44.

Ayesha strutted out of the store with the bags of clothes she’d purchased swinging at her side. It had been a while since she bought something for herself, and since she didn’t have classes or work in the morning, she decided to use the car for a drive around. She dropped the bags in the back of the car and got in, ready to return to the apartment.

As she crossed the street to get to her car, her eyes fell on a familiar face sitting across the street from where she parked. He sat under one of the large, bright blue patio umbrellas stalking out of the centre of the elegant, polished deck tables. It always seemed easy to pick him out in a crowded space. Once her eyes caught a glimpse of him, he became all she saw.

Maybe it was a rouge crush, and she was allowing it to blossom even when she convinced herself she was cutting it down. She didn't want to start anything with someone who still loved someone else. But the uncertainty of that fact kept feeding her wi