Forbidden | Haram

f his gaze, the calm yet magnetic way he carried himself. I swallowed, feeling a quiet thrill ripple through me as I tried

st the moment he sat down. No tension, I reminded myself, even as my pulse quickened. I forced a casual smile, hopi

, on the sounds of laughter and chatter around us, but every time I looked at him, that practiced calm seemed to slip just a littl

eping up on me. Just be casual, I thought, forcing myself to relax, to play it cool. But despite my best efforts, there was a

ess. But if he kept being so likeable, so effortlessly attentive, I wasn't sure I could hold my ground. No, I warned

was the one who'd invited me, the one who had reassured Kristoff he'd look after me while I was

ut feel something else. Something unspoken in the way his gaze lingered, or the way he se

s, snapping me back to the present. He was grinning,

abit, my fingers scrolling through the apps. But just as I found the icon, I remembered with a jolt-no

, "I, uh... actually don't have reception right now. Di

've gone viral together, you know?" He nudged me with a playful gr

my life back home felt strange, almost surreal. But the moment passed quickly, and soon enoug

I'll just type in my account." As Naveed handed it over, I tried not to think too much about my meag

ugging with a half-smile. "I'll follow you back when we get home." I

ld feel at home in their laughter, as if I'd known them far longer than just a few days. And as I glanced at Kashifa, sharing the joke a