9.0 #2
He paused, thumb brushing my wrist, a touch light enough to claim nothing and everything. "Text me if you need anything."
"I won't," I said, because I had to.
He grinned like he heard the lie and liked it. "Later, Amira."
He left in a ripple. The bell chimed, the door sighed shut, and the air expanded after him.
I ate two more fries standing up, then tossed the rest, washed my hands until the grease was gone. For a second, I just stood there at the sink, palms braced on stainless steel, eyes closed.
It wasn't just Brooks. It wasn't just Kian. It was the collision. The way my past had walked straight into my present and smiled like it had paid for the room.
The next client was already signing in. I nodded, pulled myself together, and got back behind the chair.
Work had always been the place where I could choose the result. Where cause met effect and behaved. Where the only heat I dealt with was the kind I could control.
I held on to that for the next hour like a rope.
By noon, the shop thinned-lunch breaks, errand runs, a couple walk-ins, the lull before the afternoon wave. I swept my station, wiped the mirror, and grabbed my keys.
"Food?" Rina called.
"Car," I said. "I need to make a call."
She eyed me but let me go. The bell chimed when I pushed it, and the street slid around me-sun bright, traffic loud, corner guys posted, a kid on a scooter weaving through legs like his life depended on speed.
In my car, I closed the door and breathed. The world muffled, the air smelling like vanilla from a long-dead air freshener.
My phone lit with a notification I didn't open. I pulled up Tati's contact instead and hit call.
Time to say it out loud to somebody who wouldn't flinch.
I pressed Tati's name. She picked up on the third ring, voice already teasing.
"Finally," she said. "It feels like forever since we talked. ."
"I needed a voice that's not screaming about bundles or braids," I said, letting my head fall against the seat. "Or men."
"Ah," she sang. "So this is about a man. Which one?"
I groaned. "Don't start."
"Girl, I live to start." I could hear the clink of something in the background-her setting dishes down maybe, or rearranging things like she always did when she was on the phone. "Tell me why your voice sound guilty. Spill."
I stared out at the street, a man selling bootleg DVDs from a folding table, his voice rising over the traffic. "It's complicated."
"You always say that right before it gets messy," she said. "Which usually means it's not complicated at all. It's just dumb."
I laughed in spite of myself, a quick burst that eased some of the tightness in my chest. "You're evil."
"Evil but right. So, Kian?"
"Who else?" My fingers tapped the steering wheel, restless. "He... took me somewhere last night."
"Somewhere?" Her voice perked. "Like a date somewhere?"
"Not exactly." I hesitated, remembering the chandeliers, the champagne glasses, the press of expensive perfume. "It was... a party. For his uncle."
"Ohhh." I could hear her grin. "He bringing you around family now? That's a step."
"Not like that," I said quick. "It wasn't intimate. More like... I don't know. A stop. He said we'd just show face."
"But he still wanted to show up with you there. That's a big deal."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut. "It didn't feel loud. It felt... weird. Like stepping into a different world. His family's not what I thought."
"Not what you thought how?"
"They're... clean," I said finally. "Polished. Big houses, suits, politics. Not the hustle he lives. And it got me thinking-why even do the street shit if your people sit on that side of town? Why risk it?"
Tati hummed, not quick to answer. That was one of the reasons I called her-she didn't rush to fill silence. "Maybe he like control," she said at last. "The street's one place nobody can tell him who to be."
I let that sit. Control. Yeah. That tracked.
Her voice softened. "But that's not really what's bothering you."
I hesitated. My tongue felt heavy, but I forced it out.
"I saw Brooks."
The line went quiet for a beat too long. "What?"
I swallowed. "He was there. At the party. Bryan's running mate."
"Oh, hell no." Her voice pitched higher, sharp with shock. "I was hoping you'd say anyone but your Brooks?"
"Not my Brooks," I corrected fast, heat rushing to my face even though no one could see me. "Not anymore."
Tati whistled low. "Girl. No wonder you sound stressed. What did you do?"
"Nothing. I didn't do anything." My nails dug crescents into my palm. "He looked at me. I looked at him. We introduced each other like strangers and that was it."
"And Kian?"
"He doesn't know," I said quickly. "He can't know. It's not... it's not something I want in the mix."
She let out a slow breath, like she was processing for me. "Amira, that's a lot. Seeing him after all these years? No warning? At a damn campaign party?"
"I know." My voice cracked around the edges. "I felt like I was back at square one. Like all the work I did to move forward-poof."
"How did it feel?" she asked gently.
The question gutted me. I closed my eyes, words spilling low. "As soon as I saw him, Alina flashed in my head. Like she was standing right there between us. I couldn't unsee it."
Tati went quiet again, then said carefully, "Do you think you'll ever tell him?"
"No." My answer came too fast, too sure. I gripped the wheel tighter. "No. That door's locked."
My voice cracked around the edges. "I felt like I was back at square one. Like all the work I did to move forward-poof."
Her tone softened. "Baby, you been moving forward. Don't let one interaction make you forget that."
I pressed my forehead against the steering wheel, eyes stinging. "It didn't feel like a ghost. He looked... the same. Different. Older, harder, but he felt the same. I don't know how to describe it."
Tati hummed, then shifted gears like she always did when she knew I was spiraling too far. "Alright. We're not gonna let him rent space in your head today."
I groaned, "you're so right. Enough about me how's wedding planning."
"Girl, Seth booked two venues. Didn't even realize it. Had to call one back and smooth it over like I was his assistant. Men are useless."
I exhaled, slow, grateful. "So you're still set for a few months out?"
"Yep. Rings are bought, Miles is practicing walking straight down the aisle, and I have another dress fitting tomorrow."
I heard Miles yelling in the background "I'm gonna let you go but-don't let Brooks spin you back in circles. He had his time. You don't owe him another minute."
Her words hit hard, but I didn't argue. "I'll try."
"Try harder," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "I love you and i'll call you again tonight."
When the call ended, the car felt too quiet again. My reflection stared back at me in the black screen of my phone-eyes tired, mouth pressed thin.
I set it face down on the passenger seat, started the engine, and told myself the same lie I'd been saying for weeks now: it's fine. Everything's fine.
I sat there for a while after the call, phone facedown, the hum of traffic folding over itself outside the windshield.
Alina. It didn't matter what Tati asked-I already knew the answer.
As soon as I'd locked eyes with Brooks, her face had rushed in like water through a crack.
It was instinct, like my brain reminding me of the one thing I'd never let him touch.