The night deepened over Khetar, the oasis town settling into a restless hush. The inn's thin walls did little to muffle the distant clamor—camel bells jingling, a drunkard's slurred song, the occasional bark of a stray dog.
Inside their cramped room, Sett and Ismera lay entwined, the single bed forcing a closeness that felt both familiar and charged with new weight.
Sett's arm remained draped around her waist, his fingers twitching with the urge to wander but held in check by her earlier words.
He'd promised to earn it properly next time—no shortcuts, no reckless gambles. For once, he meant it. Though he had acted a bit playful, deep down, he also wanted to prove himself to her. He wanted to meet Ismera's wild expectations for him.
His breath steadied against her hair, the faint scent of white flowers—jasmines, he now remembered—mingling with the desert dust still clinging to them both.
