by Holly Rayner
He reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the museum and back into their car. Sarah realized then that they had enjoyed a totally normal experience and no one had been the wiser. Had anyone even guessed that the man with the beard and casual clothing was their ruling monarch? Perhaps there was some wisdom in keeping one’s face a secret if it meant getting small glimpses of a normal life.
Ali started the car and pulled back into the street, turning down a long road to a small airfield just outside the perimeter of the city.
“What are you up to, Ali?”
Ali grinned, putting the car in park and opening his door.
“You’ll see. Come on.”
She exited the vehicle and followed behind him as they approached a small plane. He opened the pilot’s door.
“You’re not seriously going to fly this thing, are you?” she asked, her stomach dropping at the thought.
“Of course I am. I’m a trained pilot, and I know what I’m doing. Besides, don’t you want a little adventure in your life?”
Before she could answer, a man came running toward them, waving his hands wildly.
“Stop! That plane belongs to the Sheikh of Al Jayah! What do you think you are doing?”
Ali stared at the man until he approached, and when the man saw him and realized who he was, he stopped, his face a mask of horrified embarrassment.
“Your Highness. I’m so sorry… I didn’t recognize you in…in…”
Ali held up a placating hand.
“Quite understandable, Hamil. Please don’t worry yourself. I was simply taking a casual flight with my friend here,” he said, gesturing to Sarah, who gave an awkward wave.
She instantly missed not being recognized and just having a casual day with Ali. The man made quick work of making an exit, bowing and apologizing as he did so, and Ali opened the side door so that Sarah could get in. She swallowed before doing so, her stomach roiling with nerves.
“You sure you know how to fly this thing?” she asked.
Ali reached over and gripped her hand, and she instantly felt reassured. How did he do that?
“Sarah, I would never do anything to put you in harm’s way. Now let me take you on this surprise voyage, and try to enjoy yourself. You’re in for a real treat.”
“Okay,” she said, strapping herself in and holding the door tightly as Ali started the engine and began to pull the plane along the runway.
He took off smoothly, the world disappearing below, and as they rose high into the sky, Sarah laughed at the thrill of it. Beneath them, Al Jayah was spread out like a beautiful tapestry of lush forests, sandy mountains, and dots of civilization.
They flew for some time before Sarah got a glimpse of where they were headed. There, appearing before them, were the snowcapped mountains that Anna had spoken of the night before. Sarah gazed down at them, seeing snow for the first time in her life.
“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.
The plane was noisy, to say the least, but the headset Ali had given her picked up the sound, and he glanced over at her with a smile.
“Just wait,” he said, and the plane tipped slightly downward, toward the mountains.
FIFTEEN
From the air, Sarah saw a small landing pad next to a quaint-looking cabin. As the plane glided in, touching down as gently as a butterfly, she realized that had been a big misperception. The cabin was in fact more like a lodge; it was enormous. Ali taxied to a stop and removed his headphones. Sarah did the same as he watched her carefully.
“Snow, this is Sarah. Sarah, meet snow,” he said, gesturing out at the winter wonderland around them.
She laughed. “This is insane!”
Not an hour before they had been sweating in the heat of the Middle Eastern sun. Now she felt a shiver run down her back as cold air seeped through the airplane doors. Ali grinned and opened his door, running around and quickly pulling hers open as well.
A blast a frigid air struck her, and in her light blouse and skirt, she realized she was beyond underdressed. Her teeth instantly began to chatter.
“How…lovely,” she said, her voice shaking as she trembled.
Ali frowned, reaching a hand out to help her down.
“Should have considered that part. Your body isn’t used to the cold, is it? Let’s go inside and get you something warm to wear so you don’t end up hating snow all your life.”
“That sounds like a great idea. So far, this isn’t the best impression.”
“Neither was I,” Ali said.
“I still haven’t decided on you either,” she quipped, attempting to smile and failing as her body began to shake even more.
“Come on then. Let’s give you a better impression of us both,” Ali said, and Sarah allowed him to wrap an arm around her as he escorted her into the lodge.
A warm fire was already licking at a pile of logs in a hearth that stretched all the way to the massive ceiling. Sarah rubbed her hands along her arms, seeking any kind of warmth at all as she made a beeline for the fireplace and held her hands in front of it. A young man in a uniform approached them, bowing.
“Your Highness. I saw your plane and made the proper arrangements. Is there anything I can get you?”
“Yes, thank you. We’ll need winter gear for the lady and myself.”
“Very good, sir. Welcome back.”
“It’s always nice to visit,” Ali said, nodding to the man before he departed. He turned his attention back to Sarah.
“Are you feeling a bit better?” he asked, and she nodded, enjoying the feeling as it returned to her fingers.
“Yes, thank you. This is rather cozy once your body stops shivering.”
“Yes. I should think so. This is the royal lodge. My parents and I used to vacation here often when I was younger, but I’m afraid I haven’t had time to come back in some while.”
“And what do I call you here? Ahmad?”
Ali’s smile was wistful as he stared into the orange and yellow flames.
“You can still call me Ali. When I was younger I played a game with the staff where I was really a young street urchin named Ali. It became a bit of a nickname around here, so no one would be the wiser if you call me that. It’s a safe place.”
“Good to know,” Sarah said.
Ali stood a little closer to her. She felt the heat of him nearly as much as the heat emanating from the fire, and she scooted away ever so slightly. She couldn’t afford to let her body dictate her thoughts, because if it did, she would have kissed him right then and there before that fire, and that was a terribly dangerous thing to do to her heart.
A moment later the man came back, his arms laden with snow gear. Sarah and Ali made quick work of bundling up in thick snow pants, jackets, gloves, and boots, until standing inside felt a little more like standing in the desert.
“Ready to go play in the snow?” Ali asked.
Sarah smirked.
“What are we, five?”
“Today we are,” Ali said. “Today let’s pretend that when I was writing that letter, asking for a friend, you appeared out of the bushes and we played together for the rest of our childhood.”
As he spoke, he made his way to the door, and Sarah followed close behind, smiling at the image he had painted with his words. He opened the portal, but this time the blast of cold air that met them was a welcome relief after wearing such warm clothes indoors.
“So you see,” Ali said, “this is the moment when you lose your first snowball fight!”
He grabbed a handful of snow and launched it in Sarah’s direction. With quick reflexes, she dodged his throw and picked up a snowball of her own, tossing it in his direction. He laughed and ran down the steps, heading straight into the woods. Sarah chased him, dipping her hand to the ground and picking up the fluffy white powder, which dispersed rather easily when it was thrown.
“This is terrible snowball snow. Nothing like they show in the movies,” Sarah said after missing Ali yet again.
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He stopped, his breath coming out in little puffs of smoke. His eyes were bright from running.
“You’re right. It’s not always this soft. This snow is better for skiing. It’s a reason this mountain is so popular with tourists.”
“What else is it good for?” Sarah asked, gazing around.
They had managed to run into the middle of a wooded area, and all around her the trees sparkled with glittery white snow. The world had gone silent except for the sound of their voices. She felt like they were the only two people in the whole world, and she realized that she was truly happy for the first time in ages.
Ali picked up another handful and held it out to her.
“Eating. Try some.”
Sarah laughed.
“What?”
“Try some. It’s nature’s snow cone.”
He held it closer to her, and she held out a hand to stop him.
“Please, I’ll select my own snow, thank you very much.”
“Are you always this mistrustful?”
“Only toward people who kidnap me, hold me hostage, and then make me lie during a state dinner.”
Ali stared at her, his expression grave. She instantly regretted her words, no matter how true they were. While there was clearly a kind and generous heart beating beneath his muscular chest, there was something niggling at her that she couldn’t shake, no matter how much her body leaned a little closer every time he got near. Her mind and heart were starting a war, and she wasn’t sure yet whose side she was on.
During his silence, she reached down and picked up a scoop of snow. She brought it to her lips and took her first taste.
“Hmm. Tastes like a snow cone with no flavoring,” she said, and Ali scoffed.
“Okay, now you’re just really being cruel.”
“Not as cruel as I’m going to be when this goes right in your face!”
Wanting to break the tension, she launched herself at Ali, who grasped her arms to stop her, and the two of them fell backward into a fluffy pile of snow.
Laughing, Sarah gazed down into Ali’s eyes and realized she was lying on top of him. With her body pressed against his, she found it impossible to look at anything other than his perfect, kissable lips. Neither of them spoke; their breath tangled in a hectic stream of visible air before them. Then Sarah’s brain kicked back in and she shifted herself off him, kneeling in the snow.
“Sorry,” she said, and he sat up, resting his forearms on his knees.
“For what?”
“For…I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Ali. I do, I think. I’ve found it difficult to trust any man. My last relationship ended okay, but it was clear he was already pursuing another woman before it was over. My parents divorced when I was young, but not so young that I didn’t feel the pain of that separation, the lies they would tell me just to try to placate me. I’m just not in the business of putting my faith in people.”
Ali stared at her for a long while. Sarah glanced up at him from the ground, vulnerability in her eyes.
“You can put your faith in me,” he said.
She met his gaze, assessing the truth of his words. He was clearly sincere, but there was still something holding her back from fully letting him in. Not wanting to make things awkward, she stood, brushing snow off her front.
“Well, what are we up to now?” she asked, watching carefully as Ali stood as well.
He gazed back in the direction of the lodge.
“What do you say to a nice lunch followed by an afternoon of skiing before we fly back to warmer climes?”
Sarah smiled, glad to be back on the topic of entertainment.
“I’d say that sounds like the best plan I’ve heard in a long time.”
Their lunch was quick and delicious, and then Ali showed Sarah around the back, where a pair of snowmobiles waited for them. Sarah mounted her own, but as she tried to start it, the engine wouldn’t kick on.
“Sabotage!” she called out, grumpy that she didn’t get to drive her own vehicle.
Ali patted the back of his seat, wriggling his eyebrows at her playfully.
“What’s the matter? Scared you’ll fall off?”
“In your dreams,” she said, straddling the seat behind him and holding on to the sides of the seat.
She promised herself that she would not wrap her arms around him, no matter how wild the ride was. The instant the snowmobile moved, she shot backward, and her arms reflexively sought an anchor. She held on to Ali, her face pressed against his warm back.
After several minutes of trying to convince herself that she should let go, she finally gave in, allowing herself to hold him as tightly as she wanted. She enjoyed the sensation of holding him close. They reached a ski lift and another small lodge, which was lightly populated with tourists, none of whom seemed to care that the Sheikh of Al Jayah had arrived.
They stepped off, Sarah reluctantly releasing Ali as she dismounted. Then they rented two pairs of skis before heading up the mountain. All afternoon, Sarah was subjected to Ali’s careful and kind teaching as he worked to get her down the mountain in one piece. By the end of the afternoon, they had moved from the children’s slopes to something a little more challenging, and Sarah had even beaten him down the runs a few times.
She was laughing, her face flushed from the exertion, her eyes streaming from the cold, and she had never been happier. Ali joined her, laughing as well. He nearly crashed into her when she held her arms out, but the two of them found their balance together. She was getting more and more comfortable holding him. As the day had worn on, her guard had slowly cracked one piece at a time.
Ali pulled off one of his gloves, checking his watch.
“We should probably start heading back if we want to get home in time for dinner.”
“Do you always plan your day around meals?” Sarah teased.
“Doesn’t everyone? Maybe not where you’re from, where the food is mediocre at best.”
“Have you even been to Florida? We have the best food ever!”
“Tell me one thing you have that’s better than the food you’ve had here.”
Sarah thought for a moment. The truth was, she couldn’t think of a single thing she liked that was better than the spiced meats she had had the first day she’d met Ali. As she hesitated, he grinned, his expression triumphant.
“I rest my case. Now let’s get ourselves back home to warmth and a feast.”
“That sounds excellent. Snow is great and all, but I’m a warm-weather kind of girl.”
They returned their skis before sitting back on the snowmobile. Sarah didn’t hesitate this time when she wrapped her arms around Ali’s waist, and he gave her hand a squeeze before he took the handles and drove them back to the lodge. There they made quick work of collecting their things before getting back in the plane. Ali had opted to remove his snow gear, but Sarah had refused to take hers off until they reached reasonable weather, and so she was bundled up in the plane, excited to take off and get back home.
When Ali lifted the plane into the sky, the sun was sinking toward the horizon, casting a creamy orange glow all across the landscape below. Sarah watched with stars in her eyes, completely taken with the country of Al Jayah. What had first seemed a cold and unwelcoming place was quickly becoming one of her favorite places in the world.
Then again, Ali might have had a pretty big role to play in that. Sarah thought about how patient he had been with her as she’d stumbled through their skiing lesson, how considerate he had been as he’d waited for her to catch up to his obvious skill. Ali had shown so much more of his character that day, and Sarah was almost ready to admit to herself that she liked him a little more than a friend would.
Ali landed the plane back at the airfield, and when she stepped out, the heat of the capital warmed her face instantly.
Sarah sighed. “Now this is more like it,” she said, removing her snow gear before they got back into Ali’s car.
Ali smiled as he
started the engine to drive back toward the palace.
“I agree. I certainly enjoy visiting the mountains, but I was raised in the north, where we are used to the hot, sunny days. They are my favorite.”
“Do you ever go to the beach?” Sarah asked.
Ali shrugged.
“I used to. After my parents died I became a bit busy running the country.”
“You managed to take quite a bit of time off today,” Sarah said.
