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• Amir •

Amir yawned and rubbed his eyes. The vertical lines of light shifted softly across his lap as he tried to continue analyzing a DNA sample in his laboratory. The window was slightly opened, and he felt a soft breeze touch his skin.

As the door to the laboratory creaked, he whipped his head around and watched Faisal stroll forward.

"Hey, Amir."

His heart bounced. "You startled me there."

"Oh, I was coming to see if you've made any progress on that murder investigation."

"It took me a few times to analyze the suspect's DNA, but it's a match."

Faisal took a seat next to him at the table. "Wow. Sorry for walking in on you. You look exhausted."

"I got little sleep last night. I was just in my mind here."

"What's got you so . . . distracted?" Faisal asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'm wondering how it will feel the moment I connect to whomever I'm tethered to."

Faisal smiled. "What do you want to know?"

Amir took a deep breath and exhaled, then leaned forward, taking off his goggles.

"I'm just hoping I'll know what to do when I meet them."

"It won't be too frightening, but knowing you, cuz, you scare easily."

Amir shot him a glare. "Funny, but that doesn't answer my question."

"You didn't have a question, Amir."

"Well, thank you, Faisal, for stating the obvious. I guess there's this feeling in me believing that I have crossed paths with them before."

"Well, tethered souls can meet their partners at any moment and never know it. Grocery store. Standing in line in a bank. Interacting with them on TikTok."

"No, Faisal . . ." Amir looked away and sat up. "I'm talking about crossing paths with them recently. Yesterday. I could sense them near me."

His brows perked. "Hmm, keep going. Where at?"

"Now don't get your panties in a bunch," Amir told him. "It was in my bedroom, I believe."

"Your bedroom? Ooh-la-la. This is getting interesting."

He scoffed. "You know what? I think I'll stop right here. You're over here hoping for some not-safe-for-work kind of talk, and that's not where this conversation is headed."

Faisal clapped a hand on Amir's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You know you can talk to me. I won't make another peep. Scouts honor."

"Hmm."

He laughed. "Please. I want to hear it."

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I was messing with you, bro. I'm interested in what happened in the bedroom last night."

Amir adjusted himself in his seat, turning toward his cousin. "Last night, when I was finishing up my evening prayers, I sensed somebody behind me. Like, a presence."

"Was anybody there?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Let me ask you when you sensed the other person, did it feel like a firework went off in your body? Or like you had ten cups of coffee, no creamer or sugar added?"

"It was more like a pile of bugs crawling on my skin," Amir explained.

"Gotcha," Faisal said, chuckling. "That means your partner is reaching you."

"There isn't more to it then?"

"Nope. You just have to wait. If they were, standing in your house, you probably frightened them with your hideous blanket on your bed. I'd disappear, too."

"There's nothing wrong with my blankets," Amir protested. "Some people don't have taste."

Faisal snickered. "You have a blanket in the shape of a burrito. It doesn't get any weirder than that."

"I like burritos, and the blanket was a birthday gift from Yasmin. She loves burritos, too."

"True. But I wouldn't have laid that blanket over my bed."

"That's why you and I will always be different, Faisal."

Amir hopped up and moved his equipment to the other table, carefully laying down the vials of DNA samples he had analyzed.

"Are you finished for the day?" he asked.

"Almost. I have a few projects left to finish, and then I'll be done."

Looking down at his task list, Amir cleared his throat, and sunlight sparkled through the blinds. "Yeah, same here. I can't get over last night. I think it was a female who was in my home. I heard a whisper in a euphoric tone and it sounded like an angel."

"What did she say?"

"She mumbled, 'Where am I?' I turned around, and the woman was no longer there. It had to be a dream."

"Or maybe it wasn't," Faisal assured him, grinning excitedly.

"You think someone is trying to connect to me?"

Faisal nodded. "Yeah. And your partner's abilities are opening up. You might be in your shower and find them standing next to you."

Seriously, Faisal?

He scoffed. "I swear, you find everything a joke."

"Can you blame me, Amir? A woman standing in your room is on a whole other level. Possibilities are endless now."

When there was a gentle knock on the door, Amir laughed at Faisal.

"Come in," Amir said.

"Hi. Am I interrupting?" Farah asked as she walked into the room, her head scarf covering her face and neck.

"No, not at all," Amir explained. "What can we help you with?"

"Mr. Abdullah is on Line 2. He wanted to find out if you've finished analyzing the samples for Nazeer Forensic Science Agency?"

"I'll take the call now," Amir said, reaching for the phone. "Thank you."

"No problem," she said, walking out of the room.

"So, that is Rahim Qasim's DNA?" Faisal asked as soon as Farah was down the hall. "He claimed he wasn't in the country. He even had documents proving his innocence."

"Faisal, those papers could have been forged. Criminals hide in plain sight."

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While sitting in his living room, a heavy knock came from Amir's door.

With a deep sigh, he climbed to his feet to see who it was. He groaned, believing it was one of his relatives making a house call. He wasn't prepared for having company, but he'd turn no one down who was at his door.

Upon opening it, he was greeted by Tahir Malik, one of his investors at his work, and the father of a friend from medical school.

"Hello, Mr. Malik," Amir said, waving his arm for the gentleman to come inside. "I'm sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting anybody."

"It's okay," he replied, his eyes trailing around Amir's cluttered living room. "I did send you a text, and you never answered."

Amir had been working odd hours every day and hadn't had a moment to clean his living space.

"Sorry, Mr. Malik. I hadn't checked my messages yet. What can I do for you?"

"I talked with your Aunt Nasrin. She said you and your family were thinking about sending a proposal for Raima. I look out for my daughter's perspective spouses."

Thanks, Aunt Nasrin for this unprepared setup.

"Oh . . . Uh . . . I have made no decisions yet. I've been working a lot."

"I can tell," Mr. Malik said, bringing his gaze back to Amir. "Do you always live like this? Always having a messy home?"

"No, sir. I've been catching up on my notes for work and haven't had a lot of free time," Amir explained, throwing a few empty water bottles into the recycling bin. "But my lack of cleaning has no excuse."

I didn't realize you would be coming by.

"All right, Mr. Khan," Mr. Malik murmured, and Amir shifted some pillows over to make room for him on the couch. "Can we have a chat about your proposal, please?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry if I'm not myself. My aunt never told me she had spoken to you."

"I'm going to lay it all out there, Amir. I have been an investor for you for three years. That was purely business. Now, it's personal. I want to have a sense of chemistry with you to understand who you are before agreeing to an arranged meeting between you two. Can I be frank?"

Amir gulped as he sat down across from Mr. Malik. "Yes, sir. I'll answer anything you ask from me."

Mr. Malik gave him a stern look.

"What I'd like to know is . . . What are your qualifications in your field of employment? Do you plan to continue working after the wedding? How often do you recite The Holy Qur'an? There are more questions I have for you, but we'll get to them shortly."

I was not expecting this. Sweat formed and drizzled down Amir's neck.

"Sure, Mr. Malik."

"Please, you can call me Tahir. And answer them when you're able to."

"Okay. Well, for your first question, I earned my MBBS at Rawalpindi Medical University, which you already know, and I chose genetics. I was offered the position at the research facility six years ago and have gone nowhere else."

"That's good to hear," Mr. Malik said, nodding. "And what about working after you marry?"

"I have a solid job and plan to continue working."

I'd want to provide for my future wife.

He turned his neck to the table in the corner.  "I noticed your Qur'an is on your end table. Do you read it regularly?"

"I do, sir. I also observe fasting and pray five times a day," Amir said, keeping his gaze on his guest.

Tahir shifted one leg over the other and folded his hands in his lap. "That's good. We are a family who holds our religious values sacred. We want the best for Raima."

"I understand, Tahir. I am very close to my family, too, and they'd want the same."

Tahir inhaled a sharp breath. "What kind of spouse are you looking for in terms of qualities and personality traits? Would you expect her to become a mother soon?"

"No, sir," Amir laughed, thinking about his question. "We wouldn't have children immediately. I just want someone who is kind and generous and loves children, and someone who holds the same values as me."

"I didn't hear you mention your potential spouse to be a follower of Islam. Wouldn't her faith matter to you?"

Yes, but there is more to a woman than her faith.

Amir's leg twitched as his veins shook inside his skin. He wasn't thinking about faith and was focused on the characteristics of what he wanted in a future spouse. Having this meeting with the father of a woman his family had arranged for him caught him off guard.

"Yes, sir. Islam is a big part of who I am, as well as my occupation. If Raima has the same core values of Islam as I do, then she'd be a wonderful choice. I'd treat her with nothing but the utmost respect."

"Okay," Tahir said, laying his elbows on his knee. "Just one more thing. What are your opinions about the husband and wife's roles in the family? How would you want to share responsibilities at home? Would you require her to clean up your messes?"

Amir breathed in deeply and brought his head down, thinking about his answer.

Meeting Mr. Malik's gaze, he uttered, "My future wife and I will be equals and share our responsibilities. She wouldn't have to clean a mess I made, and I would not expect her to. If she is working outside the home, I'd respect that and be her companion in all things. I believe if two people work together, they can get through anything."

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