━━━─── • ───━━━

• Amir •

The elevator doors closed just as Amir stepped in, heading up to the fourth floor where his office was. Six days had passed since he and Luna had seen each other, and it was Thanksgiving Day for her in the States.

She had been busy with work and family, and he occupied himself more often by staying in the lab. He had planned to gather with his family and spend time together after work. His relatives don't celebrate Thanksgiving like many people who pass food around the table and mention what they were thankful for. His family's way of showing gratitude was by gathering at his parent's house, eating, dancing, and having a good time. Then they would settle down for a while and take a few moments to pray to Allah.

When he accessed Luna's memories, he'd seen flashes of her Christmas' in the past. He saw the smile that rose from her lips when she opened a small box with a car key placed inside it. When she was eight years old and hunted for Easter eggs with her sister, a huge thunderstorm crashed down on them, causing everyone to rush inside their home. Luna hated storms, and they've scared her since.

"Good morning, Mr. Khan," Farah said as he passed by her. "Would you like me to grab you some tea or water, sir?"

"Um, not right now, but I'll message you when I'm ready," he replied.

"Sure! And before I forget . . . Tahir Malik is in the building. He asked me to let him know when you made it in, sir."

"Thanks, Farah. I'll take care of him."

Once Amir closed his office door, he let out a deep breath and silently hoped Mr. Malik was there for the projects he hired him for. But he knew it probably had to do with his decision to meet with Raima, and if he will accept to marry her.

He had a lot to do for the day, and seeing Luna before beginning his work was one of them. He didn't want to become wrapped up in projects and never tell her "Happy Thanksgiving." This was their first holiday and saying those two words to her would make his day even sweeter.

When he connected with her, he smiled with joy as he noticed she was surrounded by family and friends crowded around in her living room. He stood quietly in the back of the house, and then stepped away, about to bring himself back to his office. He realized he didn't need to disrupt her time with her company.

When her sister said something funny, it caused Luna to laugh and knock her head back, gradually meeting his gaze. She hopped up and excused herself, then walked slowly toward the back door.

"Amir. Hey."

"Hey, Luna."

"What's going on?" she asked, wrapping her body in her fuzzy black coat.

"I was about to start working and wanted to see you for a moment. We haven't spoken since . . ."

"Since last weekend. I've been swamped with work and the holiday season."

"I understand," Amir replied, peering his gaze toward the window. "I see you're having fun."

"Yeah. Liberty and Vikram came to visit, then my father flew in, and Chase's family is here. My friend, Walter, and his fiancé, Peter, also stopped by. There's about twelve of us inside playing four rounds of Charades."

Amir chuckled. "Who's winning?"

"Team Luna. That's Sarah, my dad, Walter, Liberty, and myself."

"Congratulations." He smiled a little. "I wanted to tell you Happy Thanksgiving."

"Same to you, Amir," she said, taking a step down from her stairs and standing closer to him. "I'm thankful for our friendship and learning about who I am."

Their gaze was hard and intense as the sky above them was filled with beautiful, twinkling stars.

"I should get back inside. I have a houseful of people, and they'd probably perform a search party in my honor."

They both laughed and kept their eyes locked on each other's until Sarah was seen from outside the window walking toward the back door.

"Before you go, I wanted to ask you something," Amir said, gazing into her eyes.

"Sure."

"What would Sarah like for Christmas?"

Luna's mouth opened a little as her eyes weld up. "Are you serious? You don't have to send her anything."

"I wanted to get her something from Pakistan," he said, as their scenes changed from her porch to his office.

"Sarah likes dolls. Small ones, with long hair that she can comb and braid. She likes to set them up in her tiny dollhouse." Luna gulped, then shook her head. "But you don't have to go through that trouble. It'll be all right."

"But I want to. I'm also including Chase and you in this as well."

"Amir, you don't have to. Really. How would you send it? You can't exactly write 'Amir Khan' on the package."

"You could embellish a little and say it was from the people across from your studio," he suggested. "They're Pakistani, so anything written in Urdu could be passed off as their gift."

"I don't know, Amir. I — I wouldn't feel comfortable if you sent us anything. You don't have to."

Amir stepped forward, his eyes fixed on hers. "I guess you've left me no choice, Ms. Carlyle. I'm going to have to surprise you then."

She shook her head, then whispered, "Thank you for thinking of us, and for seeing me on Thanksgiving. I am glad I got to talk to you, even for three minutes."

He smiled. "Same here. I have five DNA samples to analyze, and a backlog of work I need to catch up on. I'll get them done shortly."

━━━─── • ───━━━

Throughout the next few weeks, Amir and Luna had seen one another three times. It was now Christmas Day for him and Christmas Eve for her when he started getting ready to go to his parent's house.

While he was buttoning his shirt and pulling up his trousers, Amir quickly brushed his teeth and smoothed out his hair. He wanted to look in on Luna to see if they had received their gifts from him. He'd sent a few things to her studio; a doll with long dark hair and light brown skin for Sarah, and a necklace with Luna's name in calligraphy.

لونا

He'd even included a long gold chain to fit around her slender neck and had sent Chase something, a silver watch with an Urdu symbol on the back that meant family.

After tightening his tie and throwing on a white blazer, he crossed into his hallway, gradually stepping into hers. Looking around, his eyes trailed over her hallway, admiring how beautifully decorated Luna's home was for the Christmas season. The sound of holiday music played lightly in the background as he stood still, listening to the mellifluous sound.

Elvis.

Amir laughed, remembering how he and Luna were strangers before this season and now they have a whole lifetime of Christmas holidays to see each other. After strolling into her living room, he glanced toward their Christmas tree that was near the fireplace and spotted the dogs lying on a rug in front of a blazing fire.

When tiny footsteps were heard running from the side door, Amir noticed Sarah holding the box he sent her. That made him smile, knowing it had arrived on time.

"Sarah?" Luna said, walking inside. "We should open the present together."

Amir straightened his back and stepped into a closet next to him so Luna wouldn't see him. This was her time with her family and he didn't want to impose.

"Sorry, Mommy. I needed to get this," Sarah said, holding the necklace Amir had sent to her mother.

"Thank you, sweetheart. You didn't have to grab it for me."

"It's beautiful, Mommy. Where did you get it?"

Sarah and Luna walked toward the end of the hall and sat down on their windowsill.

"A friend sent it to me from another part of the world. He sent you this doll, too, and the new watch daddy is wearing."

"Tell him I said thank you. I love Moon!" she exclaimed, beaming.

A tear of joy slid down Amir's cheek as he quietly watched Luna and Sarah talk about their presents.

"Moon? You named her Moon?"

"Yes, Mommy. Her face is round, like the moon, and she's pretty." Luna smiled and pulled her daughter into a soft embrace. "What does your necklace mean?"

"I'm sure it means something special."

"Are we still going to the tree lighting ceremony?"

"Yeah. Let's head outside now."

"Sarah? Luna?" Chase yelled from somewhere inside the house, halting their conversation.

"Over here!" Luna yelled as Amir stayed quiet in the cramped space.

"Are you guys ready?" Chase asked, kissing her cheek.

"We are," she replied. "Oh, and once it's over, we should go to the Salvation Army and help in the kitchen. They need all the volunteers they can get."

"Of course, Lu."

"Julius!" Sarah yelled, dashing toward the golden retriever.

"I'll get Sarah buckled in the car and we'll wait for you," Chase told her, walking down the hall.

"Luna! You know I like to be called by my name!" she yelled back before he went into the other room. "I'm going to Sarah's coat! It'll be chilly out there later!"

As she peered toward the closet, she stepped forward and opened the door, exposing a thunderstruck Amir, his eyes wide. "Amir?"

"Oh, hey, Luna."

"How long have you been here? I can't believe I didn't sense your presence."

"For a few minutes. I wanted to see if you guys had received my presents in time."

Luna's brows furrowed. "You decided my closet was the best to place to hang out?"

He laughed and narrowed his eyes.

"I was trying not to impose on your holiday with your family."

"You wouldn't have."

"I'll remember that."

He stepped away from the closet and stood against the wall.

Holding her necklace in her hand, she met his gaze. "What does it say?"

"It mostly means 'moon.' I wanted to send you something unique and you couldn't buy anywhere else," he answered, standing in front of her.

Knocking her head forward, Luna laughed softly. "It means a lot to me to know you had my name written out in Urdu calligraphy and sent it all this way as 'urgent mail.' I picked it up two days ago from Mera because I wasn't there to sign for the packages. When I pulled the necklace out, she saw it and translated it for me."

"If you knew what it said, why did you ask?"

"I wanted to see what you'd tell me. You gave me the definition of my name. All of our presents were thoughtful."

"Shukria," Amir breathed, thanking her.

"They're wonderful gifts. Even Chase's. He wears his watch."

"It was nothing big. We have many Christmases ahead, and I wanted to make this one special."

"I wished I could have sent you something. I feel bad. Shopping online is simple."

"No, Luna. Don't even think about it."

"Well, if you ever travel to New Orleans, I'll give you a free photo session under 'mate's rates,' she said, earning a snicker from him.

"That's an offer I can't possibly refuse."

"Great." She was silent for a moment, and then exhaled a deep breath. "I wanted to let you know something."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to tell Chase about my ability and who you are. Not now, but soon."

"I think you should do what you need to do, Luna."

"Thank you. I just don't know how it will go."

"Luna!" Chase said from the side of the house.

"Coming!" Luna replied, keeping her eyes on Amir's, reaching for Sarah's pink jacket. "We're heading to a tree lighting ceremony, and then to the homeless shelter."

"I heard that. It's very sweet of you to volunteer your time to help the less unfortunate."

"Thank you, Amir. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Luna."

━━━─── • ───━━━

This particular chapter serves as a major plot point further into the series. Before the end of the third book, it will be detrimental for one of the characters.

🎄🎁 Happy Holidays to The Tethered Community! It's literally not the holiday season when I post this chapter, but it could be when someone reads it. 😁
[September 2021]