As they walked on to explore the beauty of Saudi Arabia, Matilda couldn't focus on anything, no matter how mesmerizing her gaze kept shifting to him. Something in his quiet strength and polite reserve drew her in. She could see so much passion beneath the surface, so much more to who he was than the beautiful cover that met the eyes.

It was as if, for some reason, she was allowed an insight into a book that she hadn't even started reading. However, she wanted so much more.

"Are you okay? You keep zoning out," Jenifer said after some time.

"I'm fine. It's just difficult to focus on anything in this clothing. I am not used to being so completely covered up. Everything feels so itchy," Matilda said, which was partially true.

Although she never was the one to wear short or tight clothing, Matilda never did cover herself up as much as it seemed to be customary in Saudi Arabia. Although the clothes could be beautiful, the extent of the limitations terrified her. It was one of the main reasons she didn't want to visit the country when her friend first suggested it.

Fear.

"Are you regretting that you finally agreed to come here with me?" Jenifer asked cautiously.

"No, I wouldn't say I am regretting it. It's a beautiful country with such vivid culture and amazing food," Matilda said.

"But?" Jenifer prodded.

"It just feels way too confining. I am constantly afraid that I'll accidentally do something forbidden and get in trouble," Matilda said, one truth that had bothered her for a few days.

"You'll be fine. I know you didn't want to come on this trip, but I am glad you did," Jenifer said, hoping to make her friend feel better. "Besides, look at the bright side for you. Today is our last day before going back home."

Matilda felt relief that she would soon be able to breathe freely. She would be safe in the familiarity of how things worked and how not to get in trouble. However, there was a tinge of regret.

Why did she have to meet a handsome guy that sparked her imagination on the last day of their vacation?

"You could never be a part of his world. You want the freedom to do crazy things. Even though chances are you'll never do anything crazier than wearing shorts and kissing someone on the street," Matilda thought.

And yet, one small 'what if' was nagging at the back of her mind. It made her wonder what would happen if the borders between their two worlds came crashing down and they could just be themselves. Would that change anything, or was Aden just a dream, and the connection she felt was just a conjuration of her mind?

"Did I hear that you ladies will be leaving us tomorrow?" Aden asked, materializing next to them out of thin air.

Matilda wondered how much of their hushed conversation he had heard but thought it better not to ask.

"Yes, our vacation is over. We are going back home," Jenifer said when she saw that Matilda wasn't about to say anything.

"I hope you had a pleasant stay in our beautiful country?" Aden asked, throwing a mischievous smile in Matilda's direction.

It made it clear to her that he had heard about her discomfort, but she refused to apologize for how she felt. Yet, at the same time, she chose to lie.

"It was wonderful, thank you," Matilda said, ignoring the raised eyebrow that followed her answer.

Aden tried to hide his chuckle behind a cough. Yet, even Jenifer, whose attention was divided between the country's beauty and their conversation, could see that he was reacting to her friend's dishonesty. And at that moment, she could see even more. It became clear that there was a spark that not even thousands of layers of clothing could hide.

"Excuse us for a moment. Girl stuff," Jenifer said, dragging her friend out of earshot.

"Oh, my God! You two definitely have a thing for each other!" Jenifer yelled in Matilda's ear the moment she deemed they were far enough away.

"Shh, don't yell, and don't be ridiculous. I don't even know the guy," Matilda said.

She was blushing from the root of her hair to the tip of her toes.

It was lucky for her at that moment that she was completely covered up. Otherwise, it would've been easy for everyone to see through her bluff.

"Oh, come on, I can see how you look at him," Jenifer said, not easily dissuaded.

"We all look at him like that because he is hot," Matilda said, barely able to even say something as direct as that for fear of revealing that there was so much more to it.

"Oh, come on. There is more to it, and we both know it," Jenifer said stubbornly. "Besides, the way he looks at you, it's..."

"It's what?" Matilda asked hurriedly, unaware that he was even looking at her.

"Did he notice me staring at him like a man in a desert dying for a drop of water?" Matilda thought.

"Like he has lived in a cave his whole life and can finally see the sun," Jenifer said, surprised by the poetic response she gave. "He looks at you as if you were the sun after years of rain."

"You are exaggerating," Matilda said, the warmth of her body reaching a critical level. "I am sure that he wasn't even looking at me. He was probably checking you out."

"Oh, you would be surprised, but no matter how many coquettish smiles I throw his way, he only seems to have eyes for you," Jenifer said bluntly. "Honestly, girl, have you been blind this whole tour? I think everyone else has noticed how much he gravitates towards you and how you are the only woman he smiles at."

Matilda couldn't help but wonder if she had been so lost in the small details that she didn't notice the whole picture? Could she have seen the smile for its beauty but not seen that it was meant for her?

Shaking her head, Matilda did her best to dispel all those thoughts as she feared they would take residence in her heart and she would be unable to chase them away for the rest of her life. That was the last thing she needed in her boring little life.

"It doesn't matter either way. We are leaving tomorrow. I am never going to see him again," Matilda said.

Without meaning to, Matilda's eyes wandered towards him. Once they made eye contact, even though all the annoying fabric obscured her vision, she could see that her friend had one thing right. He did look at her the same way she looked at him, with the depth they both lacked when looking at other people.

Quickly averting her gaze, Matilda wished that she had never agreed to the trip because now she knew how it was to want something you couldn't have. What's more, she could finally understand what people meant when they talked about love at first sight.

It wasn't love in the true sense of the word. It was recognition, connection. People in romantic movies referred to it as the spark, something Matilda believed to have been made up to make girls buy romantic comedies.

Yet, there she was, in Saudi Arabia of all places, with the spark burning so bright that she feared someone could see it. She was terrified that she would be stopped on the street and arrested for feeling in public as strongly as she did.

It was good for her to know that she was capable of feeling so much, but it was also soul-crushing knowing that it could never be.

Once they reached the hotel, the other tourists quickly dispersed. However, Matilda was stuck in the lobby waiting for Jenifer to tie her shoelaces which seemed to take forever. What made it seem so was that Aden was still standing in there, looking at her.

He was probably waiting for the next tour. Yet, Matilda felt awkward knowing what she knew. She was weighed down with the impossibility of it all.

"Matilda, is it?" Aden asked after a few moments of awkward silence.