“When I first saw you that evening in Byblos… there is nothing I can say here that can encompass the entirety of all I felt in that moment.” He cups my face with his hands, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. “Our feelings aren’t the same yet. I understand that. I have loved you longer. You are precious to me. Infinitely so. I won’t ask you to not take risks or do anything that you don’t want to as long as you will realize that I will do the same thing. You can’t leave me behind or stay behind unless I am allowed to do the same thing.”

I pull away from him and grab some tissues from a box on the bedside table. I wipe my eyes and blow my nose and try to stop crying. It takes a while.

“Well?” He pokes me.

“Well what?” I say, and he glares at me. “Okay, okay.”

“Do you promise?” he asks.

“I do.”

“Say it.”

“I promise.” I sniffle.

As a reward, he kisses me again.

Sonagi, or A Sudden Rain

We are still shaken from what happened in Marrakech. We startle easily and huddle together for comfort. Our screams are a breath away and our hands tremble. We hate this weakness immensely, but Baarish has threatened the safety, the security, we have spent decades if not centuries cultivating.

The evening finds us in the living room, with the television blasting cheers from the fans of Apink, a K-pop girl group we all stan. We are seated around a stash of street food Areum and Etsuko went and bought. Taraana has discovered tteokbokki and appears to have found heaven at the same time.

“What are we going to do now?” Apink’s song ends, and Valentina turns the TV off.

Paheli pops a piece of tuna kimbap into her mouth, chews, and swallows. It is a delaying tactic of hers that we’re familiar with. “We do an experiment,” she says finally. “Before we decide how exactly we’ll use the conjury we bought from the old man, we need to know what exactly it does.”

Valentina gets up and starts pacing. “Why do I feel like you’re not taking this seriously? Those middle worlders last night—they were from Baarish, right? He was able to follow us to Marrakech. Who is to say he won’t be able to follow us here? We are sitting ducks here. Isn’t it time we made plans?”

“Can’t I finish eating first?” Paheli puts another kimbap piece into her mouth and chews with relish.

Valentina glares at her. “Paheli!”

“Fine.” Paheli wipes her mouth.

“I don’t see why you are being so casual about this. I don’t see why you had to stay behind!” Ah. That’s the crux of it. Valentina’s angry.

“Look, I’ve just had a difficult time explaining to Taraana—”