The next morning, Vanessa woke first, in the pale blue light of dawn, and smiled as she saw him sleeping beside her, his expression peaceful and unguarded. The room was quiet and still, the only sound the rustle of the sheets when she moved. She felt warm, heavy, and content, happy to slip back into slumber a while longer, or just to lay there awake, breathing in the serene morning.

Light edged Ramin’s dusky skin in gold and gilded his face, catching in his eyelashes and the curve of his cheek. She couldn’t resist tracing its pattern along his jaw with a gentle touch. He stirred, breathing deeply, and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled when they focused on her, and he reached out to touch her cheek and stroke her hair.

Vanessa felt a sleepy laugh bubbling up from her lips. The fact that they were there, alive and together with no regrets, seemed suddenly miraculous. He laughed with her, pulling her close to kiss her eyelids and nose and finally her mouth, long and slow. They rolled into the sheets while the sunlight turned golden outside the window and took their time with one another, unashamed and unworried about the future.

Later, he slipped out of bed just long enough to fetch coffee and oranges. They lay together in the tangled bedding, talking softly about anything but the future. Vanessa watched the moment when she’d have to leave crawl closer, willing time to move slower and let her enjoy this.

“You know, I think my father liked you,” Ramin said, pressing an orange slice to her lips. “He always said I should be with someone educated. He used to lament the thought of me marrying some feather-headed supermodel.”

Vanessa took the orange slice in her teeth and swallowed it, licking her lips for the last drops of tart juice.

“I couldn’t tell,” she confessed, peeling off a slice from her own orange and offering it to him. “He was so stoic. It was like talking to a statue. I wasn’t sure what he felt about anything.”

“He’s always like that,” Ramin said with a laugh, taking the orange with his fingers and leaning in to steal a kiss. “I can count the number of times I’ve seen him smile on one hand. My mother is always explaining to guests, ‘He’s happy, I swear! His face is just like that!’“

Vanessa laughed, nearly dropping her orange.

“Now, my mother and sisters, they love you,” Ramin continued. “My sisters can’t wait to dress you up like a doll.”

“They can do what they like.” Vanessa giggled. “I was an only child; I think it might be nice to have sisters for the first time.”

“I have five,” Ramin replied seriously. “I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is a nightmare.”

“It can’t be that bad.” Vanessa laughed.

“It was!” Ramin promised. “The two older ones used to dress me up in their clothes and goad me into all sorts of mischief. I could never refuse a dare from either of them. And the three little ones used to follow me everywhere. I never had a moment’s peace, and whenever one of them did something naughty, it was always somehow my fault.”

Vanessa’s laughter only grew imagining him as a child, at war with all his sisters.

“Just you wait,” he assured her. “You’ll see, once you’ve had time to get to know them. Nothing but trouble.”

She shook her head, then noticed the sun over his shoulder. She rolled over to check the time on her phone and swore when she saw it. She scrambled out of bed, throwing back the sheets and searching the room for her discarded clothing.

“It’s time already?” Ramin asked.

“Past time,” Vanessa admitted. “If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss my flight.”

“You could always come back to bed,” Ramin invited her. “I’ll charter you a private jet tomorrow.”

“No, no, the ticket is already paid for and my parents are picking me up at the airport and I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said as she struggled into her pants. “And, to be perfectly honest—”

She turned to kneel on the mattress so that she could kiss him again, slow and indulgent, before she pulled away.

“If I get back in bed now, I don’t think I’ll ever leave.”

“And what’s so wrong with that?” Ramin asked with a chuckle, but he got out of bed and began to get ready as well.

Vanessa couldn’t pretend it wasn’t tempting. But part of the reason she liked Ramin so much was because he wouldn’t come between her and her work. This was necessary if she wanted to continue her career. And she had to admit, part of her was scared of rushing into something with Ramin and finding out that the closeness she felt with him now was just a result of surviving a stressful situation together. The time apart would be time to work out if this was something she really wanted.

Ramin’s town car, with its diplomatic flags, made the drive to the airport much faster and easier. He walked her to her gate and Vanessa hesitated before the security check, realizing this was it. She turned back to him, almost hoping he would say something that could convince her to stay. But he only smiled, a little sadly.

“Call me when you land,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on the dig until you can come back.”

“Keep me updated on Peterson’s progress, too,” she said. “The university will want to know. I think they’re planning to fly him back to the States soon, but in the meantime.”

“Of course,” he said with a nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep calling you as long as you want me to.”

There was a kind of resignation in his voice, a sound that said he didn’t really expect her to come back at all. Vanessa realized, with a feeling like the bottom falling out of her stomach, that there was a chance she wouldn’t.

This really might be it. The end of their adventure together. The thought made Vanessa feel like crying. Was it enough that she didn’t want this to end? Would she feel the same in a month?

She caught him by the lapels of his coat and pulled him into a heated kiss. Whatever happened in the future, right now, she wanted this.

Ramin put his arms around her, softening the kiss as he held her close for what might be the last time. If this was the end of them together, it was good that it was ending this way.

Finally, reluctantly, he let her go as the airport intercom called final boarding.

“I’ll see you soon,” she promised as she let him go, smiling like it was easy, even though her heart was breaking. “Don’t go falling in love with anyone while I’m gone.”

She winked, and he laughed.

“Just come back to me,” he said softly. “I’ll wait as long as you need.”

He kissed the back of her hand as she stepped backward, widening the space between them slowly as though that would make it less painful. She waved, unable to say the words goodbye past the lump of her heart in her throat. He waved back and she forced herself to turn away, hurrying to her plane.

She tried to force herself not to look back, but she did anyway. He was still there, smiling at her. He stayed there watching her until she was out of sight. Vanessa hated to imagine that smile fading away.