Chapter 59

                                    

                                          
*
They headed to the McDonald's on 3rd Avenue, just two blocks away. Adnan ordered a 'Double Pounder with Cheese Deluxe', while Afrah ordered the 'Quarter Pounder'. They also got 'Hot Caramel Sundaes' to go with the burgers, and a side of fries. 
                          
"You should have gone for a 'Big Mac'," he said, eyeing her 'Quarter Pounder' with a look of disdain. 
                          
"Don't trash-talk my burger," Afrah said as she took a bite. "You and I have very different stomachs."
                          
Adnan turned his nose up as he took a bite from his own burger. "Anyway," he said, "I was hoping we could take a tour of Fifth Avenue today. If there's still time, we can head over to Central Park afterwards. We can go to the zoo, the lake, or Strawberry Fields. I'm sure you'd love them."
                          
"What about Chris?" Afrah raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her irritation at the thought of him butting in on their honeymoon. 
                          
"Don't worry about him," Adnan waved dismissively. "We'll be done with him in a short while. Then you and I can spend the entire day together."
                          
A tantalizing tingle spread through her entire body at the thought. 
                          
"Son of the devil," Adnan muttered under his breath as he looked past Afrah. Right before Afrah turned to see what had caught his attention, she saw his face spread into a wide grin. 
                          
The man walking towards them was huge; like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson huge. 
                          
Well, technically speaking, no man is close to The Rocks's physique. But Chris could definitely vie for second place. His shoulders were insanely broad, his deltoids slanting downwards at a sharp angle. He looked like someone who spent the majority of his day at the gym, while daydreaming about the gym for the rest of the day. 
                          
His hair was cut into a decent fade, tapering off towards the top. He was clean-shaven, his jawline sharp and frighteningly straight. He had a double chin, which did nothing to diminish his masculinity. 
                          
"Are my eyes deceiving me or is that the legend himself?" he laughed, his voice booming and causing several people to turn and look at him. 
                          
"Shut up, Chris," Adnan chuckled as he leaned back into his seat, his eyes glinting with a tinge of familiarity. He usually looked that way whenever he was around his friends. 
                          
Chris grabbed a chair from the table beside them, drawing it towards their own table. Pulling off the black leather jacket he was wearing, he threw it over the back of the chair and sat on it backwards, the way most American cops do when they're interrogating someone. 
                          
"Where you been at, homeboy?" Chris laughed as he slapped Adnan's hand loudly. They did a very complicated movement with their hands, which baffled Afrah even after they pulled away. 
                          
"I could ask you the same question," Adnan replied. "Donnie tells me no one sees you around anymore. Is everything okay?"
                          
"I've been good, man," he shrugged, reaching for Adnan's fries and throwing five into his mouth at the same time. "Work just been keeping me busy."
                          
A shadow passed over Adnan's eyes, but he shook it off quickly. "Tyrone?"
                          
"Yeah," Chris shrugged. "Homeboy thought he could sneak back into town. But I've been watching his ass. If he tries anything stupid again, I'll handle it."
                          
Eager to deviate the topic, Adnan turned towards Afrah. 
                          
"Where are your manners, by the way?" He frowned at Chris. 
                          
"Back at the shop," he chuckled. "What? You need to borrow them for a sec?"
                          
Adnan shot him a death glare before he gestured towards Afrah. "This is my wife, Afrah," he said. "Afrah, this is Chris. He's the idiot I was telling you about."