Chapter 735 I want you, Karmen
Karmen sat at a small table near the window of the café, slowly sipping the lemon tea he had ordered earlier. The warm drink had already cooled slightly, but he barely noticed as his attention drifted repeatedly to the watch on his wrist.
Aisha had asked him to meet her there. Yet she still hadn’t arrived.
He checked the time again, his brows drawing together slightly. With a quiet sigh, he picked up his phone and dialed her number. The call rang for several seconds before ending unanswered.
Karmen lowered the phone and set the cup back on its saucer.
’Did something happen?’ he wondered.
Just as he was about to stand up, preparing to leave the café and check outside, he spotted a Aisha approaching through the glass doors.
She was walking toward him with long, hurried strides.
Relief flickered across Karmen’s face as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and waited for her to reach the table.
“I’m really sorry for being late,” Aisha said the moment she arrived. She quickly pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, still slightly out of breath.
“It’s fine,” Karmen replied as he sat back down as well. A small smile touched his lips. “But you took quite a while. I started thinking something might have happened.”
Aisha brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face before explaining.
“I had just finished my work when they suddenly called for an urgent meeting,” she said. “And we were asked to leave our phones outside the conference room.”
She gave an apologetic look.
“Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to send you a message.”
Karmen waved it off lightly.
“It’s alright,” he assured her. “You’re here now.”
He picked up the menu card from the table and glanced through it.
“Shall we order something?” he asked with a small chuckle. “I’ve already had one lemon tea while waiting.”
Aisha leaned slightly forward to look at the menu as well.
“I’ll have a matcha tea,” she said after a moment. “And a slice of cheesecake.” Then she looked up at him. “What about you?”
Karmen smiled. “I’ll go with cheesecake too.”
After placing their order at the counter, Karmen returned to the table. A few minutes later, a server brought their drinks and slices of cheesecake, carefully setting them down before leaving them to their conversation.
Karmen stirred his tea absentmindedly before looking up at Aisha.
“So,” he said, leaning slightly forward, “why did you want to meet today?”
Aisha hesitated briefly, as if choosing her words carefully.
“Karmen… my parents are coming to visit me,” she began.
Karmen blinked in mild surprise. “Oh,” he murmured. “Then I suppose I shouldn’t come to your place for the next couple of days.”
He assumed she wanted to avoid any awkward situation. But Aisha shook her head gently.
“I was actually thinking about introducing you to them,” she said.
Karmen froze. For a moment he simply stared at her, completely caught off guard.
“Are… are you serious?” he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
Just a few days ago, Aisha had insisted that they keep their relationship private for a while. She had said she needed more time before letting anyone know.
Seeing his reaction, Aisha smiled faintly. “Karmen, I’m serious,” she replied. She folded her hands lightly on the table and continued.
“Mom and Dad will only be here for one night. They’ll leave the next day.”
Her eyes softened as she looked at him.
“They already know about you… But I want to introduce you to them properly. As my boyfriend.”
Karmen remained silent, still absorbing her words.
Aisha took a slow breath before speaking again, her voice more sincere now. “I think that with you by my side… I have found my happiness. In fact, ever since you came into my life, I’ve discovered a lot about myself, things I never really understood before.”
Karmen felt a strange feeling in his chest as he listened to her words. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
A warm, unfamiliar emotion slowly spread through him, making his throat feel slightly heavy. He had heard Gabriel talk about this feeling many times before, about how it felt to truly be loved by someone.
Back then, Karmen had never really understood what Gabriel meant.
But now, sitting across from Aisha and hearing her speak so openly, he finally began to understand.
“Karmen, let’s not hide our relationship anymore.” Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“You can tell your parents too,” Aisha continued softly.
She reached across the table and placed her hand gently over his, her fingers giving his hand a reassuring caress.
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she said with sincerity. “But I promise you something…”
She paused briefly before finishing her thought.
“If nothing else, I’ll always be the woman who listens to you… who comforts you… and who loves you.”
Karmen kept his gaze fixed on her, almost as if confirming that he had heard her correctly.
“Are you… confessing that you love me?” he asked.
Aisha nodded without hesitation. “Yes,” she replied simply.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she continued. “Even when I’m working, I catch myself thinking about you.”
She lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back up at him again.
“These feelings didn’t appear overnight,” she said honestly. “They’ve been growing little by little. I can’t keep lying to you… or to myself anymore. I want you, Karmen. And I want to move forward on this path with you because I’m in love with you. I found love again thanks to you.”
Karmen couldn’t sit and rose to his feet. Then, bending over the table, he kissed Aisha, not caring about the people present in the cafe. He simply wanted to kiss her, to tell her his longing that he had been hiding for many years, especially the affection he hid.