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@Haya : To see the land, the sky, the sand, the mountains, the trees and the people. People who are the same yet so different everywhere, people who resemble my people but are also, so very dis similar. Maraaish is absolutely beautiful. A very special thanks to HRH Crown Prince @AmirBinAbdullah for being an incredible tour guide. I will never forget the hospitality and warmth displayed by you and your people.

@AmirBinAbdullah : @Haya always an honor to host our friends from Buredaan.

Haya.

My father had been in a meeting with the King of Maraaish for a while now. It was to bid him farewell and present him with the Royal gifts. Meanwhile our delegation was waiting in the large hall and I was waiting for Amir.

He had mentioned repeatedly that he had to prepare to say goodbye to my father but he was nowhere to be seen.

I didn't want to think about the words that he had said to me.

You're making me sin, Haya.

I felt guilty for no reason. Whatever happened, whatever was about to happen, it hadn't been initiated or forced by any one of us. Both of us were equally responsible but I knew that Amir was quite a spiritual and religious person.

I wasn't exactly the one to abide by the rules of religion. I believed In God, I believed in heaven and hell, I believed that good things came to good people but that was all there was to it.

Amir clearly was different. But still, after spending the day with him, after talking to him about anything and everything I wanted to see him.

I had once again pulled off a very modest dress, just because of him. Just because I wanted him to see that his morals, his opinions, his culture, even though I didn't understand it, even thought I didn't agree with it, I still respected it.

I let out a small sigh, smiling at the Maraaishi foreign minister who was stood there to see us off.

"Is Prince Amir not going to see us off?" I questioned, I didn't want to ask that but I had no other option.

I wanted to text Amir but at the same time I didn't want to sound desperate or clingy. Because I wasn't.

I could very well stop talking to him and not think about him after a few days but I didn't want to do that. I genuinely liked this man and I wanted to pursue my feelings for him. I wanted to embrace all that I felt for him. I didn't want any of us to live in denial.

"Prince Amir is not feeling well today. He sends his apologies and best wishes. He says he will call the King himself and apologise for not being here." The man replied, I nodded.

He wasn't sick before. What happened then? Was he trying to avoid me? But Amir wouldn't lie. Maybe he truly was sick.

"Oh."

I whispered more to myself than to him, the man shook hands with me as he bid us off.

"It has been a pleasure, Princess Haya. We hope to see you soon. This is a gift from the Royal Palace. We hope you will like it."

I simply smiled.

"Thank you very much."

i thanked him, my mind forcing me to think about Amir and my heart telling me to talk to him.

_______________________________________

Haya.
Are you feeling alright?

Amir.
I am fine.

Haya.
Is it because of what happened this morning? Did it make you feel uncomfortable?

Amir.
It wasn't that it made me feel uncomfortable. You made my entire head spin in that moment. All I wanted to do in that moment was let go of all the morals that I hold dear to me.

Haya.
Oh.

Amir.
What happened was wrong for me but it did not feel wrong.

Haya.
It was a beautiful moment, Amir. I did not think about right or wrong.

Amir.
Neither did I. And that is terrifying because I am a man who thinks about right and wrong very often.

Haya.
I understand.

Amir.
Have a safe journey.

I felt slightly pissed. Have a safe journey? After the day that we had, all he wanted was for me to have a safe journey? I didn't like his response one bit so I texted him what I wanted. I didn't want to play around, I told him what I had in mind.

Haya.
I want you to see me off, Amir.

It was written as a statement, I knew that. It looked like an order, I knew that. But who cared about that right now? I wanted us to have a proper goodbye, I didn't want to say bye through text messages.

Amir.
I'm coming.

_______________________________________

As I waited for Amir, my father arrived into the main hall, ready to get into the car and leave. I couldn't tell my father that we had to wait more, that Amir hadn't said goodbye to me yet.

Ugh.

I let out a sigh, ready to leave when the Crown Prince's assistant came rushing towards us, I knew who he was. I felt relief.

"Your Majesty, Prince Amir is coming to see you off just now." He informed them, my father nodded with a smile.

I knew that my father liked Amir, liked his thought process, his opinions, his decisions, somehow I felt relaxed because of it. It was nice to know that my father thought so highly of the man that I was planning to, well, I don't know what we were.

Amir arrived with quick steps, he didn't have a suit on but a traditional Maraaishi dress. I hadn't seen him in it before, all I felt was awe.

The Prince greeted the King and his delegation, apologising for being late.

"My apologies, I was not feeling well at all." He said, looking at everyone but at me.

I frowned at that. All I wanted was for him to stare at me the way he had kept staring at me the entire morning. He looked at me like I was all he ever wanted, I wanted him to look at me like that again.

"You should have rested, son." The King replied.

I got him to leave the room, father. He wasn't sick, he was just too overwhelmed by the sexual feelings within him. He thought he would sin because of me.

"I wanted to say goodbye and tell you what an honour it has been to have you here with us. The King and I are very grateful that you took out the time to visit us."

He said all the words that were expected of him, he looked completely calm, he didn't look overwhelmed or like his head was spinning.

I wanted to roll my eyes.

Why won't you look at me?

Amir looked at me. I looked back.

"And you too, Princess Haya. You have been lovely to meet." He smiled, but it wasn't the smile that he had with me before. This was the professional smile, the polite smile.

"Thank you." I thanked him.

I didn't know what else to say in my father's presence. They talked for a while before my father embraced him into a hug, patting his back.

Amir still smiled. He always smiled.

I didn't know why but my heart felt so heavy in that moment, my stomach was in knots and I felt like something within me was changing.

I knew what was happening to me but I didn't want to accept that it was happening so soon.

Finally my father said his goodbye and started to walk towards his car, along with all of us.

I lied to him that I needed to thank Sara, the maid that had helped me for the past two days. My father thought I was too kind, I wasn't.

I had only turned around when I came face to face with Amir.

"Haya.." He breathed my name, I wanted him to take it over and over again.

"Amir.." My hands felt shaky. I wasn't a minor. I knew what feelings were, I had dated people, I had loved. But nothing came close to this feeling, this feeling of losing something, of going far away.

"You feel it too, right? The tightness of throat as the thought of going away envelops around you." I didn't know what came over me as I asked him that but I had no time to waste.

I had to be blunt and honest with him, just like I had been so far. I couldn't pretend to be a timid shy girl because we both knew that I was not like that.

He was staring at me now, properly, deeply. He was looking at me the way he had looked at me this morning. He saw me like he saw the person beneath, not just the beauty above.

I loved that.

He stared at me for a moment, as if he wanted to be honest about whether he felt that way or not.

"Yes. I feel it too." He whispered, giving me another smile.

Damn him and damn his dimple.

"You don't know what affect you have on men." He continued, making me gulp.

What did he mean by the affect I had on men? Did he know something? I hoped not.

I shook my head, leaning a little close to him.

"I do know what affect I have on men. I want to know what affect I have on you." I told him the utter truth.

I didn't expect him to laugh, I didn't really expect him to laugh at this out of all the things, he laughed as if my question was rather ironic.

Amir leaned in close as well, not too much but only enough to make me feel something.

"I was ready to sin because of you. Does that not tell you enough about the affect you have on me?" He questioned, I inhaled a deep breath.

I affected him alot. Okay then.

I looked around, seeing so many people still in the hallway. I knew these people were loyal but it felt a little uncomfortable, leaning in close and talking in whispers, for the sake of just talking to each other, to bid goodbye in a proper way.

I pulled out my hand for him to shake.

"It was very nice to spend the day with you. It is a memory that I will always cherish." I thanked him, he shook my hand, gripping it tight.

"Me too, Haya. You are beautiful, inside and out." He didn't pull out from the handshake as he spoke to me, I didn't try to pull it away either.

"Thank you."

"I apologise for not coming down before. I didn't, I just didn't know what to say to you." When I only stared at him, he slowly pulled his hand away, knowing that it was turning a little awkward since people were around us.

"Honestly, I still don't know what to say to you." He admitted, continuing.

I appreciated his honestly but hated that he didn't have the right words to say to me. He was not a man who had been around, he was a man with morals, I had to remind myself repeatedly of that.

In that moment, I knew that I had to be the one to say something to continue whatever we had.

I gave him a smile.

"Say that you'll call me and that today was one of the best days you've ever had in a long time, say that your heart beats fast when you see me and the thought of me leaving does affect you but you do not understand it." I said to him, all the things that I was feeling, I said all those things to him.

Amir was quiet, he heard me but he was quiet. Ofcourse, he was still pondering, still thinking.

I expected some explanation, some words but all I got was a soft yes.

"Yes." He said but the way his eyes bore into mine, I knew all that he wanted to say.

I pulled out my hand once again, desperate for that touch.

"Goodbye, Amir." I bid him off, he didn't say goodbye.

He smiled, showed me his beautiful dimple and told me that he would see me soon.

"See you, Haya."

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thoughts?

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