okay, are you ready?" He asked me as we made our way.

"Yes!" I said.

We made it into the boat. I let out a squeal when I looked down at the little space between the ground and the boat. Asim took both my hands and walked into the boat.

"I got you. Come on," he said. "Slowly," I stepped a foot in and then the other and I was in. I waited for the boat to crumble beneath me, gripping Asim's biceps tightly. When nothing happened, I relaxed, looking up at Asim who smiled encouragingly at me. "You're okay," he said kissing my cheek in front of all these people. I blushed.

"I'm in!" I squealed making him chuckle.

"You're so adorable," he said kissing my forehead then. Oh God, this man with PDA. I'm about to explode from all the heat.

"Can I take my jacket off? I'm feeling a little hot," I said looking around.

"Of course," he said helping me off the jacket. We walked over to a stand where there were a group of women holding out flowers.

"I want one," I said. They gave me a yellow sunflower necklace to drape around my neck. Then they spoke in a foreign language and I looked to Asim for help. He spoke with them on my behalf. One woman knelt down behind the the table stand and came out with a sun hat. Asim took it and nodded at them, saying something. He put the hat over my head.

"They were asking if you'd like the hat, for the heat," he said.

"Oh, thank you," I said to them, even though I'm sure they wouldn't understand me. Asim spoke with them and they smiled at me, nodding their heads. I did the same. "Ugh, I feel so useless. I feel like I should know at least one other language," I groaned as we explored the boat.

"You have me, Katerina. No need to worry," he said smiling at me.

"You won't always be with me, Asim," I pouted. We walked over to the benches and sat, looking at the ocean. "It's so beautiful," I gushed, sighing deeply.

"Yeah, it is," he said. I looked at him to see he was looking at me and not the ocean.

"I meant the water, Asim," I said.

"I know," he said not taking his eyes off me. I giggled, shaking my head.

"How long will we be here?"

"The whole day," he said. I gaped at him. He burst out laughing. "A couple of hours. Maybe 3," he said.

"Don't do that to me," I nudged him lightly. We sat in a comfortable silence, looking everything, occasionally pointing at something that caught our eye. Asim told me about interesting facts about Dubai.

"So, Are you Hindi or Muslim?" I asked him.

"Both," he said. I frowned. "My mother's Hindi, from South Africa, like I told you. My dad's Arabic. We do both Hindi and Muslim rituals when needed. Like this Friday, it is Holi. It's a Hindi festival," he said. "But I chose Islam as my religion, though I haven't...been into it lately," he admitted.

"Your name. What does it mean?"

"Asim means protector of Allah," he said.

"That's beautiful," I said. "Do I call you Asim or Justin?" I asked. He arched a perfect bushy brow at me.

"Where did-Kajol," he rolled his eyes. "You can call me whatever you want, Katerina," he smiled. I pondered over that.

"I like Asim better," I said. That made his smile widen.

"And I like you too," he said. I giggled.

"Are you always this cheesy?"

"Only to the ones I like," he said kissing my hand. We were interrupted by my phone ringing. I rummaged through my bag, looking for it.

"s**t! It's my dad," I said my eyes widening. "Hi daddy," I greeted him.

"Hello my baby," he said calmly. "Tell me why Dylan is not with you?" I gulped. Asim eyed me worriedly.

"Because I...needed some privacy?" I said.

"Where are you?" He asked. "Tell me exactly where you are, Princess," I rolled my eyes.

"I'm on a boat, in the middle of the ocean," I said.

"What?! What are you doing there? With who?" He asked frantic. I heard shuffling.

"Dad, calm down. I'm with...Asim, on a date," I said slowly.

"Who is Asim? How come I don't know about this Asim person?" He said. "Princess, did you say date?" I groaned.

"Dad, you wouldn't have let me go. And...I like Asim," I turned to him.

"You like him, huh? Is he a Muslim boy?" He asked.

"Yes dad," I said.

"You're dating Muslim boys now?" He said.

"Dad! What's wrong with him being a Muslim?" I frowned.

"Oh nothing. I'm not against them. It's just...unusual. How long will you be with this boy?" He asked me.

"The whole day," I teased him and heard Asim chuckling under his breath.

"Princess, don't tempt me. I'm already craving a good punch," he said through gritted teeth. I burst out laughing.

"I'm just messing with you daddy. It's only a few hours, maybe 3. And we're not punching Asim," I scolded him.

"Ugh, you're a buzzkill. Just be careful, okay?" He sighed.

"Yes daddy," I smiled. He gave in pretty fast.

"And that boy better not touch my little Princess," he said.

Oh God, Dad!" I flushed. I'm so not having this conversation with him. "We're literally on our first date," I said.

"You'd be surprised to know we didn't go on any date with your mother and look at you," he said- more like grumbled under his breath.

"Dad, ew. Too much information," I scrunched my face. "I did not need to hear that. I'm hanging up now," I said shuddering.

"Bye baby. Be safe, okay?"

"Okay," I said before hanging up.

"So I'm getting a punch, huh? Great," he said, rubbing his neck nervously.

"Dad jokes, don't worry about it," I said.

"It's not really a joke if you're a dad," he said.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll nurse you," I said.

"It doesn't," he said. "But I'll take it," he said.

●

UNEDITED

Again, no offense intended and please assist. Twanks?❣