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Islamabad, Pakistan

*Amir*

*November 17, 2018*

It's Friday evening in Louisiana, and I connected to Luna. When I did, I ended up standing in the middle of a club surrounded by men and women dancing on each other. I was in my car on the side of the street on my way to eat lunch with Faisal, but I felt the urge to see her. My hormones began feeling heated, like I was set on fire once I locked eyes on her.

She wore a jean jacket and a white top with gray stripes, and her hair was down as she danced with some of her friends. One girl was thin with bright red hair and kept her eyes on Luna as they smiled and danced together. Then a tall guy with glasses danced alongside them and they all giggled when the DJ changed the music to a different beat. I bobbed my head to the music, feeling slightly out of my comfort zone, but then I joined in as I made my way towards her.

When she spotted me, she brought her hands up behind her neck and fluffed out her hair, smiling sweetly. She looked beautiful either way. As I got closer to her, she took my hand into hers and tried to usher me with her eyes to move like the others. I wasn't used to dancing in a place like this and struggled to sway back and forth, but I quickly caught on.

I tried not to stare down at Luna's hips and rear rotating in my view, but it was sort of inevitable being in a club surrounded by partiers. I could even sense other tethered souls within the building and tried to spot them, but it was hard to do. The music played too loud and boomed heavily against the walls. I turned my attention back to Luna and her friends and no longer cared about any other soul in this place. I'd rather keep my attention on her.

I wondered if Chase was somewhere in here?

Luna's friend with the red hair stood closer to her and yelled something over the music into her ear.

"Great song, yeah?"

"Yeah, Lynette. I love Drake," Luna responded, winking at me and running her hands up and down her sides in a sensual style.

That kind of turned me on, but I composed myself, because it wasn't the time or place to have filthy thoughts of her. I smiled back and reached around her waist, pulling her against my chest. My chin laid on her shoulder along her neck and was tilted slightly as we both swayed amorously to the music. My veins shook, and I could feel the goosebumps forming over my skin. I calmed myself down and blew softly on her neck, trying to usher her away from here.

An older couple who are part of us stared straight into my eyes, but I didn't want to talk to anyone else at the moment. I just wanted to talk to Luna.

"Let's talk somewhere more quiet," I murmured into her ear. "I want to hear your voice," I finished, circling my hands around her shoulders, caressing her exposed areas. She moaned with her eyes closed.

The geezer with the glasses then came beside her and began dancing on her, causing me to feel like pounding his stupid face in. I could through Luna, but I will not embarrass her like that. I continued standing still and had her on one side as she rotated her hips and thrusted them in front of me. I really wanted to leave, but my legs wouldn't move.

Then the song slowed down, and another sensual beat began, making all the partiers dance intimately.

My heart began racing. I brought myself face to face with her and nodded with my head toward the exit sign, so that we could go talk. She nodded back and grinned. But before she could run off, "Glasses" pulled her arm and turned her around to face him.

"Where'r you going?" he asked, slurring his words. That's none of his business.

"To the bathroom. I'm hot," she explained, looking sweaty and fanning herself with her hands.

"Someone should walk with you. Me or Lynette. Those guys at the bar keep staring at you."

She glanced their way and back at him. "It's okay, Walter. I'll be all right."

"You sure?" Of course she's sure.

Luna giggled and hugged her friend, then spoke to Lynette whom I assume was the redhead's name, then she made her way to the women's restroom. Once inside, she stood beside a wall since all the stalls were occupied and pulled up her phone, then pretended to speak to someone in case anyone saw her talking to herself.

"Hey, Amir," she said, gazing my way.

"Hey, I came by to check on you," I murmured and glanced around.

"Everything is fine. I'm doing okay." She peered into my eyes and smiled shyly. Then she said, "You wanted to talk?" Her eyebrow was raised.

"How are you? I never figured you to be a partier." I wasn't trying to fuss at her, but this seemed like this was something that wasn't like her.

"My friend, Lynette, got a promotion at her work. So her brother who was the tall goofy guy with glasses and I wanted to take her out to celebrate."

When she finished, we both gazed around in my car and sat with the sun shining down with little traffic passing by. "Where are you headed?"

"I was about to meet up with Faisal for lunch."

"Oh."

"Did you drive or come up here with anyone?" I asked her, curious as to how she got to the club.

"I drove. I haven't had anything to drink, by the way. I made sure I wouldn't."

I sighed with relief and smiled back, propping up against the stall wall as our scenery changed back into the bathroom. "That's a relief, and smart. Can you leave now?"

"And go where?"

"For a day and night ride, of course. It's the beauty of being in two places at once. I can take you on a tour of where I live." She snickered and nodded her head.

"Okay. I need to tell them I'm leaving first, then I can go." She opened the bathroom door and stared at a few women who glared at her while coming through.

After she stepped out, she immediately ran over to her friends and told them goodbye. They pleaded with her to stay behind, but she made sure she was insistent on leaving. She yelled out to them that she got a phone call about Sarah coughing, and that she needed to check up on her. That was a plausible excuse.

Lynette and "Glasses" talked for another ten minutes, and then Luna finally started walking to her Range Rover. After jumping in, she sighed for a moment, catching her breath. She then guzzled down her water bottle and peered my way.

"Sorry. It was hot in there. I'm wore out."

"Your friends didn't seem to want to let you go."

"Well, we were only in the club for thirty minutes. Normally when we go out, I stay for at least an hour or so. I hardly get time with Lynette. We've been friends since the moment I moved here." She giggled a little and leaned her head back. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, it's fine. I didn't know that about you and your friend."

She started her car, and I started mine. Then she glanced my way, smiling. "Okay. So... where to?"

"Let's just drive. I can show you around the city I live near, and you can show me around New Orleans."

She nodded, but then let out a tiny laugh. "All right, but it's night time here. It's best to see the city during the day. I'll take you to the large graveyards and haunted places we have around here."

I nodded back and replied, "Sounds good. Today on my end you can see Pakistan. It's daylight. You'll love the mountains and forests. And the next time we'll browse New Orleans together."

"Okay. Deal."

I shook my head, and then peered my gaze to the road ahead. I liked spending time with her. She was so easy to be around and had an adventurous side to her that I found intriguing.

We both pulled out of our spots and she parked her car near a secluded bayou next to a field while gazing in my area on the passenger side. It felt like we were on a date, but an unofficial one, which made my heart flutter. Being closer to a female like this was rare for me. I'm reserved and not used to it.

I shook my head and refocused my attention to the road. I was getting way ahead of myself.

While getting off the dirt road, I made my way onto a paved one and continued driving until I was in the city of Islamabad. She gazed around in awe at all the huge buildings that her eyes landed on and how immaculate the area looked. Beautiful, tall buildings that almost reached the sky caught her eyes. And she really loved looking at the Centaurus Mall from the outside.

The building had a thirty-six floor hotel, three twenty-three residential and office towers and a five-story shopping mall.

If she were to travel here, with Sarah, I'd spoil them rotten. Hell, bring Chase along, and they'd get a warm welcome from everyone here.

I casually gave her a tour of the capital of Pakistan and described a few different landmarks we passed up. Then I explained to her how Islamabad was ranked the second most beautiful capital in the world because of the scenic and ethereal places the city displayed. She asked if I knew the number one ranked capital. I told her it was London, and her smile lit up brighter than before, knowing that I knew that.

She continued to bite her lip as we drove down a busy street, but then she turned her head down when she saw a few ladies wearing their hijab. She probably felt nervous and slightly out of her comfort zone by not wearing one. However, she would never have to wear one if she were with me. She could be herself, just the way she is.

I took her hand and gazed at her, soothing her anxiety. "You have nothing to feel embarrassed about. In our custom we do wear a covering over heads, and sometimes the face. Luckily, no one can see you."

"It's not just that," she mumbled, frowning.

"What is it then?"

"I mean, if I were here now I don't know how I'd feel. Would I have to cover my face if wanted to walk around?"

I turned a corner and pulled over to the side of the street, directly in front of a restaurant I sometimes frequent. "We do things according to our values and customs. But if you were here now, visiting, no one would bother you to cover yourself. Of course, you wouldn't feel comfortable in the clothing you have on at this very moment. Those jeans show every detail of your slender legs, and your booty slightly pokes out. That's not a bad thing either because I admire the view, actually." She barked out a laugh, and I finished. "You're fine just the way you are."

She gazed up at me with a shimmer in her eyes, and I tucked a strand of her hair behind her shoulder. I cleared my throat and pulled out of the spot that I was in.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Khan." We both laughed and smiled at one another. "Thank you," she whispered my way, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "You know how to make me feel better."

"I want you to feel good. I hate it when you're sad, and we're going to be in each other's lives forever. We might as well get used to each other's customs and lifestyles."

I moved forward and continued our journey through my country, passing by expansive mountains and captivating valleys that were tucked away.

As I drove over a bumpy road, she gazed at a large building in the distance and slightly opened her mouth. "Wow. That place is beautiful."

"That is called the Faisal Mosque. It's very large and decorated. It's also spacious for people to gather inside and pray. I've been in there a few times. That's where some of my family goes to pray."

"Oh. What about you? Where do you go?"

I turned down a street that would take us to another mesmerizing landmark and answered her question. "I go to a different Mosque. But most of the time I will pray where I am. I keep my mat handy, in case it's time for prayer."

"Faith is very important to you, huh? That's remarkable."

"Faith is the foundation for most people in their morals and values. It all depends on how each person views life and what they do with their faith. I will never judge someone based on a different belief than my own. I know a few Pakistani's who believe in Christianity, while some may believe in Hinduism or other types of beliefs other than Islam. I was raised in an Islamic household, but our family is an accepting group. I think my family would love you."

She fiddled with the seatbelt and shook her head, biting her lip. "I don't think that would be possible. I wouldn't exactly fit in it."

"That's not entirely true," I reassured her, continuing down a dirt road. "If you were to visit, I would say you were my American source for healthcare, or a photographer who wanted to capture the essence of Pakistan. I don't see me revealing to anyone how we really are connected."

She giggled softly. "Nah. That's our little secret."

I nodded and laughed. Then we got near the front of the scenic reservoir at Malpur village. Her mouth dropped open when she gazed at all the picnic spots under shady trees and the beautiful gardens settled around it. There was a walkway over the spillway that was a good place to walk, and jog, and just breathe in the air while taking in the beautiful view.

"What is this place?"

"It's the Rawal Dam Spillway. Families and couples come out here and enjoy their time together. We can go for a walk along the walkway up there." She cranked her neck forward and gazed outward, then nodded back, agreeing to walk with me.

I got out of my driver's seat and walked beside her, even though her body stayed planted in her driver's seat in New Orleans. It was fairly empty at the spillway, and we had the place practically to ourselves. She bent down and picked up a few pieces of flowers, then twirled the stems with her fingers. I scooted down and pulled up a long-stemmed sunflower I spotted to give to her.

She stopped an inch away from the opening and turned my way, smiling so innocently. I placed the flower over her ear and stare intently into her eyes, then tucked a strand of hair back from her eyelid.

Stepping closer to me, she inched on her toes and pecked my cheek, whispering, "Thank you. I love sunflowers, second to daisys." Planting her feet back onto the ground, we walked along the edge and chatted for a while.

We shared our earliest memories of our lives and moments where we were the happiest. Luna's smile lit up brighter than the sun, and the warmth of her aura radiated off her pleasant soul. I suggested for us to try to do an experiment... something that I hoped would work.

I wanted to merge our mind's together and possibly reach into one another's memories. Faisal told me what he and Cassie did once before, and now I want to try it since I met my companion.

She laughed but then agreed to try what I wanted to do.

Accessing her mind would be nice, and I'd loved to visit some of the sweetest moments of her life. Although, there will be some moments that wouldn't be as sweet. I'm sure she has been through a lot of heartache in her lifetime, plus there would be personal moments that she may want to stay hidden. But we both inhaled a deep breath and stayed still to try this experiment.

As I held her hands in mine and accessed her mind, we finally let loose and allowed images of our past come through. A sad memory of hers flashed inside my mind. It was of a time when she was nineteen and battling anorexia. That was a pivotal event in her life, and she almost died, twice, by not eating well. She'd just lost her daughter's biological father six months prior to that, and his name was Samuel. He had a health condition that caused him to fall ill, and he died on the day Sarah was born. He also died in Pakistan.

We're connected more than just being paired together.

Standing directly in the middle of the walkway, she held my hands and began sobbing. Tears started flowing out quickly from her eyelids as we're both accessing the memories of the day I barely escaped a massive bombing in a village my family and I lived in many years ago. I was seven, young, and scared to death. Her eyes stayed closed as her breath became shaky and almost unstable while she concentrated on the other painful memories of my childhood.

We were both quiet and tunned into each other, allowing our memories to flow between each other. I saw the day she went to her first dance in middle school wearing a hideous purple dress her mother forced her to wear. Luna hated it, but I laughed because I thought she looked gorgeous then. Almost anything she wore was stunning on her, even with a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans. Her hair was down in waves and her makeup was light and not over done.

Then another memory came into view, and this one was sad.

This one was a memory of when she had sex for the first time, and the guy she was dating left her two minutes after he was finished. What a slimeball. She was devastated for three months and lost her self-esteem. After a few minutes of going back and forth and watching our lives play in our heads, she stepped back and stood against the fence, catching her breath.

"Wow, Amir. Your childhood was so horrible. I'm so sorry that you had to witness what you have," she said, holding my cheek.

Back in her car, I reached for her hand and kissed it tenderly. "It's okay. Some people have lived through worse, and some still have it bad in their lives. What happened to me when I was growing up made me who I am today."

"But you have seen suicide bombers. You saw destruction and people getting ill all around you before your family settled to where they're at now. I even saw the time that you were eight and you watched your uncle die after having half his body blown away. And then there was War. I didn't know you were in the Pakistan Army before becoming a doctor and later specializing as a Scientist at the research facility. You've watched your brothers die right in front of you, and you are so courageous. I'm shocked."

She wiped her tears on the back of her hand and then continued in a soft voice, "Amir, you are a brave person and have endured so many rough moments throughout life, and you studied so hard to become a doctor. Watching your life was like watching a documentary. All these images of your existence flooded into my mind." I slightly chuckled, and then we were back on the reservoir, holding each other's hands.

"My memories didn't stop me from achieving my goals. I strived through the things I've been through, and I don't focus on the past. I still don't. I embrace my struggles and enjoy life. I started really enjoying life since the third day of November."

She smiled and gazed up at me, lightly touching my shoulder with her hand, slowly lowering it down the middle of my chest. "That's the day we met. Our own special day."

I nodded and closed my eyes, remembering the moment I walked into her field, observing the location my soul was in.

I took her hand and brought it up to my lips, kissing her knuckles slowly while keeping my eyes on hers. I wanted to lean forward and kiss those ravishing lips of hers, but I stepped aside. I didn't want to make things awkward for us.

Strolling back to my car, I opened my passenger side door for her, and she slid inside, smiling softly my way. Jumping into the driver's side, I put my car in reverse and headed back to town. While driving on a vacant street, I turned on my playlist and an Arabic song came on. The song reminded me of her and that was what I was listening to before I picked her up. A song by Amr Diab, called, "Tamally Ma'ak," which translates to "Always With You." My heart and soul was always with her since we've met.

Luna requested for us to stop, so I pulled to the side, and then she stepped out of the car after turning up the music. When I joined her, she brought her arms around my shoulders and smiled up at me. I think she wanted to dance to one of my favorite songs I liked.

We swayed slowly, glancing up at the stars and held each other like an old married couple. On my side we were on a curvy street, but on her end we're also in a large field with the stars and a full moon shinning bright above us. Today has turned out to be a great day.

I hummed softly in her ear to the music, which caused her to lean her head on my shoulder, grasping my shoulders. I translated the words to her, and her eyes closed with her arms around my neck.

🎶 I'm always with you, you're always in my mind and in my heart.
And I never forget you.
I'm always missing you,
even when I'm with you. 🎶

Then I turned her around when the melody switched to another part of the song and continued to translate it to her, gazing at her beautiful smile. Tears started running down her face again as she ambled in step with me.

🎶 And no matter how far you
are from me, you're always
close to my heart.
You're my life and my future, my
best destiny. 🎶

Cautiously wiping away her tears with the tip of my finger, I leaned down and cupped her cheeks, slowly drawing her into a soft kiss. But then our connection was broken when a driver in a white van drove around the corner and honked in my direction. I slightly waved back and felt irritated that I almost kissed her, and that person ruined the moment.

It felt like everything was slowly moving in time and it was just us in our own parallel universe, our own private dimension.

After leaning on my car for a few minutes, I pushed myself off and hopped back into my seat. Then I sat for a moment and connected back to Luna, sitting in her passenger seat. I watched as she was chatting to someone on her phone with her back facing me. Whoever she was talking to was making her laugh and smile, so I went back to what I was doing and began heading to where I was meeting Faisal at.

Glancing at my phone, I cursed softly under my breath, realizing the time. It was after twelve in the afternoon, and we were meeting on his lunch hour. While driving quickly to the restaurant, images of Luna and memories that I accessed from her past flashed into my mind. I even saw memories that I didn't care to see, some that involved her and Chase in their private moments.

Luna and I had both been through many hardships in life that didn't define what we wanted to accomplish. She was still a brilliant young woman, and a beautiful mother. Her heart and soul continues to draw me to her, and the next time I see her, I will hold her and comfort her, reassure her that her past would never drive me away. Many women ponder over opening up old wounds. And some gentlemen do as well, but her past is her past.

She still deserved all the beautiful things life could bring her way. And more importantly, she deserved to be happy. To always be happy. Luckily, the universe paired us together, and I will do my best to make sure she stays happy. She deserved that much.

***

Other areas of the world will also be explored within the series. This was aimed for Amir to show Luna his land right after they connected. Luna will later show him her world and what it's like to live in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am five hours north of The Big Easy, and I have visited the town plenty of times. Imagine being connected to another human and see their world telepathically. I would love to travel and spare the expense of plane tickets. 🌎

·Amr Diab -Tamally Ma'ak·
The lyrics... ❤
The beat... 🎶
The passion... 💓