excerpt from a longer wip that i like to call the one in which jml leaves

He can tell.

Because when Kalim turns around on the golden terrace steps before him, he wears a smile wider than his heart and more brilliant than the sun. And suddenly, the festive music stops and the banquet hall falls silent and all discerning eyes are directed at the Asim heir as he grants them his presence. Adorned in the finest of silvers, long kept in the deepest of Asim family treasuries, Kalim walks down the steps without making a sound. His ceremonial robe, perfectly tailored in Asim white and peacock blue, boasts the most exquisite of silks in all of the Scalding Sands – a fabric that even Kalim himself can’t bear to touch so casually. Today, he is the perfect eldest son and heir to the illustrious Asim estate.

Kalim stops at the center of the banquet hall, and as he takes his partner’s graceful hand, he makes the deepest and most humble bow. One of the younger Zahrani handmaidens in the audience lets out a gasp. Jamil almost lets out a bitter laugh and he crosses his arms disdainfully. If only they knew how their princely heir had woken up late this morning with drool on his face and nearly spilled hot, saffron tea over his robe just fifteen minutes ago. Surely, they’d think less of him then. This ridiculous, excessive fawning makes Jamil feel sick.

He supposes he’s the only one in this room who knows.

When his partner acknowledges Kalim’s gesture with a gentle nod, Kalim laughs and steps back. His hand lingers as he pulls away. Anyone else in the room would find it utterly romantic. How lovely that the young couple, brought together to join two of the most eminent houses of the Scalding Sands, are so clearly in love.

Kalim extends his arm high and straight into the air. To Jamil’s right, the conductor raises his arm and the enormous banquet hall bursts into the alluring sound of melodic kamancheh strings. And then the dance begins.

The pace is so fast, even Jamil can barely keep up with Kalim’s intricate steps. His white robe flutters in flawless circles as Kalim leaps and jumps endlessly into the air. Kalim has spent an entire lifetime preparing for this moment, and his years of traditional dance classes have obviously paid off. As the music speeds up, the guests of the engagement ceremony start to clap and cheer as Kalim and his partner dance so beautifully under the glowing spotlight of the banquet hall. Even their bodies seem to match effortlessly as they join hands and come together. They run in circles and circles, and it almost looks like they’re flying.

With a final spin and kick, Kalim lands precisely on his feet, his smile exuberant as the banquet hall roars with applause at the couple’s rousing performance. Breathless, Kalim makes a respectful bow to the audience and he’s happy because the guests are happy, and he laughs boisterously along. He kisses the hand of his beautiful partner, who smiles sweetly, and Jamil can’t bear to look on any longer. He turns away.

This whole ceremony is a farce. It’s an insulting joke of a stage play trying to tell the story of love and happily ever after. Because Jamil has always been able to see the truth of these matters. He knows Kalim better than anyone else. And Kalim’s smile, this one that’s wider than his heart and more brilliant than the sun, is entirely, devastatingly fake.

Across the room, their eyes meet and Kalim waves excitedly as if he had been seeking out Jamil’s attention this entire time. Jamil stares back coldly, unmoving and unimpressed.

He’s the only one who notices. It happens for a split second, but Kalim flinches.