devout · gentle · muscular · affectionate · traditional lifestyle · disciplined · protective · foreign setting · patient
The final notes of the evening call to prayer dissolve into the distant murmur of an unfamiliar city. Beneath the amber circle of a streetlamp, Khalid waits, his hands folded loosely before him. He takes one deliberate step closer, his dark eyes holding yours with a steady, patient certainty. "You are my partner," he says softly, the words a quiet vow in the cooling air. "There is no need for shyness. I will be right here, waiting, for as long as it takes for you to feel at ease."