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Hamid grinned, his teeth flashing white under the torchlight. He handed her a fork. “You might prefer to use this instead of your hand.”
She smiled thanks. It was traditional to eat food with the right hand, and though many Middle East people continued with the practice, she’d never been comfortable picking up hot, sticky or saucy foods. Not even when the bread was used like a parcel.
“I prefer a fork, too,” he conceded.
She arched an eyebrow. “So you’renota desert rat?”
The cook exhaled with shock, and Hamid waved off whatever the man wanted to say. “Thank you, Qaahir. That will be all for now.”
“As you say,” Qaahir murmured before executing a stiff half-bow and quietly retreating from the tent.
Holly shrugged off the odd feeling that something wasn’t right and instead surrendered to her hunger. She dug into the rice and meat, the yoghurt splattering. “Oops. Allow me to apologize in advance. I’m a messy eater.”
“Me too,” he said, scooping up a forkful and stuffing it into his mouth. He pulled off a piece of bread then and folded it over with the filling inside. “Let’s get messy.”
As he popped it into his mouth, she asked, “Why do I get the impression you enjoy living life without rules or judgement.”
He shrugged. “It’s a fair observation.”
She looked down at her bright clothes. “Maybe it takes one to know one. I’ve never been one for following rules. Especially not when it comes to fashion.”
“Don’t ever change.” He smiled as she blinked at him. “You’re an elusive butterfly whose brightness shines amongst the sea of dark colors the women of my culture often wear.”
She blinked. “I believe you just complimented me in return.”
He paused from eating. “Does that surprise you?”
She frowned. “I guess it does. My first impressions of you weren’t exactly complimentary.”
His eyes gleamed. “Let me guess…selfish, drunk, arrogant, overbearing—“
“Those words did come to mind,” she admitted. “But there was also a part of me that was grateful and thankful for you being in the right place at the right time.”
He nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. “I wasn’t meant to be anywhere near where I found you,” he murmured. “Destiny brought us together.”
She tore off a bit of bread along with its topping. “For what purpose? It’s not like we have the same future goals.”
He forked some rice and meat into his mouth, his gaze watchful. “Oh?”
She grimaced. “You’re a desert inhabitant. I belong in the real world with other people, capturing their lives.”
Hamid held her stare. “And you can’t do that here?” He snorted. “Lord only knows you’ve taken enough pictures.”
She nodded, her voice thrumming as passion for her craft poured through her. “You have no idea how unique and beautiful this desert landscape is. Add in the oasis, the camels and the sunset, it’s just magical. And my lens captured all that forever, a permanent reminder of this tiny part of the world. One magical second in time that will never be seen again.”
She was heady and breathless, caught up in the words as she tried to convey her passion. That same feeling exploded through her at Hamid’s dark stare.
“That one moment in time seems as ethereal as you being here in my camp,” he said quietly. “Here one second and gone the next.”
She popped the bread with meat and sauce into her mouth, and though the flavor was amazing, she no longer really tasted the food. She was too caught up in Hamid and his choice of words. He didn’t seem the poetic type. Yet he spoke to her as though she was some divine celestial being, an angel sent to save him.
She resisted snorting. Nothing like getting carried away in the moment. She should be pressuring him into taking her back to civilization, not sharing this oddly fragile moment with him. She cleared her throat. “How long will you be staying here? I mean, do you move around like a nomad or is this your permanent camp?” She held his stare. “And when do you intend taking me back to the city?”
He brushed his hands together, his expression turning inscrutable. “So many questions. Why can’t you just enjoy our moment together?”
“Anyone in my position would want to know when they were able to return home.”
“And where exactlyisyour home?”
