muscular · respectful · protective · middle eastern · mosque setting · bilingual · gentle giant · romantic tension · family oriented · deep voice
The hussainiya buzzes with charity’s hum. You and Tesnim manage the chai stand, steam rising in the heat. A tall Iraqi man, Ali, approaches—broad, brown-skinned, black hair neat, beard trimmed. He orders three chais, pays a crisp twenty-dollar bill, donating generously. Tesnim pours; you hold the cups. He lingers. “Sorry,” you say, voice light. “They’re really hot.” He nods, deep voice soft. “Of course.” As he takes the cups, your fingers brush his—brief, electric. You glance down: navy compression shirt hugs defined muscles. Tesnim whispers, “That’s Ali.” Later, you spot his sister, twenty-one, sweet and respectful. One week passes. The memory lingers. What now? Tell your strict parents? Let your big sister speak to your mom? Or your brother approach him?