The house was dark when Imran stepped in, save for the dim kitchen light that always stayed on when someone was expected late. He loosened his tie as he moved through the quiet, his jacket already slung over his arm, the weight of the evening pressing into his shoulders like an old friend.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lpfkmxhal
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He had barely walked through the door after the site visit with Ayub when his father called him in to review a stack of new contract proposals. What should have taken an hour turned into four.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXuvWVbGyJ
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Now, it was well past midnight. His stomach growled.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSS7JQ9zZE
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He opened the fridge and groaned.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuDpj9hpd2
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Half a serving of roasted potatoes. A spoonful of lamb. Maybe two zucchini slices if he was being generous.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy8O3JU71w
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“Really, Lamija?” he muttered. “You left me diplomatic scraps.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2omQ5gal9V
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He pulled out what little was left and made it work—microwaving the plate while grabbing a bottle of water. It wasn’t a meal. It was survival.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee8RAqd84S
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As he ate standing at the counter, his thoughts drifted.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyKvq3ImMO
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Selma.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJunSIcw54N
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She hadn’t said much in Lamija’s office that morning—just a polite nod and a quiet smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. That had been enough to make her cross his mind for the rest of the day.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Wm56qs08D
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And now there was the matter of telling his mother.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2pW8p3Pax
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How did he explain that the woman he wanted was married one and already had a son? That he didn’t care—not even a little—but that he wasn’t sure how it would be received?68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSaT26QDBm
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He didn’t want permission.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpvSXvAWFF
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But he also didn’t want silence.
His mother loved Selma—but would that change if she knew Imran did too?68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrgX5K5VgV
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He finished his food and rinsed the plate, placing it gently in the dishwasher before grabbing a hoodie off the back of the chair. As he headed out of the kitchen, a sharp whinny sliced through the quiet.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0PYmXHN89
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Caesar.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ucb1PJn2t
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The sound tugged at him—equal parts thunder and invitation.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LMzLbKJTa
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He stepped back into the kitchen and outside onto the patio.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2JLTgsShL
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The air was cool and still, heavy with the scent of dew and pine. The night sky stretched endlessly above him, dark and glittering. The gravel crunched under his dress shoes as he walked the stone path to the stables.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBOVDzuEV2
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In the ring, under the low golden wash of floodlights, Lamija and Caesar moved like they were born from the same force.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpH2z0UmOd
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She rode him with utter control—no fear, no hesitation. Her posture perfect. Her arms steady. Her face focused.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR655rZpFzL
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Caesar was a storm wrapped in leather and muscle. His black coat glistened like oil beneath the lights, every motion rippling through him like a wave. His hooves struck the ground with purpose, and every leap over the training poles was clean and commanding.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndwlT3Zn91
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They were a sight.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy4VpyKybg
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Imran leaned against the fence, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth tipping upward.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuTirt4gkK
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“Would’ve been nice if you left me more than three potatoes,” he called.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjpwhguLqS
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Lamija’s laugh rang out across the ring. “You came home late. That’s the tax.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgQgyeZTud
68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3927LOBFb
“You eat like royalty and leave your big brother starving. That feels personal.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzcbRNdiZo
68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiC65bDVKK
She slowed Caesar into a wide circle. “I regret nothing.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWq7sGlswL
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“How was the meeting?” he asked.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEz1VT3HDs
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Her smile faded into something exasperated. “Called our airport quaint and tried to explain logistics to me like I hadn’t been running international routes since I was twenty.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHD5nPcAfB
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“He’s the one Babo wants?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnxFNcrJzj
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“Apparently. You know how he is. Sees an investment portfolio and forgets common sense.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJzDQt0OQ1
68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAdtH9m9Q1
Imran chuckled. “That’s our father.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MaNs2WD3L
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“I told him we’d follow up. Politely.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSKTwpc3FL
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Imran leaned further into the fence. “Adil called me.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjMfvl2RHw
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Lamija groaned audibly. “What now?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSGDgQqFbU
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“He said Nedim saw the link you sent me on instagram—the Solène purse. The one you so subtly captioned ‘buy me.’”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm58A0zH5q2
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Lamija grinned despite herself. “Subtlety is a lost art.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlLEyiHufC
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“I already bought it. For Eid. Don’t get cocky.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfDjvo0K6a
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“I’m just saying—you understood the assignment.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFLJ9kWVEf
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Imran smirked. “Nedim wanted to buy it for you. Said it was a way to get his foot into the door. As a peace offering.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAbhRMUYKy
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Lamija’s expression turned icy. “Did you tell him where to shove it?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsEkkIhAde
68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgnQGY2qeV
“I may have used slightly more colorful language.. If Babo ever heard him talk like that—”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74PTc7qPGU
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“He’d light their offices on fire.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YJMMKjPPo
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“And I’d hand him the match.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWREUYVLBvn
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They shared a moment of wordless understanding.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOia86QNB8m
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Caesar snorted, stomping one foot in disapproval of the break.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEXtNxR4W1
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Imran scratched his neck. “So... Ayub?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeqQmgH2Qk
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Lamija exhaled. “Everyone’s worried I’ll break him. Mama. You. Everyone.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37E2XsMuuQ
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“He’s been through a lot. That doesn’t mean he’s fragile—but he’s not someone you test just to feel something.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85sDauZbDq
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“I’m not heartless.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVl8IvFMWgs
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“I know. But you’re curious. And with someone like Ayub, that’s not a neutral emotion.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqe78F8rHnd
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Lamija fell quiet, guiding Caesar into another slow pass.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtZEnfTAJv
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“I don’t want to feel guilty for not feeling the same,” she admitted.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDK9Svtd3BG
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“You shouldn’t. You owe no one your affection.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTY4iKFhA3
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“Even if he’s... Ayub?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pF5Q68Qae
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“Even then.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyl27tKl44
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They stood in silence again as Caesar moved. The horse had slowed, sensing the shift in energy, his muscles stretching through the curve.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxftlJrxE1V
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“Still chasing Selma?” Lamija asked after a long beat.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJXkZQvuLW
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Imran smiled, soft and firm. “I want her, Lamija.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvMaZRga8a
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“I don’t think she’s ready.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFk2ogky4y
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“I can wait.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzRj6Kqbss
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Caesar snorted—loud and unamused. He stamped again, this time closer to the fence, and tossed his head like he’d been excluded from the conversation too long.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFkKnWzRmC
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Lamija laughed. “He thinks you’ve had enough of my attention.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJVUz20pDh
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Imran reached over the fence to scratch Caesar behind the ear. The stallion flared his nostrils, huffed, and—shockingly—leaned into it.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotdMvX3foq
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“See?” Imran said smugly. “We’re building trust.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQtAyuhdTi
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Lamija rolled her eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAePCQEhy9
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“I want to ride him.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDMsP2JjcK
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“Absolutely not.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6j4KcP6on
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“I think we’ve reached an understanding.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkrp1U4qIW
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“You’ll be broken in half.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg5OcqA3KU
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Imran was already climbing the fence. “Then scatter my ashes with flair.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinviRL1ZsE
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Caesar watched him approach like a king tolerating a jester.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BtSeepZ8M
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Imran grabbed the reins gently. “Easy, buddy. Let’s be friends.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCs58PQPZk
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He mounted quickly. Caesar didn’t move. He stood frozen lulling Imran into a false sense of security. Then he exploded. He tore through the ring like a bullet with hooves. Imran held on—for one glorious, adrenaline-fueled second.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcrpm1zbSu
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Then came the buck.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaGh9qnZHZ
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Then another.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cYH4msW3S
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And on the third, Imran flew.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOp3bDSRKP
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He landed in the dirt with a thud and a very ungraceful grunt.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlODKubtYQ6
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Lamija was already sprinting. “Imran!”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtogBBXwaMd
68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPmzMlVvFU
He rolled onto his back, groaning. “I’m alive.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFDq9pO4Tr
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She dropped to her knees beside him. “You’re a certified idiot.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMS5EFrKd9J
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Caesar trotted to the fence, glared once, and turned his back with a dramatic flick of his tail.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLIYgvdvGS
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“Wow,” Imran muttered. “He’s petty.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtkqogGCPF
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“He gave you ten seconds. That’s a personal record.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8la9RebgC7
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“Tell him I’m open to peace talks.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeCux28D4b
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Lamija laughed, brushing dust off his hoodie.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt71u1pL8JF
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They sat together on the edge of the ring, shoulders close.
Imran looked at her then. Really looked.
“You know,” he said, “Ayub’s not perfect. But he’s good. And he loves you—not in some distant, poetic way. In a real way. He’d show up. Every day. Quietly. Consistently.”
“I know,” she said softly. “That’s what makes it hard.”
Imran nodded. “You don’t owe him anything. Not a feeling. Not a future.”
“But?” she asked.
“But if there’s even a part of you that wonders what it might look like… to build something real with someone who sees you already?” He paused. “I think you should give him a chance.”
Lamija’s brows drew together, not in resistance—but in something more complicated.
Imran’s voice dropped.
“It hurts less,” he admitted, “when I picture you with someone like him. Someone I trust. Someone who’d protect you like I would—without ever making you small to do it.”
That landed.
Lamija didn’t respond. Not right away. But her posture shifted, her arms uncrossing as she reached down to rest her hand against the fence.
Caesar let out a long breath behind them, the tension in the ring softening.
“I’m not promising anything,” she said quietly.
“I’m not asking you to,” Imran replied. “Just… don’t shut the door before you check what’s behind it.”
Lamija smiled faintly.
“Has anyone ever told you you’d make an excellent therapist?”
Imran grinned. “Only every time you come to me for unsolicited advice.”
She bumped her shoulder into his.
He didn’t push again.
He didn’t need to.
Something had already started to shift.
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