"Kasim, don't joke." I chuckled and moved his hand away from my waist.

"What are you doing here so late?" Kasim didn't say anything else, which left me with a good impression of him. He joked in moderation and made people feel comfortable.

"Looking for my necklace. I think I left it on the mountain road." I aimed the flashlight at my feet to make sure it wasn't there. "It's a moon-shaped one. I don't know if you've seen it."

Kasim thought for a moment, then smiled again. ...