12 Hours In Paradise Read Free Page A

like a princess. A silly princess but a princess nonetheless. My prince—and twin—was waiting for me in the front of the store. He had a newspaper under his arm and a bag I assumed held his t-shirt. He looked me up and down as though I were Cinderella being announced at the ball.
    “I knew you were beautiful,” he said. “But I had no idea just how beautiful.”
    I burst into laughter. The ridiculousness of our matching outfits must have been obvious to everyone.
    “No, I mean it,” he said, and my laugh turned into a smile. With his unusual way of speaking I couldn’t be sure if he was serious. But it didn’t matter. I was happy. He was fun. We were fun, I was beginning to realize. I twirled like a model with my hand on my hip. I let my hair hang down over one eye and gave him the vampiest look I could muster.
    “Perfect! And now I have a surprise. While you were changing, I found the roadmap to our adventure. Placed in our path by fate.” He brought the newspaper from underneath his arm and unfolded it for me to see.
    “What am I looking at?”
    He pointed to an article, and my eyes followed his finger. “‘The Thirty-Six Questions That Lead to Love’?” This was bold and unexpected. “I don’t get it.”
    “According to the article, which I’ve only just glanced at, there are thirty-six questions to be answered in each other’s presence. By the end of the questions, love is guaranteed.”
    “Hmmm…but I should get back no later than midnight. Can we answer them all by then?”
    “We can try, can’t we?” He raised his eyebrows as if in a dare. “Why not?”
    “But do we really want to fall in love, considering we’ll probably never see each other again?”
    Yes, yes, yes , I wanted him to say.
    Yes, I wanted to fall in love.
    Even just for a night.
    “Do you think love can be reduced to a science?” he asked seriously.
    “No, I don’t.”
    “Then let’s prove them wrong. Or right. However it turns out, it will be an adventure. So shall we get started?”
    “Where?”
    “Let’s just walk. I always think better when I walk. You?”
    “Sure, why not?”
    “Shall I carry your dress in my bag?” he asked.
    “Thanks.”
    He took me by the hand again to lead me across the street. I shivered with excitement and a little fear, I must confess. Was I crazy?
    A sidewalk mime who looked like a gold-plated pirate suddenly sprang to life and bowed at the waist as we walked by. Arash, feeling the startled tug of my arm, gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
    Thirty-six questions. That shouldn’t take too long.
     
    ***
     
    “Question number one?” I asked, anxious to get the adventure started. Time was ticking away, and I was painfully aware of its passage.
    “Question number one…” Arash stopped in his tracks and released my hand. He carefully tore out the article and threw the rest of the paper into a disposal bin marked opala . “Such a beautiful word, don’t you think?” he asked. “The word is too romantic to mean trash .”
    “But it isn’t just trash,” I exclaimed with mock horror. “It’s the delivery system for our treasure map.”
    “You’re so right!” His eyes grew big. “Shall I retrieve it?”
    “You mean stick your hand in the garbage? Not. Let’s just say that opala doesn’t mean garbage. It means treasure. Buried treasure. We’ll leave it there for the next adventure seeker.”
    “Problem solved,” he said. “And now for the first question, since I know you’re in a hurry. Are you ready?”
    “Yes, I’m ready.” Which I was and growing a little impatient.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes, I’m sure. Come on, Arash, I have to go pretty soon.”
    “Okay. Okay, here it is…‘ Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?’”
    “A dinner guest?”
    “Yes. A guest you invite to your house for dinner.”
    “Could it just be someone I go out to dinner with? Do I have to invite them to my house? Because I can tell you