Ana stared, mouth agape, up at the bright neon sign that stood out against the night sky like a sore thumb. She lowered her gaze dramatically to the woman by her side, who wore a smirk and looked immensely full of herself.
"You're shitting me."
"You only said 'dinner', remember? You didn't specify what you wanted." Kamilah held onto her elbow and led her into the fast food restaurant. "Besides, this is cheap."
"My god. You're cheap."
Ana followed her guide into the restaurant, still feeling a little dumbfounded. No wonder Kamilah told her not to dress up. Because they were going to a fast food place which was in the base, just a ten-minute drive away from their barracks. As they looked for an empty table through the crowd of families and off duty personnel, Ana's shoulders starting shaking in silent mirth. Kamilah had played her. And the best part was, she did not care in the slightest.
"Did you knock yourself on the head today?" Kamilah asked, noticing her partner laughing away.
"No," Ana replied, making a beeline for a newly-vacated table in the corner, dragging the medic along. "But I think I'm going to."
"Please do it when I'm not around. I don't want to work while on leave." Kamilah pushed Ana down onto the seat. "What do you want? I'll get it."
"A burger. No, fifty burgers. And fifty shakes. And fifty boxes of fries. And ice cream, why not? I'll break your cheap ass wallet."
Kamilah pinched her cheek. "It'll take more than that to break my wallet."
Ana watched her stride past the tables, keeping an eye out for any winces of pain and definitely not admiring her form. Not at all. It would take more than a simple flattering top and shorts to get her ogling at– oh, what?!
She clicked her tongue when a hulking mass of a man stood behind Kamilah in the queue, blocking her view. Robbed of her not-entertainment, Ana sighed and withdrew her phone to find her squad's group chat had blown up with…over 100 messages. Almost half were pictures of baby animals. The other half were hardened soldiers gushing over the pictures and claiming they had cuter ones. Some sent photos of their own pets.
What in the… Ana zipped through the messages to reach the bottom, then typed in one of her own.
[Wanna see a really cute cat?]
She angled her phone's camera towards the window, snapping a photo of the Egyptian Mau sitting serenely just outside the restaurant, as variations of 'oh god no please don't' poured into the chat.
[Too bad. Sending anyway]
Hakim: [SOMEONE KICK HER]
Mesi: [ANA STOP]
Khalid: [my niece is here pls dont]
There was a moment of silence when she sent the cat's photo.
Mesi: [Oh thank fuck]
Layla: [It's actually a cat holy shit]
[Of course. I don't send pictures of my food]
Khalid: [ugh]
Speaking of food, a shadow fell over her, accompanied by the aroma of deep-fried convenience.
"That was fast," Ana said, pocketing her phone as Kamilah set the tray down.
"It's 'fast food'."
"Oh, harhar."
There were two boxes of burgers and fries arranged side-by-side, along with a pair of matching pink milkshakes. A third, extra-large orange box sat on the edge of the tray. Ana opened it to reveal twenty pieces of nuggets.
"If you can finish that in addition to your meal," Kamilah said at her raised brow. "I'll bring you somewhere nice next time."
"You're underestimating me."
"I don't think so."
As it turned out, Kamilah was right and had to intervene before Ana stuffed herself to death. For the whole of the next day, it was Kamilah's turn to stay in Ana's room where the sniper lay in her bed, bemoaning her poor life choices.
"I hate you," Ana declared as she drove into the parking lot.
Their first 'real' date – as Ana put it – two days after their fast food jaunt. The doctor had intended to bring Ana to this restaurant on Saturday. But a last minute screw-up with the restaurant's systems caused Kamilah to lose her reservation, and it was pushed back. Which meant Kamilah already had this date planned, when Ana was shoving nuggets down her throat and courting death by indigestion. 'Wordless' could not start describing how Ana felt when it was revealed.
"Good to know," Kamilah said, pointing out an empty lot which Ana promptly zipped into.
"I almost died because of you."
"You were the one who wouldn't stop eating."
"You're the one who made the challenge," Ana retorted, pulling the car key out.
"So? If someone challenged you to drink an entire bottle of rum, would you?"
"I would." Ana leaned towards the passenger. "Because I'm not a loser."
Kamilah tweaked her nose none-too-gently. "You're not very bright either."
"I am too, shut up." Her attempt at an offended expression fell apart when Kamilah rolled her eyes, traitorous smirk forming at the medic's fond smile.
When they alighted from the car, Ana's gaze drifted over to rest on her partner again. Kamilah wore a navy wrap dress with a slim silver belt around her waist, matching bangles on her wrist, and sleek peep toe heels. Black hair lightly permed, falling to frame her face. In one word: breathtaking. Perhaps a little too literally.
Kamilah walked around the hood of the car, placing a hand on her arm. "Breathe, Ana. I don't want to perform CPR on my date."
"Are you sure?" Ana murmured as she leant closer, gaze lingering on lightly glossed lips for just one tempting second. Kamilah chuckled and pushed her away.
"I don't know how you usually do it, Amari. But I like a little romance before…CPR."
"And that's how much I will give you," Ana said. She followed Kamilah's lead when the woman hooked a hand through her elbow. "Just a little."
"Now who's cheap?"
"We both are."
It was nice to be with Kamilah out of base. No ranks, no rules of conduct to worry about. She could walk freely with Kamilah on her arm, and bask in her presence and closeness. Without the severity she wore at work or her usual reticence, Kamilah looked much more youthful and at ease. Freer smiles, playful gazes, liberal touches. Almost like she had a plan to keep one-upping her own allure and reduce her admirer to a helpless worshipper hugging her feet. Not that said admirer would mind, honestly.
Ana did not realise she was staring again, until she tripped on a slightly-raised pavement block. Her cheeks grew warm when she stumbled. Kamilah laughed while holding onto her shoulder to keep her from falling face first. She pouted at the woman, ignoring curious glances from passers-by. Kamilah said nothing, though. Just grinned and pulled her closer, squeezing her arm as they turned into the restaurant's entrance.
'Solstice' was a new and extremely popular chain that popped up around Cairo and Alexandria about three months ago. With a mix of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Turkish cuisine served in a cozy and intimate environment, it became wildly popular with customers despite the slightly steeper price range. According to reviews, anyway. Neither of them had dined there before.
They were shown to a booth as per Kamilah's reservation, which had some privacy given by the sheer curtains enclosing it. Combined with low lighting, it was easy to treat the space as their own little world. A much more pleasant setting than what they had in the fast food restaurant. Ana mentioned it while looking through the menu, earning a poke in her side. They placed their orders quickly, nodded in understanding when informed of a longer waiting time, and leant back in their seats.
"Aren't you warm?" Kamilah asked, tugging at the lapel of her blazer.
"No." Which was true. But Ana removed it anyway, leaving her in a button-down shirt. "I'm hot."
Kamilah matched her lop-sided grin. "I agree. But any more of those horrible jokes, and I'm requesting a transfer."
"To?" Ana slid to the left so her shoulder rested on Kamilah's, and whispered in her ear. "My room?"
Making eye contact with a coquettish smile, her partner replied, "And what will I do in your room?"
"Whatever you can think of," Ana breathed.
The curtain was pulled open then, and they jerked apart to a respectable distance. Their waiter kept his eyes down, serving their drinks before leaving with a polite smile.
"Behave," Kamilah said. "I don't want to get thrown out before tasting their food."
"I am behaving." Ana leaned her elbows on the table. "You would know if I wasn't."
"Of course. I'd be stitching your wounds up."
"That…wasn't the answer I expected," Ana said, watching Kamilah sit forward as well. Judging by the smile on her face, the medic knew exactly what she was doing.
"Oh?" she replied almost too innocently, trailing her fingertips down Ana's bicep. "How was it supposed to go?"
It was damned difficult to 'behave' with the feather-light touch raising goosebumps beneath her sleeves. Were…were her eyes always this lovely? And teasing? Ana could not remember. "You'd ask how you would know. Then I'd ask if your eyes are rolled back."
Kamilah laughed softly. "Maybe you could ask me again after we've had a few drinks."
"Come to think of it, I've never seen you drink much before," Ana said, nudging her elbow. "What kind of drunk are you? Sleepy? Flirty? Angry?"
Light touches settled into a sure grasp on her bicep, and Kamilah moved closer. "Would you like to find out?"
"Only if I–" Ana stopped abruptly when the curtain was parted again by the waiter. He kept the trained smile on his face, acting as if the women were not pressed side-to-side, and informed them about a lack of ingredients for an appetizer dish. They decided on a replacement quickly, allowing the man to scurry off and leave them alone again.
Sharing impish smiles, they separated and took sips from their respective cocktails. Ana's left a nice citrus-y tang on her tongue as she occupied her time by scanning the restaurant. If she squinted enough, she could spot the blurred silhouettes of customers moving behind the curtains of their own booths, set in the opposite end of the room. Cocking her head to the side, she watched them bend down occasionally to take a bite of their food, then straighten to resume conversation.
Hm. Maybe they should behave after all. It was not that difficult to tell who's doing what behind the curtains. Or maybe Ana was just scrutinising their fellow patrons too closely.
"Actually," Kamilah said, drawing Ana's attention. "I was deciding between this place and the grill house near the pyramids."
"What, Sierra?"
"Yup." She traced idle patterns in the condensation on her glass, looking out from their booth. "But I wanted to come here because it's new. Too bad there isn't a view here like Sierra. Other than you, of course," Kamilah added with a sigh, when Ana raised her brows pointedly.
The sniper chuckled, hand rising of its own volition. "Think you stole my line," she said, tracing Kamilah's jawline with the back of her fingers.
"You weren't going to claim that you're the view?" Kamilah asked, feigning surprise.
"I am a view, ya habibti," Ana said. "But you're a much better one."
She kept her fingers moving slowly across Kamilah's skin, somehow not betraying how weak she felt under the tender gaze. Daring to lift her index finger, she trailed it up to the corner of her mouth, and traced the curve of her lower lip. Pulse racing, Ana leaned in, close enough to feel the soft puff of breath through lips that parted on her approach. She took the time to caress the underside of Kamilah's jaw, then–
–moved her head back, pulling her fingers away to scratch at her temple, when she spotted the waiter's familiar figure coming through the curtains. Repressing the sudden wave of bashful frustration, she watched as their mezze platter was set on the table. The man, whose eyes had been averted downwards, looked up at them with that ever-courteous smile and withdrew from the booth again. Ana wondered if he had seen anything.
"We'll have to tip him really well," Kamilah commented, scooping a healthy dollop of baba ghanoush with a small slice of pita. She clicked her tongue when Ana swooped in, snatching the pita with her teeth.
"You tip him extra then," she said, words a little muffled as she chewed.
"Me? You're the one who's been coming on to me for the past…what, twenty minutes?"
"Says the one who's been touching my arm non-stop." She flew in again for the second piece of pita, but her face smacked straight into Kamilah's free hand, the impact sending tingles through her nose.
"Says the one who's been enjoying it." The medic's smile wavered a little when Ana bowed her head, placing a kiss on the flesh of her palm.
Finally reaching for the mezze herself, Ana wore a victorious smirk at the slight reddening of Kamilah's cheeks.
Ana paid by shoving her card – and a few notes underneath it – into the waiter's hand before Kamilah could. Though the man expressed his gratitude a couple of times, there might have been a hint of relief on his face when he saw them out the restaurant. They spent a little while walking by the rows of shops, before Kamilah wanted to go somewhere else. She had a specific place in mind, guiding Ana into the city's largest park. They drove along a two-way road cutting a long path through carefully-cultivated greenery, until Kamilah pointed out a dirt road branching off to the side. Ana shot her a questioning glance, but followed her instructions anyway and went down the less well-lit road to reach a small clearing near the end.
She parked the car off-road and alighted at Kamilah's urging. She looked around at the copse of trees behind them, catching the occasional rumble of some machinery hidden behind the plants. Judging by the faint sounds of traffic in the distance, they should be close to the edge of the park. From where they stood, they could see distant figures running across the grass field, some playing sports and others just frolicking with their friends or families.
They ended up lying on the hood of the car, barefoot with their heels on the ground. There were not so many stars as Kamilah claimed there usually were. But they stayed anyway, gazing at those that had deigned to grace them with their presence.
"How'd you even know about this place anyway?" Ana asked. She could feel Kamilah shrug next to her.
"I explore."
"By travelling down weird roads?"
"How else do you explore?"
Ana raised a finger, which stayed in the air when she could not come up with a strong argument. So she shook it instead and changed tack, "I'm just surprised you haven't gotten…attacked or something."
"I don't walk down every dark alley I see, you know." Kamilah's elbow knocked into hers. "Besides, this park's pretty safe."
"Come here often?"
"Sometimes. When I need the quiet."
"Or when you go on dates?"
Kamilah's fingers drummed once on top of her stomach. "Would you believe I've only had one date since I came here?"
"No." Ana turned her head to see the nod. "No," she repeated with a growing smile, turning onto her side to face Kamilah. "Who's the lucky person?" The obvious eye roll she received only served to spread the smile into a grin.
"You already know."
"I don't know. Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me." Ana slid her toes down the sole of Kamilah's foot, only to have her jerk it away with a stifled giggle. Both women froze – Ana stared at her partner in surprise while Kamilah clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening at her slip-up.
"You're ticklish."
"Only there," Kamilah said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh?" Ana got up on an elbow, free hand reaching for the other woman. "Mind if I check?"
"Yes–!"
Kamilah tried to grab her hand, but was too slow. Ana's fingers landed on her side, just below the belt. The doctor jerked, feet landing back on the car with a thud as she wrestled with Ana's fingers. Her head was thrown back in breathless laughter, and Ana had a fleeting urge to find out if she was ticklish around the neck. She watched the play of her neck muscles as she raked her nails through the dress again, feeling the waist squirm under her touch. She moved her gaze up to admire the utterly stunning woman, currently in the throes of involuntary laughter. Kamilah took a few quick gasps and managed to calm down when Ana forgot to continue her teasing, dark brown eyes finally meeting with light bronze.
Painfully aware of the fingers wrapped around her wrist, Ana dropped her hand to the warm metal beneath them. "May I kiss you?" she asked softly.
Kamilah's grin mellowed into an indulgent curve. Her fingers glided across Ana's cheek, pausing when Ana turned her head slightly into the touch. So long. Ana had waited so long, yearned so much for the intimate warmth gracing her skin, the confession that did not have to be said. She planted a quick kiss on the pad of Kamilah's thumb as it ran along her bottom lip, sparking a playful glint in the woman's eyes. Kamilah moved her fingers further, threading through smooth black tresses. Her breath caught at the warmth grazing her scalp, and she resisted the urge to close her eyes, focusing instead on the vision lying beneath her.
Heeding the subtle tug on the back of her head, Ana leaned down, a dark veil of hair falling to the side, casting half their faces in shadow. She stopped at the brink of physical contact, waiting at hairsbreadth for a rejection that never came. Tilting her head so the tips of their noses brushed, Ana closed the distance, pressing delicately against lips awaiting hers. It was soft, experimental. An exchange. A reassurance.
It is you.
I want you.
God, it really is you.
Kamilah tilted her chin up, a silent request that Ana granted, bringing their lips fully together. Once. Twice. By the third, Ana knew.
Her heart was no longer her own.
"I just remembered," Ana said the instant the door swung open.
Kamilah blinked at the sight of her – hair tied up in a ponytail, green towel slung over her shoulders, beads of perspiration running down sticky skin. She wiped one end of the towel over her face – still hot and flushed from the 5km morning run. The upper half of her tank top was drenched in water she emptied from her bottle.
Resting her hands on both sides of the door frame, she continued, "You didn't tell me who your first date here was."
"Not until you tell me how you got those." Kamilah pointed at the scratches on her palms and elbows. Her frown grew more severe when she looked Ana over, finding even deeper scrapes on her knees.
Ana shrugged. "Not obvious? Okay, okay," she added at the disapproving tilt of Kamilah's head. "I ran. I fell. I came here for medical attention."
The medic crossed her arms. "I'm on leave. You can go to the hospital."
"Aw." Ana pouted, dipping a peck on pursed lips that did not move away – as expected. "You wound me."
"I don't have to. You're perfectly capable of doing that by yourself," Kamilah deadpanned, still looking unmoved.
"Mm, such a sharp tongue." Ana planted another kiss. "Cut me deeper, Shadid."
She felt the wisp of laughter on her own lips when she moved in yet again, this time met with an answer as gentle as her approach. Her legs grew weaker with each pass, the regular beat in her chest skyrocketing as she struggled to keep from falling onto Kamilah. Spending the last two days together did nothing to ease the intensity of Ana's reactions towards her. Quite the opposite, actually. Every look and touch became a little dose feeding her addiction, leaving her sated, yet craving for more. Knowing that each bit of attention was reserved for her, and only her, drove Ana crazy whenever she thought about it.
Running short of breath, Ana parted reluctantly from Kamilah. The medic's stoic gaze softened. She stepped aside, nodding her head towards the room. But she held up a hand before Ana could step in, glancing down at her feet.
"Leave your shoes outside. I just threw my mat away."
Ana slipped off the running shoes and ankle socks in record time, following Kamilah into the room. She made a beeline for the study table, sinking heavily into the swivel chair. Reaching for the desk fan, she stopped its oscillation and bathed in the cool air rushing past her skin.
"Have you washed the cuts yet?" Kamilah called from the bathroom, where running water could be heard.
"Yeah. I came here because I ran out of bandages."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Because I'm fully capable of hurting myself?" Ana said, earning a snort from the medic as she walked over with a med kit.
Kamilah sat on the floor in front of her, opening the kit. "Actually, no. I am surprised. I didn't think you knew how to take care of yourself." She examined the bleeding on the knees and fished out some gauze.
"Ouch." Ana held a piece of gauze against each knee as instructed, turning to give Kamilah access to her right elbow.
"You did tell me to cut you deep," Kamilah said, spreading antibiotic ointment over the minor wound.
"And you went for the jugular."
"If that's your jugular," she replied casually, turning the swivel chair. "Then you have thinner skin than I expected."
"I'm sensitive–Ah!" Ana jerked her arm way when Kamilah pressed hard into the cut.
"So it would seem." She pulled the arm back, quickly finishing up with a small bandage on each elbow. Then she took away the gauze on Ana's knees, giving them similar treatment while the sniper grumbled under her breath.
"You haven't told me," Ana said, holding out her palms when bandages were secured over her knees. "Who was your first date?"
"I don't know." Kamilah swiped over the superficial scratches quickly, then started packing away the unused materials.
"Tell me."
"The bandages are water-proof, so you can bathe with them. Now please get off my chair. You're dirtying it." She fixed Ana with a stare, which slowly turned into a suspicious squint at the grin growing on the sniper's face.
"Tell me," Ana repeated, bending forward in the chair.
"Ana, no," Kamilah warned. "No, stop!"
Ana pounced, arms wrapping tightly around the medic's shoulders before she could escape. They toppled to the floor – Kamilah knocked flat on her back and Ana landed heavily on her–
"Ow ow ow fuck!" She rolled off the medic, lying on her back and hissing at the pain flaring in her elbows and knees.
"I just showered, Ana!" Kamilah sat up, looking helplessly at where Ana's perspiration had rubbed off on her skin.
Ana laughed while fending off the slaps raining down on her. "You can always shower again." When Kamilah did not relent, she surged forward, hands grappling onto the woman's sides.
"Ana no–" Kamilah wriggled under the hold, biting down on her lip to stop the giggles from escaping. It was a futile effort, and Ana pulled her down, hugging around her midriff.
"Tell me, Kamilah," Ana whispered, sounding as breathless as the woman bent over her. Then a squeak of surprise emitted from her throat when Kamilah descended upon her without warning, trapping her in a firm kiss that washed away the vague threads of embarrassment. Both women were panting softly when they parted.
"You," Kamilah murmured. "It's you, Ana Amari."
A/N: Alright, alright. Ana and Kamilah deserve more than being subjected to the Dead Wife™ trope. And it's not easy to enjoy fluff knowing there's a train wreck at the end. So here's how it is:
Original plan: Ana deals with her loss and learns how to move on, raises Fareeha as a single parent, etc.
New plan: Kamilah survives in Halcyon Days. But at the chapter where she's supposed to die, I'll upload a companion fic to this one, which follows the original plan. So the story will branch into two. With each chapter of Halcyon, there'll be another chapter that explores the "what if Kamilah dies" scenario.
So...yeah. Kamilah's damned lucky to have you all. Now bathe in the fluff, people.