### It's My Third Night

It's my third night in Dubai, and I'm lying on top of the sheets, sweltering.

The ceiling fan clicked overhead, doing nothing except moving the hot air around. My fault, really. There was a perfectly good air-conditioner on the wall, and I refused to switch it on. I've never liked sleeping with cold air blowing over me. Back home I'd rather open a window and suffer than wake up with a dry throat and a stiff neck. But back home, October didn't sit on your chest like a warm hand.

The guest room was on the ground floor, away from the rest of the house. Upstairs, my uncle, aunty, Sabina and Sara were asleep. At least, I assumed they were. It was past one. The villa had gone quiet an hour ago, and the only sounds were the fan and the distant hum of traffic.

I lay in my boxers, one arm behind my head, staring at the pale ceiling. My skin was tacky with sweat. I'd kicked the sheet down to the foot of the bed. I was just beginning to drift off when the door handle turned with a soft click.

I lifted my head. The door opened, and Sabina slipped inside, closing it behind her without a sound.

She was in a short silk nightdress, pale gold against her golden-brown skin, her long black hair loose and falling past her waist. No rings on her fingers now, no gold chains at her ankles. Just her, barefoot on the cool tiles, looking at me like she'd been caught doing something. Even in the dim light I could see the shine on her shoulders, the thin sheen of sweat along her collarbone.

"Still awake?" she whispered.

"Too hot to sleep," I said. "You?"

"Same. The AC in my room is too loud. And I heard you moving around." She pushed her hair off her neck, and her hand came away damp. "It's unbearable tonight."

I sat up against the headboard. "I didn't mean to wake anyone."

"You didn't." She came closer, then sat on the edge of the bed, one leg tucked under her. The silk clung to her back where she'd been lying on it.

"You're really not going to turn it on?"

"I'm stubborn."

"I've noticed." She smiled. Her eyes were bright even in the dim light from the window. "You've been …