Stepping out of the vehicle, Hena spotted the sole cabin a few yards ahead. It was shrouded by trees. A wooden walkway crossed the swamp water leading to its door. Moonlight caught against the peeling paint.
Once inside, Haris lit the lanterns, and the place came into sharper focus. As tired as it looked on the outside, it was cozy and warm inside. There was a worn sofa and a beige rug across from a wood-burning stove. A table for two sat next to a window. She caught a glimpse of a simple bedroom off to the side. An analog clock ticked above the doorframe. Nine o’clock.
She opened the sliding door to the back deck and stepped outside. The waters around them were dark and murky. It should have made her feel wary, but instead—with the silence surrounding them, the sky so bright with stars, the moon shining down like a spotlight—she felt a welcome sense of calm.
A few moments later, Haris joined her.
“I called Milcheck,” he said.
“You have a signal out here?”
“Just enough. He told me he’s heading to the resort as we speak.”
Some of the tension in her body eased. “Good.”
“And don’t worry about Nasir. He’s safe. Reza won’t get far.”
Reza. Her chest ached thinking of him. She knew she’d have to deal with this, and soon, but for now she wanted to push it out of her mind. She had to recalibrate.
“This is a nice spot,” she said.
“I’m relieved you’re okay with it. I know it’s a bit off the beaten path.”
“It’s perfect. It feels like a reset after everything.”
“I came here all the time as a kid, but there’s something about this place that keeps me coming back. The cabin’s just always grounded me. Maybe it’s because there’s no one around for miles, and you can see the entire Milky Way.”
“It makes everything else feel small in comparison. More manageable.” She looked at the sky and back at him. “Thanks again, Haris. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did.”
“Anything for you, Hena.” His gaze lingered on hers. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through. Sometimes I get really angry with myself about it.”
“Angry with yourself?” She met his eyes, surprised. “Why?”
“Because I knew. I knew how Nasir was. How impulsive he could get. His taste for risk. I could have warned you before you’d gotten in so deep. I didn’t know you were together until it was too late. Until he called to brag about finding ‘theone.’ I didn’t want to meddle. Looking back now, I wish I had. I wish I’d at least tried to warn you.” He shook his head slowly. “All these years, I wish it could have been different.”
It wasn’t Haris’s fault. She had been in love with Nasir. She wouldn’t have listened even if he’d tried. Before she could say this, he spoke again, quieter now.
“I wish it could have been me.”
Her heart stopped. Did she hear him right? There was no hesitation in his eyes. He looked at her like he’d finally said something he’d been holding on to for some time.
“Haris, I had no idea…”
“That I used to be in love with you?” He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “I was. For years actually. Probably since our kiss when we were kids, when I didn’t understand what the word even meant. By the time I worked up the nerve to say something, Nasir had come along, and that was that. You went to the same university, so it’s not like I stood a chance. Which was fine. I moved on. Chloe and I had a good few years before things went to shit. But seeing you again this week, I guess it all came rushing back.”
His words rippled through her. Khala’s teasing echoed in her ears. Her mother’s knowing look. Maheen’s laughter about her “two suitors.”
Deep down, shehadnoticed something shifting between them this week. The way his fingers had brushed her skin when he’d helped her clasp the necklace. The quiet way he looked at her. But his words crashed over her:In love with me? For years?
Memories emerged of dinners in Princeton when he’d come to visit Nasir. Their long talks on the drive home when she first moved back to Florida. When Nasir still wanted to stay out, but Haris—like her—was ready to call it a night. He’d make her a latte and they’d kick up their feet, talking into the early hours.
She hadn’t thought anything of it. None of this was romantic on its face. Except she’d noticed, hadn’t she? The sidelong glances. The way his eyes always found hers, even in the middle of a busy gathering. All those little moments. Her mind hadn’t been able to entertain the possibility, but it had been there all along.
He brushed his fingers lightly over hers.
“You’ve had it rough for so long,” he said gently. “Nasir never did right by you, and I’ve hated seeing you go through it alone. I promise I will keep you safe, Hena.”
He rested his hand over hers. Protective. Caring. For one brief second, she was tempted to reciprocate then and there. To take this road. A life with Haris. Something steady. Safe, like he said. He was someone who’d always seen her. Who she could be herself with. Someone who’d known her forever. Who’d always been there, waiting in the wings.
