Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

20 | Merged

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• Amir •

"Assalamualaikum, Amir," said a brunette woman, coming close to him as he sat in Pakistani Delights.

"Walaikumassalam, Raima. It has been a while," he replied, pulling out a chair for her.

"Hello. Just the two of you?" asked a petite waitress, standing near their table.

"Yes. And can I get a glass of ice water please?" said Raima.

"I'd like some grape juice, miss."

"Right away. I'll give you two a minute with the menu."

"So, how are you doing, Amir? I thought you were never going to meet with me."

"Now, why do you say that? Of course, I was going to see you. It's been four years since we've last seen each other."

"I know, but my father had to push you hard to finally agree to see me. It was like pulling teeth and nails."

Amir chuckled. "I'm sorry about that. I've been working."

"It's not just work. There's something else going on about you. A whole other Amir Vibe."

"It's nothing."

"Okay. Who is she?"

"Raima, I'm not going to discuss someone else with you. How do you know there is a someone?"

Laying her menu down, Raima folded her hands across the table and looked him straight in the eye. "You have a sparkle about you, Amir. I've never seen it before, and we were friends back in medical school. I remember Amir having a dark, broody side to him. That's what I expected to see today after you told my father last night you'd like to have lunch with me. I can tell someone has changed you. It's written all over your face."

Amir turned away, flushing. Raima had a point. All this time, he tried to bury the deep feelings he had carried for Luna. She was always in his heart and those feelings were never going away. He knew it was an unrequited love he held for her, and he wanted to keep it to himself.

The waitress came back to the table with their drinks.

Raima peered over to Amir's puzzled gaze, and said, "You're even thinking about this mystery woman now."

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Ms. Malik. I shouldn't be thinking about her."

"It's okay, Amir. I want to hear about her."

"We can talk about something else."

"We are not going to sit here and waste time catching up if you have someone else on your mind. If we agree to an arranged marriage, then we need to be honest about everything. That's the only way marriages work."

He nodded, flattening his tie. "I have made a friend from America, and we speak to each other often."

"Does this American have a name?"

Amir chuckled. "Luna."

"That's a pretty name. How did you meet her?"

He adjusted himself in his seat and shifted his gaze outside, watching the dark clouds rumble in the sky. He wondered what Luna was doing now, but he chose to give her space after observing her with her family. He was close to telling her how he feels when they were running through the forest, but he backed off, considering she's engaged to a decent man. He didn't need to disrupt the life she wants to live. And Sarah's happiness also mattered to him.