DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS

Manila, PhilippinesApollo Kian Suarez leaned towards Christine Mae Montelibano and kissed her gently, tenderly tasting her lips until they parted hesitantly, mouths and tongues merging until the need for air forced them to part reluctantly. They were like a newly married couple, missing each other, wanting each other. Apollo Kian Suarez's hands wandered over Christine Mae's skin, tangled in the hair while his mouth traced the curved line between ear and shoulder. Christine sighed and melted noticeably at the gentle touch. Her eyes were still closed, her arms wrapped around Apollo's torso, and long fingers felt over the shirt until they pushed the soft fabric aside and could feel smooth skin over hard muscles. "I won't let you go again." The words slowly sank into his consciousness until their meaning made Apollo shiver. "Christine.." The eyes, shining turquoise in the light of dusk, had opened, finding answers in their darkly glittering counterparts. Christine finally looked down

Ali Ahmed POV AJ or, as he was properly called, Ali Ahmed or Ali, had never been this happy. It had been about three weeks since his dinner with Kyra at the Lebanese restaurant. Since then, they'd seen each other almost every day. First, it had been hushed study sessions in the library. Then, after being shushed a few too many times, they'd moved their study sessions to the plush rug on the floor of Ali's dorm room. Ali would make them a cup of instant hot chocolate and they'd sit with their papers spread across the floor, listening to music and chatting while they studied. When one of them needed a break, they would go for a walk through cold and windy plaza, their hands occasionally brushing, their breath forming twin clouds as they walked. There were only two problems. The first was that Ali was keeping secrets — more than a few. All his life, people had talked to him just because he was the son of a Sheikh and because he had more money than he knew what to do with. It was tirin

Ali Ahmed POV Ali woke up with a sinking feeling in his heart. It took him a moment to realize why. As of today, there is less than a month left in his year at UP. He groaned, rolling onto his side and pulling the pillow over his head. He wasn't ready to go back to Al Jumeirah, Dubai. He was going to be the sheikh soon, and his days would be filled again with meetings and events. His one year of freedom would be over. The worst thing was that his time with Kyra would be coming to an end. Ali would have happily sat through a hundred meetings with her around. Why hadn't he met Kyra earlier in the year? It wasn't fair that they only had a few months together. It wasn't fair that he had to leave her behind when the semester ended. Maybe they could have more than a few months. Maybe if Ali Ahmed admitted who he really was, Kyra would still care about him. Maybe she would still look at him with those beautiful green eyes like he was the most important person in the world. Or maybe she w

Kyra M. Suarez"Mom!"Kyra turned to see her son, still wearing his airplane pajamas, clopping down the hall in a series of hops and jumps. Her heart filled with warmth at the sight of him, as it always did. Omer, five years old but keenly aware of his approaching sixth birthday, had AJ's big brown eyes with Kyra's gold flecks, AJ's messy curls, and Kyra's button nose. He was an adorable child, even now when he was going to make both of them late."Omer," Kyra said gently, crossing to her son and smoothing a hand over his curls. "I thought I told you to get dressed. We need to be out the door in ten minutes.""But Mom," Omer said, sticking out his lip, "I can't find my green T-shirt with the airplane."Kyra took her son by the hand, leading him back towards his bedroom. "How about you wear a different shirt today?" she suggested."I don't like my other shirts," Omer said sadly. "I like the green one." He blinked up at Kyra, showing off his long lashes.Trying to hide a smile, Kyra squ

Kyra Suarez POVThe weeks flew by, full of preparations for the reunion, worries about seeing Ali again, and joyous celebrations for Omer's sixth birthday. After what felt like little more than a few heartbeats, the evening of the reunion was here.Kyra thought she might keel over with nerves. Instead, she went to work and, distracted, spilled tea all over a stack of reunion agendas, which she then had to reprint. Then she came home and spent a long hour sitting at the table with Omer while he did his homework, trying to stop herself from staring at the clock. Finally, at five, she fed Omer a quick dinner of fish sticks with mashed potatoes and carrots and headed upstairs to get dressed while Omer played in his room.When she opened her closet, Kyra felt her heart sink. She wanted to look nice for this evening. Even if Ali wasn't going to be there, she would want to look put-together for the rest of her former classmates who she'd be seeing again for the first time in years. She didn'