Rami didn’t respond. His lips thinned out as color continued to drain from his cheeks.
“I don’t want to see you hovering around the school anymore,” I continued, my voice getting louder. I brought my finger through the air, feeling like I was reprimanding a student. “If you do, I can call someone to have you taken away. I can’t have your cocky sensibilities souring my students. You’re a bad person, Rami. I feel it coming off you in waves.”
Suddenly, I burst to the side of the market, following the trail around the back. I stormed away, the scarf whipping behind me.
I could still feel Rami’s eyes on my back, following me as I skirted through the crowd and back through the entrance. For a moment, I wondered if he was following me. My ears perked up, hunting for the sound of him. But after a few minutes, I knew I’d left him safely behind. I was on my own.
When I got home, I fell into my bed and shuddered, the scarf still wrapped around my chest and shoulders. I could still feel Rami’s eyes on mine, inhaling me. I could still sense him. And I could still feel my laughter on my lips, in memory of his sharp wit.
I wrote it down in my journal that night.
I just met the most perplexing man. And for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about him. Am I doomed? Will I ever fall in love with someone who suits me? Why did he fight so hard to see me—when I’m a literal nobody from South Dakota?
I had a million questions, but I knew that they’d never be answered. Rami was safely a part of my past. I forced myself to fall asleep, tucked in my bed alone. Wondering if I’d ever find happiness, or love.
Chapter 6
Rami
Angie darted from the market before I could process what was happening. I watched her go from afar, as her yellow dress danced through the crowd and out into the evening streets. I felt punched by her words. Staggering back, I blinked wildly, waiting for the anger to pass. But instead, it grew stronger in my chest, in my stomach.
You think you’re God’s gift to the world, but you’re nothing.
The words she’d used rang in my ears. Several women pushed past me, wine in hand, not giving me a second glance. I felt more invisible than I had in years. Didn’t they know who I was? Didn’t they see it? I stared down at my clothes, remembering that I wasn’t dressed in my typical garb. I looked like everyone else. And I hated it.
Turning my head toward the edge of the market, I caught sight of a familiar dark head. Staring, incredulous, I realized that Alim was perched next to his truck, watching me. He was laughing, holding onto his stomach. He’d witnessed the entire scene.
With my frown thick on my forehead, I marched toward him, anger throttling through me. When I reached Alim, I stopped a full foot away, staring at him.
“All right, all right,” I said. My words were firm. “You’ve had your fun.”
Alim wiped at his mouth, trying to stop his laughter. “I’m sorry,” he sputtered. “I just can’t help it. That was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen…”
“Come off it,” I told him. “We had a great date. It was going well…”
“Yeah. Until she called you an arrogant creep and stormed off,” Alim said, cackling now. “Don’t think everyone couldn’t hear it. Because they could.”
I stared down at my shoes, feeling shame spread across my cheeks. In the back of my mind, I told myself that it was all right—that no one had recognized me anyway. I’d been undercover. This wouldn’t ruin my reputation for good.
“Come on, now. Let’s grab a drink,” Alim said, opening the passenger door of his car. “It’s on me.”
I sighed and got into his car, watching as he cranked the engine. The sunlight was orange against the windowpane. It was nearing seven in the evening and all I wanted to do was chase myself down an alcohol-induced rabbit hole.
“Tell me, did you at least have a good conversation?” Alim asked me, his eyes skirting down the road. Across from us, children were playing on a street corner, dancing barefoot on the sidewalk.
“She was pretty tight-lipped, actually,” I said. “Didn’t want to open up to me.”