Dancing in Disguise

In the study room of Qaiser Residence, Ahmer stood in front of Suhail Qaiser, the President of Aslanistan and his father. Tall and bulky at 55, Suhail was the last person anyone wanted to anger and Ahmer had just done that. His father’s blue eyes bore into his soul, promising a storm just waiting to be unleashed. Beside him, Rahila, his mother, sat, her silver eyes glancing between him and his father, her long black hair neatly tied into a bun. Ammar stood near the door, trying but failing to keep a smirk off his face.

“Why did you leave?” Suhail asked Ahmer with a frown on his face.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” Ahmer replied.

“Not feeling well?” Suhail’s voice rose, his frown deepening, “Is that the best excuse you can come up with?”

“The party was almost over, there was nothing much to do.”

“Really? You don’t think it’s important that you spend time with your future wife? That you show a united front to Aslanistan. That you do not do anything that could put a dent in this alliance between us and the Raees family?”

“I’m marrying her just like you want me to. What else do you need from me?”

Suhail stood up and banged the table, “I need you to get out of this shell you keep crawling back into and step up for the family!”

“Please calm down, Suhail. He understands his mistake,” Rahila tried to placate Suhail.

“Don’t defend him!” Suhail lashed at Rahila, “Your pampering is the reason he thinks he can get away with stunts like these.” Suhail turned back to Ahmer, “Do you think you’re doing us a favour by marrying Saad’s daughter? You are the one who benefits most from this! You were supposed to be the center of attention at the event, but you disappeared!”

“I never asked for any of it!”

“And what exactly do you want? To stay shut in that damn room of yours? Grow up! You have a legacy to uphold. You come from a long line of leaders, of achievers. When I’m gone, it will be up to you and Ammar to uphold the Qaiser name. Ammar may be a fool, but he at least tries, you are not even doing that much.”

“If that’s how you feel, then why do you keep pushing me?” Ahmer retorted.

“Because you can be so much more!” Suhail took a deep breath, “You can be greater than I ever was, but you keep squandering your potential. And for what?”

“I’m just not cut out for politics. Why can’t you see that?”

“What else are you good for then?”

“I-”

“Do not talk about your silly sketches!”

“Then I guess I’m good for nothing.” Ahmer turned around and left the room.

“Where are you going? We are not finished!”

“Why did you shut him down like that?” Rahila asked, “You know how sensitive he is.”

“What am I going to do with that boy?” Suhail sighed, brushing his silver hair.

“Let him make his cartoon or whatever,” Ammar said, “You don’t need two sons to handle your legacy, I can take over your party once you retire.”

“If only your brain matched your enthusiasm,” Suhail sighed again, “Instead of trying to one-up your brother, you should be advising him. Your uncle and I don’t always see eye to eye, but he would never try to undermine me.”

“It’s not like I haven’t tried,” Ammar shrugged, ”But he just isn’t interested. He still hasn’t signed up for the college student council election.”

“He did what?”

“Let’s talk to him tomorrow,” Rahila tried to pacify Suhail, “He is already upset.”

“I thought getting married would give him some sense of responsibility, but he just refuses to change.”

“It will take time, I’m sure that once he gets to know Ruqsana better, he’ll warm up to the idea of marriage.”

“They’ll be coming tomorrow for lunch, right? Make sure you get Ahmer to behave at his best.”

“Good luck with that,” Ammar chimed in, “It’ll be a miracle to get bhaijaan to talk about anything.”

Finally done with his father’s tirade, Ahmer decided it was time to become Prince for tonight. It may seem overkill, but he had learned just how recognizable his face was the first time he snuck away from home. Creating social media buzz for going to the movies after midnight with friends was not his idea of fun. Besides, being Prince always helped him recover from a bad mood. Being just another boy in a crowd and not Ahmer Qaiser gave him a sort of freedom that he had come to enjoy.

Sneaking out was rather easy. He just needed to shut his door, change into his disguise, and use the hidden passage behind his wardrobe, left behind by the Qaisers of old. This would make his family assume that he had shut himself in, like usual.

The passage led to a park in the neighbourhood, which was usually empty at this time, though Prince always made sure to check for people nearby before exiting. His second-hand bike was parked nearby, though he wouldn’t be needing it today because he was strolling through the City Center, which was within walking distance.

The City Center was renowned for housing some of the world's tallest buildings. Its streets were still busy, even at night, buzzing with tourists and office workers. A crowd was forming at the Amphitheater section, barely giving enough space to go through.

‘Oh right, there’s a concert today,’ Prince remembered, ‘It’s going to get even more crowded, it might be better to go back to my room.’ Prince turned around but bumped into someone.

“Hey! Watch it!” The lady said.

“Sorry! Are you alright?” Prince apologized.

“Prince?” She asked.

“Roxy!” Prince recognized her, “What are you doing here?”

“I was free, so I thought I could explore the City Center. Is it usually this crowded?”

“No, there’s an open-air concert tonight.”

“That explains why it’s so crowded at night.”

“It’s usually busy but not so crowded. There are lots of corporate offices and shopping malls in the area, but I’m guessing you’re here to visit Jamal Tower or Rayan Towers, right?”

“Yeah, will they be crowded too?”

“Probably, you can see the Amphitheater from there if you don’t get space here.”

“Well, that’s a shame. I was hoping to get a night view. Do you know which band is performing?”

“I believe it’s Demolish.”

“Oh, I love their songs, but I didn’t realize they were this popular.”

“They’ve been doing well recently. I heard they’ll be performing at AniCon next week.”

“It looks like they’re about to start. I can’t see them properly. If I had known they were going to perform, I’d have come earlier.”

“I know a spot.”

“Won’t the tower be crowded too?”

“It’s a different spot. Just follow me.” Prince led Roxy through crowded streets to a restaurant with a rooftop terrace. The terrace had a view of the amphitheater from the right side, which made for a slightly awkward angle, but the performance was audible.

“This is nice,” Roxy said, “It’s not crowded and the view is perfect.”

“You ought to try their food too.”

“Sir, would you like to order?” A waitress asked.

“One chicken shawarma meal with falafel and laban, what will you have?” Prince asked Roxy.

“Same.” She replied.

The waitress took their order and went to the kitchen. They quietly watched Demolish perform with Roxy cheering now and then. Prince also enjoyed the songs and vibes of the concert. Their meal arrived just as there was an intermission in the performance.

“This is so good,” Roxy complimented the shawarma.

“It’s one of the best, especially in this price range.”

“Do you come here often?”

“Yeah, it’s close to my home. I drop by whenever I feel like having shawarma.”

“I just love shawarma, especially the Lebanese style.”

“Me too, the Indian style is great too.”

“It looks like they’re about to start again. Is it okay for us to stay here for the entire show?”

“We’re good as long as we order something. I was just about to order some Baklava. Would you like some?”

“I’d love them.”

So the duo ordered some Baklava and enjoyed the show while waiting for their order. The order didn’t take long, letting them enjoy the show with sweets on the side. By the time they finished the Baklava, the performance had ended. The band thanked everyone for watching the show and announced they’d be at Jamal Tower for autographs.

“I so want their autographs, but it will be crowded. What should I do?”

“If you still want to check out the towers, we could get the autographs and then go to the observation deck.”

“Let’s do it!”

At Jamal Tower, the line for autographs was moving along fast, with Demolish quickly signing and handing merch, then the organizers moving the line along. Roxy thought that was a shame because many fans would want to talk to them, take selfies, and so on. But Prince felt that it was practical considering the time and the crowd.

They soon obtained their autographs and merchandise before heading to the observation deck, from where they enjoyed the nighttime view of Shah Sarai.

Or at least Roxy did, while Prince had gone quiet. He was looking at his phone instead of the city lights.

“Is everything okay?” She asked.

“Everything is good.”

“You know, you can tell me if something is bothering you.”

“Well,” Prince rubbed the back of his head, “I know we met only today, but I was wondering if you’d like to exchange numbers,” Prince asked.

Roxy gave it some thought, making Prince even more nervous. He knew he was being rather forward, but he enjoyed the time they spent together. He hoped Roxy didn’t take it the wrong way.

“Sure, why not?” Roxy answered, “Besides, it’d be great to have someone who knows all the good places in the city.”

“We do run into each other a lot.”

“That too.”

So they exchanged numbers, making sure to give each other their backup numbers and not their main numbers. After clicking a few pics, they bid good night to each other and went their separate ways, dreading their eventual meeting with their fiancés tomorrow.