Chapter 5 #2
"Perfect," Elena murmured, circling us with her camera. "Now just turn your head slightly toward each other, like you're about to share a secret."
As Zahra turned, our faces were suddenly inches apart.
Her eyes met mine, the last rays of warm sunshine reflecting in the green of her eyes, and something shifted in the atmosphere between us.
The script I'd so carefully crafted seemed to dissolve as I found myself drawn closer, my gaze dropping to her lips that parted under my gaze. I was so close, I could feel her breath puffing on my mouth. Just a little more and I’d?—
"Oliver!"
The delighted exclamation broke through the moment. I stepped back, turning to see a familiar figure waddling toward us, her heavily pregnant belly leading the way.
"Alyssa?"
My ex, the ex. One of the few people on this planet who knew both my professional and personal lives.
One of the most difficult sacrifices I had to make to keep Emmet safe.
She approached with her arms outstretched, and I met her halfway, enveloping her in a gentle hug, careful of her protruding belly.
"Look at you," I said, unable to contain my warmth. "That belly has enough gravitational pull to attract its own satellites."
She laughed, that familiar full-bodied sound that had always been contagious. "That’s what happens when you get knocked up with twins. Only twenty-two weeks in and I'm already the size of a small planet."
"You're radiant," I said, my hand resting briefly on her shoulder.
A movement beside me reminded me that Zahra was watching this entire exchange.
The realization sent a jolt through me. I'd completely dropped my professional mask, revealing a side of myself I'd kept carefully hidden from her.
I also noted that Elena had discreetly stepped back, recognizing this as a personal moment not meant for her camera.
"Zahra," I said, my voice slightly strained as I tried to recalibrate. "This is Alyssa, an old friend."
Alyssa's eyes widened, bouncing between Zahra and me. "Zahra? The Zahra?"
I tensed, realizing this encounter could lead to my "don't ask, don't tell" rule being heavily violated. Alyssa knew too much about my past, about Emmet, about why I'd left Norman. And she had no filter at the best of times, let alone while pregnancy hormones were in play.
“The one and only.” Zahra smiled, though there was something tight in her expression. “Nice to meet you.”
“Wow, that’s… Wow.” Alyssa was full-on grinning, practically giddy. “Are you two…?” She bumped her pointer fingers together, and I felt a rush of heat.
“It’s complicated,” I answered vaguely, hoping Alyssa would get the hint and stop talking.
No such luck.
"Well, just so you know, Oliver is the best boyfriend ever," Alyssa said, staring lovingly at her belly as she stroked it, completely oblivious to my changed demeanor. "I never thought I'd find someone like you again. I spent so long wondering if you working for Foxy was really that bad..."
She paused and stared wide-eyed at Zahra, suddenly realizing what she'd said.
"She knows about Foxy," I reassured Alyssa, adding a warm squeeze to her shoulder.
It wasn't her fault that I was a total idiot for thinking getting involved with Zahra again in any capacity was a good idea, and I wasn’t about to cause her unneeded stress.
"And it seems you found a suitable replacement for me, who I hope puts you first, second, and third? "
"I'm priorities one through ten." Alyssa laughed, giving her belly another fond pat. "At least until these two are born. But I'd gladly give my spot up for them. It's what we do, isn't it? Give up pieces of ourselves for the people we love. Like you did for Emmet."
There was a twinge of guilt in my chest as I nodded, acutely aware of Zahra's attentive presence.
"But look at us!" Alyssa continued, blissfully unaware of my growing panic with every word. "Happy endings all around! And you and Zahra... That's amazing. You really are the kindest-hearted man I've ever met."
I caught Zahra watching our interaction with a crinkle in her brow, clearly trying to reconcile this version of me with the coolly professional man she'd been dealing with.
The way she was looking at me, like she was seeing a totally different person than she had a minute ago, made me more uncomfortable than the almost-kiss had.
I was squirming, trying to figure out how to distance myself from the situation without hurting Alyssa's feelings.
"I have an appointment soon,” I finally said, choosing the truth as my escape. “I’ll call you to catch up some more?"
"I’d like that." Alyssa smiled, then wrapped her hands around my middle in a tight squeeze. "You two should come over for dinner sometime and tell us the story of how you reconnected.”
"Nice to meet you," Zahra said, still a hint of tightness around her lips.
"It was lovely to meet you. Take good care of him; he's one of the good ones." Then she waddled away.
I felt Zahra's eyes on me, burning with unasked questions. I'd shown her too much of the real Oliver, the one I'd tried so hard to keep separate from our arrangement.
"We have eighteen minutes left," I said, checking my watch again. "Elena, let's get the last few shots by the fountain."
Zahra nodded, respecting our agreement not to ask personal questions, but I felt her curiosity like a physical presence between us.
I maintained my polite distance for the rest of our scheduled time, but something had shifted. The encounter with Alyssa had created a crack in my carefully constructed facade, and I wasn't sure how to repair it.
If Zahra discovered the truth about Emmet, it could throw my entire plan off the rails.
I remembered her complicit bigotry in high school—how she'd stood silently by while Ryan and his friends had taunted kids they thought were "different.
" How she'd never once stood up for what was right when it mattered.
I needed to get to Norman with a plausible excuse, and Zahra had given me one on a silver platter, with a bonus check included. I needed that house, not just for the money but for what it represented—security, justice, freedom.
All I had to do was play my part, get what was stolen from me, and leave before Zahra figured out the truth.
"Time's up," I announced when my watch chimed with an alert. "I need to get to that appointment."
"Right." Zahra looked disappointed. "I’ll see you tomorrow?"
“As scheduled,” I said, before thanking Elena and confirming we'd receive the edited photos later today.
"I'll forward you the approved photos tonight," I told Zahra. "Choose whichever one you prefer for posting."
I was already walking away when she called after me.
"Oliver?" I paused, turning slightly. "Alyssa seems wonderful. I'm glad you have someone like that in your life."
The sincerity in her voice caught me off guard. I nodded once, not trusting myself to speak, and continued on my way.
Her scent still lingered in my nostrils as a reminder of boundaries crossed.
The look in Zahra's eyes when our faces were inches apart, the invitation, was burned into my retina.
And the way she examined me after the meeting with Alyssa—curious, questioning, seeing beyond my carefully maintained walls—left me more shaken than I wanted to admit.
Event horizon, I thought as I walked away. In astrophysics, it's the point of no return. I had a sinking feeling I'd just crossed mine. And in a few days we were playing out our first kiss.