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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCKuSZDFeA
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFs2PLOeoN
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Now, it was well past midnight. His stomach growled.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUvcdAZkaQ
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He opened the fridge and groaned.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K7AsgtfoQ
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Half a serving of roasted potatoes. A spoonful of lamb. Maybe two zucchini slices if he was being generous.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCqEtfPi7t
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“Really, Lamija?” he muttered. “You left me diplomatic scraps.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4npdomtQQk
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHMEE6uDD6
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As he ate standing at the counter, his thoughts drifted.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQQBEObVfp
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Selma.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtWxHZebso
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFQBge5REO
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And now there was the matter of telling his mother.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVI2VjWcpf
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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?101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmQHTcOvhe
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He didn’t want permission.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cp5PpXWoH
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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?101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoiQ4TZsl0
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRJstCy4yq
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Caesar.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0ySj2PDSp
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The sound tugged at him—equal parts thunder and invitation.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoJTr2jsJb
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He stepped back into the kitchen and outside onto the patio.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDL1fHcowj
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HBMFiv0uC
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzGz5CvlZx
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She rode him with utter control—no fear, no hesitation. Her posture perfect. Her arms steady. Her face focused.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlta4wsnWM3
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWyBJMFtRw
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They were a sight.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOALQiLZBBa
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Imran leaned against the fence, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth tipping upward.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcBoVHnn97
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“Would’ve been nice if you left me more than three potatoes,” he called.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHgL91YGNN
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Lamija’s laugh rang out across the ring. “You came home late. That’s the tax.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJT8BQoKktF
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“You eat like royalty and leave your big brother starving. That feels personal.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5Pt5vJOkM
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She slowed Caesar into a wide circle. “I regret nothing.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJ5e5YcjG5
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“How was the meeting?” he asked.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXetjjzFqMv
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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.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eY3Q63yvl
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“He’s the one Babo wants?”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBsnyD380E
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“Apparently. You know how he is. Sees an investment portfolio and forgets common sense.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKjUSWXqEP
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Imran chuckled. “That’s our father.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVKUQpcOqm
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“I told him we’d follow up. Politely.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCMR8jFV7I
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Imran leaned further into the fence. “Adil called me.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVbXfwAP6k
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Lamija groaned audibly. “What now?”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcTIx2WVPT
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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.’”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDWRUWJ6yo
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Lamija grinned despite herself. “Subtlety is a lost art.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJucz72F7Y
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“I already bought it. For Eid. Don’t get cocky.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoSM4eYI6C
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“I’m just saying—you understood the assignment.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOC5tqV663
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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.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGGBW5WoE8
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Lamija’s expression turned icy. “Did you tell him where to shove it?”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjirURp6oQI
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“I may have used slightly more colorful language.. If Babo ever heard him talk like that—”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05W90CfPyV
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“He’d light their offices on fire.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjWkAUzxRx
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“And I’d hand him the match.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQW0t7XmYp9
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They shared a moment of wordless understanding.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrGLHWyWw6
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Caesar snorted, stomping one foot in disapproval of the break.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7UXOR1K5i
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Imran scratched his neck. “So... Ayub?”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY1QnlrR1S
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Lamija exhaled. “Everyone’s worried I’ll break him. Mama. You. Everyone.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMD2udKg9S
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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.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YvfJ6j2e2
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“I’m not heartless.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72YNqzBo7Z
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“I know. But you’re curious. And with someone like Ayub, that’s not a neutral emotion.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyrmBc5cmc
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Lamija fell quiet, guiding Caesar into another slow pass.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY4jRMOzgt
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“I don’t want to feel guilty for not feeling the same,” she admitted.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMOqj0kr63
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“You shouldn’t. You owe no one your affection.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5O5OeHv8m
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“Even if he’s... Ayub?”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TkXal9g3W
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“Even then.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWazhXwWrP
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiIGvuBKZk
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“Still chasing Selma?” Lamija asked after a long beat.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC16jQGmif
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Imran smiled, soft and firm. “I want her, Lamija.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzO1qlWzkpM
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“I don’t think she’s ready.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTVidCZyKY
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“I can wait.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskiKNmgCUg
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkw7ZOo3KU
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Lamija laughed. “He thinks you’ve had enough of my attention.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTWKyFQYVP
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNuI0225No
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“See?” Imran said smugly. “We’re building trust.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM55DJ6nwGj
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Lamija rolled her eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47Yn99MghV
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“I want to ride him.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUB756FWxsp
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“Absolutely not.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBl5ot3YVu
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“I think we’ve reached an understanding.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfiewUmUKG
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“You’ll be broken in half.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttVFhUSrSj
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Imran was already climbing the fence. “Then scatter my ashes with flair.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoEbVyqzn9
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Caesar watched him approach like a king tolerating a jester.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjoefrCNsp
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Imran grabbed the reins gently. “Easy, buddy. Let’s be friends.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqWIyTaE0v
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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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzZp2R54Fb
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Then came the buck.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2T1LoCcDy4
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Then another.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOjJSmqKYb
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And on the third, Imran flew.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGy8epznrEO
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He landed in the dirt with a thud and a very ungraceful grunt.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKWkOibVHL
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Lamija was already sprinting. “Imran!”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZg7LdhjTd
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He rolled onto his back, groaning. “I’m alive.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtxIY3gkIX
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She dropped to her knees beside him. “You’re a certified idiot.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC9vt6DKDu
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Caesar trotted to the fence, glared once, and turned his back with a dramatic flick of his tail.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dgWmfCEY8
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“Wow,” Imran muttered. “He’s petty.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFftMuLGWy
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“He gave you ten seconds. That’s a personal record.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqkt189tz8
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“Tell him I’m open to peace talks.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wmzrgHXpT
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Lamija laughed, brushing dust off his hoodie.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqJjloWWJI
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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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