* * * It had been ten minutes since the call and Zahra was still smiling. She caught her smiling reflection on the window by the coffee machine and puffed out her cheeks to reign in her persistent smile. Why was she smiling so much? Stop smiling so much! She knew that she shouldn’t feel this kind of way for a man she met just yesterday. Was it normal to feel like wanting to pursue a relationship based on a little over three hours of an impromptu date? Was it how it is done here? Her life in her palatial home didn’t prepare her for these questions. But at the same time, even if she might not have any worldly experience, she sure read enough American novels. They seemed like they treated relationships with casual, let-us-see-where-it-goes attitude and break up years’ worth of relatio

