“Fuck.”
She stood in the alley between two rooms, debating whether she had enough time to check the second room when the doorbell went off again.
“Amaal!” He thumped the door.
“What?!” She ran to it and pulled it open. “Why are you beating down the door?”
“You wouldn’t open it. I thought you really meant for me to sleep outside.”
“Then why are you still here?”
The wind blew her hair across her face and she used her hands to tuck as many strands as she could behind her ear.
“May I?” His hands came to her shoulders. She stilled. His hands stilled. She eyed his hands, then gave a small nod. And his knuckles tenderly brushed the hair behind her shoulders. They touched the surface of her throat and those electric sparks were back as he twisted her hair behind her back so that it wouldn’t fly. Her chest was beating like a drum again.
“I’ll be outside.” He stepped back. “Lock the kitchen door, I will check it in ten minutes.” Samar turned to walk away and she caught his elbow — “Hey!” She called out. “You can’t seriously be meaning to sleep with the watchman.”
“You asked me to.”
She shook her head, pulling him back, unable to keep her smile off her face — “Come in.”
He stepped up on her threshold, then turned to do a once-over of the vast gardens. Amaal noted he had switched on all the lights in the gardens. She stepped back, letting him do his thing before he closed the door and bolted it.
He took off his shoes and strode to her kitchen, instinctively aware of the ways as he opened that door, did the same once-over, then shut it and locked it.
“How do you know I have a kitchen door?”
“I did a recce outside.” He checked the kitchen window. “This house is made for Z security and a whole three-generation family. What was Khatriji thinking giving it you?”
“That it’s closer to work and rent-free for me?”
He cut his eyes to her — “You don’t need to save on rent.”
“You don’t know my current salary.”
“I do.”
“Then you also know that I have fallen way behind on my savings.”
“For your house.” He turned, leaning his backside against the kitchen platform and crossing his arms over his chest. “I know that too.”
She pressed her mouth together and he smiled.
“What now?”
“Why do you become so uncomfortable if I smile?”
“Because, newsflash, you never do. It’s prelude to some dragon fire.”
He threw his head back in a bark of laughter. And her play-acting to keep him on his toes melted.
“Did you smile and laugh like this before also?”
“Hmm?” He was still smiling, meeting her eyes. “Before what?”
“Before SFF and Sia and your baby?”
His smile remained, but it slowly lost its spark. Samar adjusted his specs, pulled out his car key and held it out to her.
