Rather, I was a normal guy, who was smitten with a normal girl. I had to keep my wallet to myself.
Chapter 5
Angie
Rami had finally beaten me down. I found myself agreeing to a trip to the market and now I was walking alongside him, trying to think of something to say. He walked with a dominance that I found alluring, attractive, yet told myself not to. My heart hammered with a few moments of confusion. I remembered that “dating,” or whatever this was, was something I hadn’t done in quite some time. This wasn’t my world.
“So you’ve lived here how long?” I finally asked him, feeling the awkwardness in the space between us.
“All my life,” he told me, flashing that smile again. I felt my stomach lurch with a moment of terror, as if this smile contained everything I needed to know. Whatever that was, I wasn’t sure. “And I can tell you, beyond anything else, that it’s the best place in the world to live.”
“Is that right?” I asked, chuckling. I found myself drawing closer to him. My smile came more easily, more genuinely.
“I can’t imagine you have a better place to be from, do you?” he asked, leaning his head closer.
“A small town in South Dakota,” I finally said, revealing the first of my details beyond my name. “It’s not a place to brag about, really.”
“Tell me about it,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
The heat had begun to blast down on my shoulders. I wasn’t sure if my sweat was from nerves, or from the sun. I swept my hand across my brow, finding an answer.
“As a state it’s pretty barren. A lot of small towns, tucked between the Rocky Mountains and the mountains up north, near Montana.”
“These names. They sound so American,” Rami laughed. “They sound like something out of a cowboy movie.”
“That’s because that’s where the cowboys were, of course!” I said, laughing.
“Home on the plains and all that?” Rami asked, surprising me. “I was obsessed with that stuff when I was a kid. Always wanted to go and see it, to learn to ride a horse, and climb a mountain. Isn’t that what you guys are always doing over there?”
“Something like that,” I said, surprised at the way he made me grin.
The market stretched out before us, a sprawling collection of stalls filled with spiced foods, desserts and drinks. The city people were streaming out from their workplaces, getting together with friends and nibbling at food. Laughter filled the air.
The crowd was tight as we began to maneuver through it, forcing me closer to Rami than I might have liked. But for some reason, I suddenly didn’t mind it: having to follow closely behind this handsome, yet arrogant man. The man who’d appeared at my school’s doorstep every day for a week, on some kind of mission to be with me.
What was I supposed to make of it?
“Have you had this one yet?” Rami asked me, pointing to a cart offering an array of falafel and hummus. The man behind the counter was wearing a jaunty chef’s hat, and it bobbed and weaved as he smashed up the hummus, stirring it with olive oil. “This is one of my favorite vendors.”
I waited as Rami ordered, congratulating the man on a good display and asking him about business. I liked watching him interact with the cook, a much older man, who slowly warmed up to Rami.
After a moment, the chef was passing Rami a sample of hummus, watching his face as he tried it. Rami offered the spoon to me as well, watching closely as I tipped my tongue against the side. The smooth, nutty and garlic flavor was incredible, better than anything I’d experienced, despite the many months I’d spent in the Middle East. I nodded quickly, making large eyes at the vendor.
“My gosh, that’s delicious,” I said.
“I told you,” Rami said.
We ordered a platter of hummus with pita breads and sat along the side of the market. After passing me the plate, Rami swept off to order us two glasses of locally made wine, which shimmered in the light as he approached. I felt my knees tap together, waiting for him to sit beside me. For some reason, I was incredibly aware of my body.
I felt electricity spark up and down my spine.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Rami said, lifting a pita bread to his lips and chewing slowly.