“No one can possibly know everything about a person a week into a relationship. And your parents … they seem okay with your choice not to marry him. You’re not usually one to chase drama, Ree, but are you sure you’re not finding problems that aren’t really here?”

Reena folded her arms in front of her. First, Amira was all like, this is complicated, don’t date him, and now she was accusing Reena of seeing drama that wasn’t there? “That’s a low blow, Meer, considering your rant on Monday morning.”

“I know, I know. I’m just … wondering out loud. I hope you aren’t using the drama as a scapegoat for why you’re keeping him at arm’s length.”

“What? This isn’t arm’s length! I brought him here to meet you, didn’t I?”

Amira just shrugged. “You admit you’re both keeping secrets. My question is, why is that okay for you?”

She bit her lip. Objectively, Reena hated secrets, and in theory, yeah, it would be better if they were honest. But what could she do? They’d agreed to no strings and no past. Eventually, if this continued, Reena had every intention of letting him know about her insecurities and about her past depression. But for now, she just honestly didn’t want to talk about it. And if he also had parts of his life he wanted to keep private, that was okay, too. She absently turned away from her friend, focusing on a shelf near the fireplace. A framed picture of a multihued sunset caught her eye. Amira, walking on the riverbank, with shades of orange, purple, and red framing her long, wavy hair.

“Duncan has a thing for sunsets.” Amira smiled, noticing Reena’s focus. “I didn’t know that until we moved here.”

“You two looked so cute sitting out there watching it.”

The contented smile stayed on Amira’s face as she glanced toward the porch. “I’ve never felt like this. Duncan and I have a lot of complications, too. I mean, now we have a mortgage, and he has two jobs, and I’m still dealing with sexist crap at work. Plus, his racist relatives hate that he’s with a loudmouthed Muslim activist, and my Muslim extended family judges me for shacking up with a heathen without being married. But at the end of the day, we just sit out there and watch the sun for hours.” She stood, silent for a moment, before walking over and picking up the picture. “I didn’t know it could be like this. When all that noise quiets, it’s breathtaking. So painfully honest. I’m going to be with him for the rest of my life. I know it.”

A small tickle started behind Reena’s eyes. A beautiful sentiment, especially from her once cynical friend. She didn’t know if she had ever felt that strong a connection with anyone, let alone Nadim. And although she was happy Amira found it, a small part of her couldn’t help but be sad that Amira’s happiness took her away from Reena. She wouldn’t be Amira’s best friend anymore, not when Amira had a soul mate now.