Counting Down with You(26)

We drive past a beautiful garden, a huge fountain, and a perfectly trimmed lawn, elegantly designed hedges scattered every few feet. There are even marble statues littered across the estate. I try not to gape.

His “house” is an honest-to-God mansion. It’s designed in a Roman architectural fashion, with a large porch and grand arches and stone columns. I wouldn’t be surprised to find the Obamas taking a casual stroll down the lawn.

Mia runs off almost immediately, after jumping up to kiss Ace’s cheek and promising to catch up with us before she disappears into the house.

Ace is slower, listening to the last notes of the song playing on the stereo, before shutting down the car and following me out. “Mia can be a lot.”

“She seems sweet,” I say, slowly walking down the stone path until I reach the porch. “I didn’t know you had stepsiblings.”

“Just the one,” he says, before nodding toward the front door. “Ladies first.”

“What a gentleman.” I step inside and I can’t contain the way my jaw drops. The inside of the house is just as beautiful as the outside, with exquisite paintings in the foyer and lavish furniture extending into the hallway. There’s a diamond chandelier in the entryway, and I pause to stare at it in disbelief.

“How much money do you have?” I ask, because I apparently don’t have a shred of decency or any sense of tact. Ace doesn’t seem to mind. He’s watching me in amusement.

“Enough,” he says. “I can’t touch most of it, since it’s in a trust fund, but my dad gives me and my siblings a monthly allowance.”

I know Cora also gets an allowance, but I think my parents would sooner kick me out of the house than hand me a lump sum every month. Instead, I have to rely on birthday and Eidi money to last me through the year.

I want to ask Ace more, because all of this is a lot, but he starts walking down the hall. I immediately follow. The house is so big, I’m afraid I might get lost otherwise.

As we walk, my jaw nearly unhinges. Who has paintings on their walls? There’s even an uncanny amount of vases. I’ve seen the Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham enough times to steer clear of those. If I broke one, I’d probably die on the spot.

Ace leads me up a spiraling marble staircase, and we’re walking down the hallway when I hear a loud bark behind me and freeze. I turn slowly and see a large golden retriever bounding toward us.

“Down, boy!” Ace says, but the dog comes at us full speed anyway.

I squeak in terror and hide behind Ace, clutching his leather jacket.

Dogs are adorable. Objectively, I know this. However, my parents heavily warned me off them because they’re basically haram, so I’m at an impasse. I wish my body didn’t lock up the second that I see one, especially because they look so cuddly and fun to be around.

“Ahmed, he’s not gonna hurt you,” Ace says, his voice heavy with amusement as he pets his dog.

“Dogs scare me,” I whisper, too embarrassed to say it any louder than that.

Ace turns to look at me, eyebrows furrowed. “Seriously?”

I nod, still clutching on to him. “It’s a whole thing. My parents taught me to be afraid of them.”

“They what?”

I sigh and explain how my parents projected their view of dogs onto me, going as far as telling me I was allergic when I was younger so I would stay away from them. When I’m done, he’s frowning deeply. “Why did they do that?”

“Some conservative Muslims don’t like dogs because they’re seen as impure,” I say, eyeing the golden retriever, who’s wagging his tail happily. “Personally, I think dogs are cute, but my parents freaked me out about it really bad when I was younger, so I’m kind of...hesitant now.”

“Spade won’t hurt you,” Ace says, before holding out a hand toward me. “I’ll show you if you want.”

I shake my head. It’s not like I’ve never petted a dog before. I have. But it’s always so intimidating, and I have to work up the nerve to do it.

Then I have a different thought. “Your name is Ace and you named your dog Spade?”

“I was ten,” Ace says, shrugging. “Spade seemed fitting. Isn’t that right, boy?”

Ace leans down and nuzzles Spade, running his hands through the dog’s fur coat. “You like the name Spade, don’t you?”

The dog barks happily, licking Ace’s face.

Ace laughs, pushing Spade away with a light touch. “See, Ahmed? He’s gentle.” He offers me his hand again. “Are you sure you don’t want to pet him? It’s up to you, but I’ll be with you the whole time.”

I bite my lip, considering my options. Ace and the dog are giving me puppy dog eyes now, which should be illegal. Despite my nerves, I slowly put my hand forward and Ace takes it.

Spade is quiet and patient as he waits for me to near him. Ace places my hand between his ears, and his fur is soft and fluffy beneath my palm. “See?”

I waver before giving the dog a careful rub. Spade’s mouth opens into a wide grin, his tail wagging again.

“He likes you,” Ace says, smiling as he lets go of my hand and leans against the wall. “He’s a good judge of character.”

“Oh, shut up,” I say. God, I’m getting way too comfortable being around him.