Coming Home (English Version)

19. Cautious

Hamdan

My fingers travel up and down on her arm, resting across my chest. Her breathing is soft and even, I think she's asleep. One part of me wants to fall asleep too, spend the night here with our bodies entangled until morning. But another part of me doesn't want to miss anything, I want to keep caressing her soft skin and smelling her hair.

Making love to her was the culmination of a love story that has been written itself since before we were born. Now more than ever before, I have complete certainty that we are meant to be together, and the how and when doesn't even worry me because it will happen whether we want it or not. It's like what I told her that day in the desert, this is much bigger than me, much bigger than both of us.

She squirms and looks up at me, my heart fills when she smiles.

"We should go back." She suggests in a whisper.

I shake my head. "Let's just get out of here."

She frowns and lifts her body to rest it on her hand. "What do you mean?"

"I could have a helicopter here in 20 minutes." I take her hair away from her face with my fingers. "Let's go to my place or yours or wherever you want to go, anywhere in the world, let's go now."

Her smile turns broader and she gives a peck on the lips. "We can't do that."

I sit up and motion her to lay on the bed so I can be on top. "We can do whatever we want, I can't go back there with them and pretend this didn't happen."

"I think it might be kind of exciting." She bites her lower lip.

I laugh and kiss her neck, her arms surround my shoulders and I move up to her lips. Our kiss feels like something we've done a million times before, nothing feels weird or uncomfortable, it never did.

"I'll go first." She tells me, not giving me a chance to convince her.

She leaves the bed to find her clothes and I take the opportunity to stop and watch the curves of her naked body as she heads to the living room. It is a work of art and not even a beautifully written poem could do it any justice to it.

I'm halfway dressed when she comes back into the bedroom with all of her clothes on. She kisses me good-bye and spins around to leave, but right at the door frame she stops and turns her head.

"Hamdan?"

"Yes." I reply.

The moon lights up her face and I can see her eyes shining in the dark. "I love you too."

She carries on as if what she just said was nothing but inside I feel like my heart is about to explode. I try to hold on to the feeling for as long as possible and finish putting my clothes back on. I wait another five minutes before I leave the bungalow and as I walk on the beach, I breathe out and clear my throat, making my best to erase the stupid grin from my face. Besides, there's a serious matter I need to address before going to bed. I take my phone out but the service is horrible here. Once I'm near the house I can connect my phone to the wifi and message Maktoum.

Hamdan
Are you asleep?

I go into the living area and there's nobody around, it's all quiet until my phone buzzes with a message.

Maktoum
No, I'm watching TV in my room.

Hamdan
Can we talk?

Maktoum
Sure, come on in.

I softly knock on his door and open up before he even tells me to come in. Maktoum is sitting on the bed and turns the T.V. off with the remote.

"What's up?" He asks.