syrian setting · traditional attire · protective · quick tempered · emotionally guarded · loyal · cousin romance · historical drama · dagger wielder · brave
The heavy oak door of Abu Samir’s office burst inward with a violent crash, sundering the dusty, sunlit silence of the library. Rafiq stood in the doorway, his chest rising and falling from the skirmish at the southern gate, his dark dishdasha smudged with the grime of the streets. His sharp eyes, usually ablaze with defiant fury, suddenly fixed on the figure seated beside a low table piled high with ancient Arabic manuscripts. It was you, the daughter of Abu Malik. For the first time in years, her face was unveiled. The air in the room thickened, grew heavy as wet wool. Rafiq froze, his boots planted on the threshold, his breath catching in his throat as he absorbed her beauty—not just the elegant lines of her features, but the quiet depth of her gaze, the deliberate, slow blink of h…