They lay in silence for a while, relaxing in the cool air and the comfort of each other’s company.
Hannah couldn’t take it any longer. “Sadiq,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” he answered, still looking up at the stars.
“What do you want to do with your life?”
Sadiq let out a long breath and let his hands rest on his bare chest. He was glad she wasn’t asking him about why he had left so many of her shows. He didn’t know if he could go down that road right now; he didn’t want to ruin such a perfect night.
“Well, I don’t really know,” he said. “Sometimes I look at people like you and I’m jealous.”
“What? Why would you be jealous of me? You’re the one with a driver, a palace, more money than you could ever spend.”
“But you know exactly what you want to do with your life, Hannah. You know what makes you happy. I don’t.”
Hannah thought about that for a minute. Sadiq was right. She did know exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to sing. She had known that for as long as she could remember.
“I guess you’re right,” she said, realizing for the first time just how lucky she was. “But I’d still take the palace, the driver and the money. That would be cool.”
Sadiq laughed and Hannah looked over at him, watching his face soften as he smiled. She let her eyes trace the profile of his strong jaw, his straight nose, his defined chin. Her gaze traveled down to his broad, bare chest and his taught stomach. Then he looked over at her and she quickly turned her face back toward the sky.
Sadiq smiled, knowing exactly what Hannah was looking at.
“But there’s got to be something that you’ve always liked doing, right?” Hannah said.
He looked over at her and watched her lips move as she spoke. Her long red hair spilled out over her shoulders, onto the crisp white sheets. He could stare at her all night. He wanted to pull her in close, breathe her in, kiss her and tell her how he felt about her.
“Music,” he said nonchalantly as he turned to face the stars again. “I’ve always loved finding new talent and helping up-and-coming artists get discovered. I met a few hip-hop acts out in California and made some introductions for them. I did it as a favor really, but I found that I really enjoyed being the middle-man. So I guess that would be—”
“An agent, or a manager!” Hannah said. “That’s exactly what they do. They take talent and producers and put them together!”
“Well, maybe that.”
“So why don’t you just do it? You’ve already got the money to get started. And you certainly have the connections—you could even start your own record label!”
Sadiq let out a sigh. “Maybe, I’m just not sure…”
“Not sure of what?” Hannah asked.
Sadiq propped himself up on his side and looked at her. “Not sure I’d ever find anyone as talented as you again.” Sure, it was cheesy, but he smiled as he watched her face light up.
“Well, I’d have to agree with you there. But don’t give up, Sadiq. That’s what my dad taught me. Never give up. I’ve always had a fear of being poor. We grew up with some money and then lost it, so ever since then, I’ve been afraid. But I don’t let that stop me. In fact, I work harder because of it.”
Sadiq laid back down and thought about what Hannah had said.
Hannah rolled onto her side. “So, I say you go for it. What’s holding you back?”
Sadiq looked up at the stars and blinked. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had never talked like this with a woman before. In fact, he had never talked like this with anyone before. He felt so at ease with Hannah.
“I guess I’m scared,” he said softly. He was afraid Hannah might judge him, but when he looked over he saw she was looking at him with nothing but kindness and compassion.
“I’m scared of failing,” he said, finally letting go of the words that had held him hostage for so long.
Hannah knew that wasn’t an easy thing for Sadiq to say. She watched his face as he let the words go. His eyes welled up with tears and she wanted to lean in and kiss him more than anything. But she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of them. She only had three more nights left in El-Shakanish; she was so close to going home without crossing that line.
“Yeah, I get that,” she said, falling back on the sheets. She reached over and found Sadiq’s hand and took it in hers. He smiled at her and pulled her in close and they closed their eyes, falling asleep in each other’s arms.
FIFTEEN
Hannah spent the next two nights playing back-to-back gigs at clubs in towns not far from the palace. Sadiq arrived at both performances after she did and left before she finished, and whatever closeness Hannah had felt between them that night at the hotel appeared to be gone. Or, she hoped, Sadiq was just scared of getting too close, especially since she would be leaving in a few days’ time.
The night before Hannah was scheduled to fly home, Sadiq made plans for the two of them to enjoy a celebratory dinner on the rooftop of the palace. Hannah accepted the invitation and spent the evening wondering what to expect. Sadiq was so hard to read, hot one moment and cold the next. There were so many things about him that she didn’t understand, and she just wished he would trust her enough to confide in her.
At seven, Naasir came to Hannah’s door at to escort her up to the rooftop. He smiled at her, complimenting her again on how pretty she looked. Hannah blushed at his kindness and curtseyed to acknowledge the compliment.
Hannah’s actions made Naasir smile even more. With laughter in his eyes, he reached his arm out to her and the two of them walked down the palace hallway to the elevator that led to the roof. Once at the elevator, Naasir pressed the button and patted Hannah’s hand.
“Well, Miss Green, enjoy your dinner,” he said as the doors swooshed open.