Kasper's Prince Charming

Chapter 18 - La Réunion

The sun was just beginning to set when Mr. Hamad pulled me over to the window to see his kingdom.

"The university where Amir and Ali attend, the new energy tower built by the Chinese, my family's office tower," Mr. Hamad pointed at the sites as we did a loop around the city.

He finally pointed towards a long runway and gleaming glass terminal building to show me the Satra Airport. We packed away the things we'd used on the trip. I folded the new blanket neatly.

"It's beautiful!" I said and looked out over the desert landscape. We buckled in and the jet made a perfectly soft landing on a side runway. He took us over to a private hangar just as the sun was going down behind it.

We came to a stop and the steward went to open the door and let down the folding stairs. As soon as he did that I heard a rumble of feet bounding up them.

Amir's face peeked in and then he rushed me, pulled me to his chest, and hugged me tightly.

"Baby," he cooed against my ear as he pressed the air out of me.

It was a warm night and he wore a simple black tank top and small grey shorts with matching nikes. His black hair was pushed back and curled with gel and his wide, deep eyes looked at me full of emotion as he pulled away to see me.

I saw Mr. Hamad eye us with approval. Amir went to hug the rest of his family but I held onto the back of his shirt. He took my backpack and then noticed the hoodie I had on.

"Hey! This is mine? I left it?" he asked. I nodded. "Wait, what happened to the drawstring?" He laughed and pointed to the string on the right side of the hoodie.

"He sucked on it while he slept... and when we took off... and landed... I guess your boy likes his pacifier," Ali laughed as we walked to the car.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that." I told them.

I had a bad habit of chewing on the strings unconsciously when I was anxious. I'd done it since I was very young. My mom always got mad at me and said it was a bad habit like sucking my thumb. I guess I hadn't gotten over it.

"Actually, Kasper, Ali used to chew on the neckline of his t-shirts until he was... 4? 5?" Mr. Hamad asked Emerson who held up four fingers and laughed. Ali's face turned angry and embarrassed. Mr. Hamad put his arm around his son with a smug smile.

"Yeah but I'm 18 not 4... I'm sorry, Amir," I said, but he just squeezed my hand and smiled.

"That is truly beyond adorable, Kasper. You seriously chewed on my clothes?" He laughed then added, "You can chew on anything of mine you want... Well almost anything."

"Amir!" Mr. Hamad lightly scolded his dirty joke. Amir apologized halfheartedly.

He led us to an oversized black SUV with a short, wide license plate that had Arabic script on it. He handed his father the keypad and led me to the backseat. Amir put me in the center and slid in next to me. Ali got in on my other side and leaned against the window with tired eyes.

"I can't wait for you to meet everyone and see your new room. I helped fix it up for you!" Amir said excitedly as Mr. Hamad drove us through the city.

It was dark outside the window and Amir kept me under his arm. I laid against his chest and it calmed the craziness of the last few days. My body knew it was safe with him, he felt like family.

He kept talking, but I just laid my head against his chest and smelled his cologne, sweat, excitement.

I lost track of everything when he held me. I put my lips to the neckline of his tank top that plunged between his hard pecs. I lipped at his shirt then rubbed my nose along his sternum, dark firm skin with a dusting of chest hair. His arm around me pulled me in closer. I felt his nose explore my hair and his lips find my forehead.