by Holly Rayner
Suddenly, Rashid pulled the car over.
“God, Lacie, what was I thinking? I’m so sorry. Would you rather we take the camels?” Seeing my growing frown, he continued, still smiling away. “It’ll only take an extra five hours or so.”
As I smacked him, he pulled back onto the road, laughing. I put my hands on the wheel on top of his.
“Yeah, how about I take your car, and you take the camel.”
“No, no, I…” Catching my eye, his grin fell. He went quiet.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, only…for a second there, when you disappeared, I thought you had left. My mother was sure you had.”
“What, just up and walked into town, went away without saying anything?”
Rashid kept his gaze on the road. “I know, it sounds ridiculous. I just thought that maybe after all we’d spoken about, what had happened, maybe you found it too hard to say goodbye.”
“Too hard to even leave a letter, a text, anything?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t had the best relationship history, if you must know.”
Although I said nothing, he shook his head, as if I’d asked the question anyway.
“I’ll save that for another time. We’ve been through enough recently.”
The next minute he was, once again, pulling the car over. Getting out of the car, he went over and opened my door for me. I gaped at him.
“What are you doing?”
He gestured across the road, to a structure that looked to be, incredibly, a little ice cream parlor.
“Behold, the home of the best ice cream in the country. I haven’t been back here since I was a kid.”
My smiling eyes went from him, to the little building, back to him again. I took his extended hand.
“Count me in.”
The place was empty and manned by a sluggish youth who seemed shocked to see us.
“Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Qarani—my king, it is an honor—”
Rashid held up a hand. “I’m not king yet. What’s your name?”
“Adeem, sir.”
His voice was eager, and he insisted on giving us four scoops each for free.
“My father would have my head if he found out I made our future king pay for ice cream. Now, we can tell our children and our children’s children that the great Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Qarani came here and had our mint ice cream.”
Rashid and I thanked the smiling teenager before sitting down in a corner. With one hand, Rashid spooned ice cream out of his—and, occasionally, my—bowl, while with the other clasped my hand.
“If we are to be husband and wife, we should get to know each other as much as we can before we are married,” he said, looking deep into my eyes.
I nodded, and then, keeping his eyes on the swirl of brown-flecked green of his ice cream, he spoke again.
“Before…what I was saying about my relationship history. When I was 16 or so—I fell in love.”
He waved his spoon about and smiled, although it was a bitter smile.
“It was the typical teen romance; we were inseparable. I thought we were meant to be. She had a secretive side, but I always assumed she was shy and liked keeping part of her life personal. As time went on, I ignored the signs. The absences she wouldn’t explain, the silences that made me uneasy.
“And then, one day, she was gone. Just up and left. My father later told me that her family had pushed her into an arranged marriage with a man on the other side of the country. The girl, Tatiana, couldn’t bear to say goodbye to me—so she didn’t. She’d known for months.”
Now, Rashid was no longer eating his ice cream, only stirring it round and round.
“That broke me. That she hadn’t told me, that she had just left without a word, without—” His voice broke. “After that, my heart closed up, and I thought it would stay that way forever. I went from woman to woman without any expectations, and I got as much as I had expected. We had brief, shallow dalliances. We talked about politics, fashion, current events. We were careful not to mention feelings.
“And I was happy that way for a while. The creeping feelings of loneliness came later. These past few years, these same, safe types of relationships had me feeling emptier than ever before. Nothing seemed to matter; it seemed better to be alone. And then…well. Anyway. Your turn.”
By now, his ice cream was a liquid paste, while mine was almost finished. I took the last spoonful, swallowed, then caught his gaze. It was intense. Now was the time to spill my guts, as I’d said I would, weeks ago. It was only fair. And, now that I knew him better, I felt he deserved it—I felt I could trust him.
“Well, I guess you know the most embarrassing part already. When we were growing up, Nadia always lorded over me. For everything—toys, attention, and later, boys. It didn’t matter if I liked a boy, or even if he liked me; Nadia took over. Always. She’d cite some excuse, like he’d asked her out or he wasn’t a good guy anyway, but I knew the truth. And I let her.
“I suppose I was afraid. I’d rather lose whatever I might have had with the boy than upset Nadia and have to suffer her wrath. I was shy, so school was the only place I could really meet boys. And then I got older and older, graduated high school and got away from Nadia, but not really. She was always there, whispering in my ear, inside my head, telling me that any new guy wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t want to deal with the pressure of being my first.
“And so, I wouldn’t tell them. I’d distance myself until they ended things. Then, my mom got sick, I dropped out of school, and all I had time for was to work and wish my life was different. I guess I was just afraid. Of the embarrassment, the shame. Of being hurt.”
Now, Rashid had taken both my hands and was looking at me with an emotion I hadn’t seen in him before.
“I was, too. I never wanted to experience pain anything like that again. I never wanted to be vulnerable again. And I never thought I’d feel close to someone ever again.”
In his eyes was what was unsaid, the intent joy in that steady gaze.
“Rashid…” I murmured.
He took my chin in his hands.
“And then I met you, Lacie Wright.”
“Rashid… I…”
He held a finger to my lips.
“Shh…you don’t have to say anything. Just you being here is enough. So that I can tell you that, every day, I’m growing surer of how I feel for you. That this—us—may be something great. Something special. Something real.”
I gazed into his eyes and didn’t say anything because I was overwhelmed and terrified, and I didn’t need to. The look that passed between us said enough.
The rest of the drive to the city was one long, easy chat. It felt like I had known Rashid for my whole life, or at least half of it. There was none of the long, drawn-out filtering of what to say that I usually employed for whomever else I was with, no. My thoughts were immediately converted into words, which Rashid was charmed by, laughed with, delighted in.
It was as if everything I said or did was perfect, as if I could make no mistakes. As if this, all of this, was meant to be.
We reached the little restaurant just as dusk was settling over the small village.
“You’ll see,” Rashid said. “This place is my father’s favorite. The owner is an old friend.”
And, indeed, the little man with the faded bow tie was sent into a delighted flurry at the sight of Rashid. He raced off to the back, then returned with a horrified expression.
“Rashid, my Sheikh, I’m afraid I have some terrible news.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rashid
The man’s chubby, sweet face broke into an ecstatic grin. “We are prepared to serve you a seven-course meal!”
And then, before we could protest, he was gone, while a waiter was ushering us to a private table at the back. There, we were served fresh pineapple juice and assured that our first course was on its way. Lacie’s radiant smile looked as happy as I felt.
After she drank a glass of juice,
she eyed me curiously. “Is there anything else I should know about my wedding?”
“It will be a huge, pompous affair and we’ll have to suffer the company of the members of the supreme council.” I leaned in. “Although, word on the street is that the groom is extremely, overwhelmingly handsome.”
She gave me a half-smile. “Oh, really?”
I nodded solemnly. “Yes. They say women across the country have been known to faint at the sight of him, so husbands have to keep their wives locked up for their own safety.”
At this, she laughed outright, before raising a challenging brow.
“I’ve heard that the bride is the funniest, most wonderful woman for miles around. And…” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “The last virgin in New York City.”
I assumed a shocked horrified expression. “No.”
Our laughter started just as the first course was set down. The soup was so good that we finished it in a matter of moments with loud, eager slurps. As soon as we were both done, Lacie shot me a cautious look.
“And you will let me visit my parents, and my parents can visit here, right?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
She shrugged awkwardly, looking away. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“Lacie, where did you get that idea?”
Biting her lip, she looked back up at me shyly. “Idris. He seemed to think that your family was conniving and untrustworthy and—”
“You believed him?”
She pulled her hand away from mine and shot me a defiant glare. “Do you think I would’ve gone with you, come here, if I had?”
My fingers entwined with hers once more, and I lifted her chin so that she had to look at me as she answered.
“Then why even ask?”
Even face to face with me, she still managed to avoid my gaze. “I don’t know, I… My parents really mean a lot to me, Rashid.”
“As do mine. So?”
“Well, they don’t approve of this, of us. My mom, especially. She thinks I’m making a mistake.”
I released her chin, and absently toyed with the flowers on the table, twirling the small vase around. “And what do you think?”
“I think I don’t know yet.”
My hand froze, and my heart fell, but she wasn’t finished yet.
“All I know is that this—when I’m with you—it feels right.”
“Lacie,” I breathed, just as the second course was being set down. It was delicious—clams, a whole little pyramid of them—but I just felt like shooing away the gangly sapling of a waiter so he would stop distracting me from the only thing I had eyes for, for the girl I could hardly stop myself from kissing right then and there. Lacie.
We ate the clam pyramid with relish, forking out the delicious morsels one after another, feeding each other every so often. Once we were done, she set her fork carefully down.
“He offered me money, you know.”
“What?”
“And that’s not all. Idris told me you lied about how much you’d give me, that he could give me twice as much and all I had to do was go away and stay away.”
At my flabbergasted stare, she gave a flustered frown.
“I didn’t accept, of course.”
“He was telling the truth, you know. He would have paid you handsomely to leave and never come back.”
She nodded. “I know. It’s just…” She picked up the fork, then set it down.
“It’s not just you who never thought you’d feel this way, Rashid.”
And then, of course, the waiter, destroyer of perfect moments, decided to set down two small plates of tangerine and kale salad. We ate in a smiling silence, catching each other looking every few bites.
When she stuck her tongue out at me, I snapped my mouth onto half the slice of tangerine on her fork. She bit down on the other side. There, eyes locked, I nibbled closer, as did she. Then, our lips were locked and she tasted like tangerine and something sweeter than words. When we broke away, I was practically panting.
And so, I leaned in for another kiss, and along came the waiter.
“Are you enjoying your food?”
I turned to glare at him, then I saw the look on his face. His adoring gaze was on Lacie, his smile matched with her sweetly upturned lips. I sighed. No, I couldn’t fault the man for being drawn to this beautiful woman as much as I was.
“Yes, thank you. We’re ready for the fourth course when the kitchen is,” Lacie said.
At her answer, the man lingered for a moment before leaving. Catching my look, Lacie eyed me quizzically.
“What?”
“You really have no idea, do you?”
Now, her expression grew even more confused.
“No idea…?”
“Just how beautiful you are.”
She groaned and her face turned pink. “Rashid. Cut it out.”
I shook my head.
“No, I won’t cut it out. Because it’s the truth. When I’m around you, Lacie, I can’t concentrate on anything else. I can’t take my eyes off you, with your mischievous little half-smile, your embarrassed blush, the way you flutter your lashes when you’re flustered or excited.”
Her poor face was so red that I took her hand and kissed it. She did the same to mine, and then the fourth course was put down. This was glistening duck coated in a minted yogurt sauce.
Lacie was halfway through her piece when I asked her.
“What else did he say to you, do to you?”
She swallowed and lowered her gaze. My heart tightened in my chest. Idris hadn’t meant what he’d said, had he? It didn’t matter for my feelings for Lacie, but if he had actually dared lay a hand on her…
“I’ll tell you later. Let’s just enjoy this, now.”
Under the table, her foot found mine and gave it a reassuring rub.
“Although, he did say that your family was evil and had stolen the crown from his.”
I made a skeptical "pfft" sound, then rolled my eyes. “Trust Idris to twist the truth so completely that he’s got the roles completely reversed.”
I put my free hand on top of Lacie’s, squeezing it and directing my gaze to hers so she could see that I was telling the truth.
“Idris is right that my father did seize power from his, though he’s wrong about pretty much everything else. It was Idris’s family, the Antars, that were the hated rulers of my country. They were vicious and hateful, trying to seize every country we shared a border with, executing anyone who dared oppose them. They even tried to execute my father.
“But he was too strong and had too much support. He and a group of determined rebels managed to seize power from Idris’s father, with the help of a large group of citizens. Everyone hated the Antar ruler and was glad to see him gone. My father let the Antars stay because it was the pragmatic thing to do; any attempt to get rid of them by force would have led to considerable bloodshed.
“As the years passed, Idris’s father gave up trying to take back power by force, and moved on to a different tactic—politics. And it’s worked. Several members of the council are indebted to him and under his influence; that’s what’s caused this last-minute virgin-bride stipulation. They hope this will be the technicality that will prevent me from being leader so that the Antars—through Idris—can take back power.”
I sighed.
“And they just might do it. It’s been a while since the revolution, now. Many of those who lived through his father’s terrible reign are old or dead. The people are behind my family, there’s no doubt about that, but they’re not so against the Antars that they would openly oppose Idris if he took power and rose to the throne.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, then.
“Don’t worry, Rashid. We won’t let that happen.” I caught her look, that fierce look that almost didn’t fit her adorably innocent face, as she squeezed my hand again. “The Antars are going to have one badass wedding to go to—ours.”
At this, I got up, sat beside
her, and embraced her. “Lacie. Thank you.”
She snuggled herself into me. “No, thank you. For saving me, for today, for seeing the potential in me in the first place. For these past few days.”
The rest of the courses flowed as easily as our conversation. After a delicious salmon dish—which we laughed about, remembering our banter in the Italian restaurant on our first date—Lacie nearly squealed her delight at the two dessert courses. After I fed her spoonfuls of cake and pudding, ensuring to get whipped cream on her nose just so I had the excuse to kiss it off, we were out of there.
Back on the road, Lacie peered out of the window and gasped.
“The stars!”
Again, I found myself pulling the car over. “Think that’s something? Check this out.”
And, before she could protest, I was at her car door, not helping her out, but lifting her out.
“Rashid…what are you doing?”
Her voice was laughing in protest, but I wasn’t putting her down, not yet.
“Wait and see.”
I walked out into the desert until we had reached a tall dune of soft sand. With my free hand, I spread out the red blanket I’d grabbed from the car, and then laid her down on it.
I got down beside her, took her in my arms, and whispered, “Look.”
Though really, there had been no need. Her gaze was already fastened on the vista of stars overhead. I followed her zigzagging gaze, dancing on the cosmic spectacle.
“The more you look, the more you see.”
At my words, she snuggled into me.
“It’s like us,” she murmured.
I craned my neck to look down at her, but her gaze was still locked on the heavens above, her gaze full of happiness.
“The more I know about you, the more there is to know, and the more I like,” she continued.
She looked so wistful there, I couldn’t say it, and yet I couldn’t not. I had to know.
“Lacie… Idris, he didn’t hurt you, did he? All he did was…”
“He didn’t.” Her mouth set into a determined line. “He threatened to if I didn’t leave, but he gave me a day to decide.”
“And once the day was up?”
She sat up and turned to face me. “I would have left and told you, sent word somehow. I wouldn’t have let him win, not like that.”