He was astonished to realize the answer—she simply treated him as a friend. He tried to remember ever being treated that way before. There had been tutors and playmates, under obligation to associate with him. Later, college classmates and women sought his attention and attempted to impress him. None of them ever regarded him as an equal. That was the curse of his birthright—the inability to fully trust any relationship. The fact that this confident, lively woman was the only person who had befriended him without knowing the truth amazed him. For the first time in his life, someone knew him as Hakim, the man, instead of Hakim, the prince. He wondered how she would act if she knew his true identity. Selfishly, he hoped she would never find out. Still lost in thought, he walked toward the resort, hardly noticing Nasir waiting at the edge of the parking lot. Both men re-attached their skis and made their way to the special lift that would take them back to the lodge. The lift swung into the air.
