by Leslie North
Straightening, Sahaar suddenly turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “Liyah! What are you doing? You should be resting after such a long trip.”
Liyah had only flown into Dubai twelve hours ago, and the plane trip, as usual, had been grueling. Despite craving the excitement of an exotic city, Liyah was still uncomfortable around crowds. “I’ve been resting,” she said with a warm smile as she enveloped her exchange-mother in a hug. “Let me help.”
During her senior year of high school, Liyah had been afforded the opportunity to join a studies abroad program for three months. Living with her single mother, Liyah had never even been outside her state, and she couldn’t resist the call to adventure. The trip had been mesmerizing, and Sahaar and Ibrahim had made her feel right at home. Now, five years later, she knew she had to return—if for no other reason than to step out of her comfort zone once again while she decided what to do with the rest of her life.
“You’ve come here to relax and enjoy yourself,” Sahaar chided. “You did not come here to wait on me. Now go, go, go.”
It was nice to have someone fuss over her, but Liyah wanted to help Sahaar as much as Sahaar had helped her five years ago. “Yes, but this time I am not your exchange student. I am a guest in your home, and I will help out, even if I have to annoy you to do it!”
A small smile crinkled over Sahaar's face as she gave in and handed Liyah a knife to slice the pita on the counter. While she set the oven, the older women swept critical eyes over Liyah. “You’ve lost weight,” she fussed. “Please tell me that you have not been on one of those ridiculous Western diets that all you drink is dandelion tea and lemon slices.”
“I don’t think that’s a thing,” Liyah said with a chuckle. “And I assure you, I have not been dieting.” She didn’t point out that Sahaar herself had lost some weight.
“Then it is stress, and that will simply not do,” Sahaar declared. “Mila has been here three months. Took like a duck to water; she’ll bring you around. You should be having fun at your age,” the older woman assured her, eyes on the boiling pot of chickpeas. Liyah licked her lips at the thought of homemade hummus. For five years, she had tried the store-bought brands, and she had even tried making it herself, but for some reason, it didn’t compare to Sahaar's delicious dip. Between that and the moujedhra, Liyah might never leave.
As if the independent woman had heard them talking about her, Mila threw open the door and rushed in. Liyah barely had time to brace herself before her old friend wrapped her in a bear hug. “You’re here!” Mila shrieked in her ear.
“Of course I’m here,” Liyah laughed. “You picked me up from the airport!”
“Yes, but you were half-dead, and I was afraid that if I hugged you too tightly, you’d just pass out. And then you were sleeping, and then I had to go to work—but now I can greet you properly!” Mila released her and took a step back to eye her critically, and Liyah knew that her friend was seeing her the same way that Sahaar did.
It wasn’t that she meant to lose the weight. It was just that her life wasn’t exactly following the plans that she’d so carefully laid out for herself four years ago when she’d started college. She had met Mila during her previous trip to Dubai, and Mila had always planned to return. Even though the past five years had separated them, she and Mila had kept in touch, and it was Mila who’d suggested that she take some time and return to Dubai where the temperature was hot enough and the sights gorgeous enough to steal her breath away.
Grab your copy of The Sheikh's Pretend Fiancée from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com