The Contact Finally Returns

My raised hand froze in mid-air. "What's the matter?"

Musa looked down at his right foot, which had taken a step back, took a slight breath, paused, and then pulled his retreating foot back, straightening up to stand before me once more.

"I'm sorry. That was just a reflex to step back. I'm still not used to being intimate with someone of the opposite sex in broad daylight." Seeing the slight annoyance on my face, he said with a trace of shame, "I've hardly ever been this close to a girl in the middle of the day. Just give me a little time to adapt."

I thought of the couples in Dubai's malls dressed in traditional white and black robes; even after years of marriage, they maintained a proper distance in public places, not even holding hands, and I felt a bit more understanding. Naturally, Musa had grown up in an environment where men and women kept a strict distance from one another. Even though he could hold me close inside the enclosed cabin of the truck, once back out under the brilliant daylight with its wide-open views, he couldn't help but be mindful.

Yet, there seemed to be something not quite right about his words. I raised an eyebrow, folded my arms, and asked, "So, are you implying that you *are* used to intimate contact with the opposite sex at night?"

He smiled. "I tried it for one night last night, but I wouldn't call it a habit yet."

Hearing this, a blush crept across my cheeks, and I gave him a light nudge.

This time, he didn't dodge, but instead quickly caught my hand. "See? I'm learning to get used to it. That's an improvement from just now."

My wrist was held firmly in his grasp, making me even more shy. I said softly, "I know that in public places in Dubai, people can't just hold hands freely. You can let go now."

He shook his own head instead, his eyes tenderly fixed on me. "This isn't a public place. This is the desert."

I opened my mouth, stubbornly arguing back, "But you just dodged away from me!"

Before the words had even faded, Musa pressed my fingers against his cheek and closed his eyes. "Last night, when your fingers caressed my face, I learned how wonderful that feeling could be." Slowly, he opened his eyes, his gaze deep and profound. "When I carried you out of the truck just now, I couldn't help but look at you intently, wanting to hold onto that feeling, to hold onto that memory. Last night, despite the sandstorm, it was the most wonderful night. It made me hardly dare to dream of experiencing that feeling again under the sunlight."

A soothing warmth rippled through the bottom of my heart. The corners of my lips curved upward, my voice carrying a smile. "How can there be so many things one doesn't dare to dream of?"

"A little while won't be enough," I blinked, adding as I wrapped my arms around his waist as well.

He choked back a breath, then murmured, "I hope we can hold each other longer..." He tightened his arms around me, whispering softly, "A little longer..."

Standing atop the truck's roof, looking down over the landscape swept by wild sands, we embraced in silence. We didn't know how long this embrace could last, nor how many hardships the future might hold. Under the blazing sun, in a city as open yet taboo as Dubai, embracing and kissing in public were such perilous acts; and so, let this sweet dream of kissing amidst the desolate desert last just a little bit longer...

By the afternoon, Musa had shoveled away the sand piled up around the truck, while I reorganized the luggage and belongings scattered by the wind. Though it was sweltering, the blossoming emotions in my heart gave me an extra burst of energy for the work. I pulled out the tent, imagining that tonight I might lie under the stars in the large tent with Musa, and felt a profound sense of joy.

Right at that moment, the faint sound of an engine drifted over. Hearing it, Musa and I hurried up to the top of the sand dune, and sure enough, we saw an off-road truck driving toward us.

Musa quickly fired a flare gun. A flame shot straight up into the sky, bursting with a loud bang. Immediately afterward, Senior Brother Ricky's ringing, excited voice echoed through the air: "We're back to pick you up!"