Page 10 of Finally Loved

“Hello,” Alba replied, grinning. The grin turned into more of a smirk when Zainab shot her an irritated stare. “Sorry. What’s up?”

Zainab rolled her eyes, collapsing back onto their shared couch. “She asks me to get lunch with her, then just sits, staring into the middle distance instead of discussing where. And then has the audacity to act like I’m the one with the problem.”

“Who are you talking to?” Alba laughed.

“You.”

Alba shifted to look directly at Zainab. “Ah, of course, talking to me, about me, as if you’re not talking about me. Classic.”

“Keep this up and I’m never getting food with you again as long as you live.”

“Untrue. We live together, so you know you’re getting food with me all the time.”

Zainab stood again, picking up her bag. “Begrudgingly.”

Alba laughed again, shooting her a cheeky smile. They’d been friends for too long for one day of distraction to come between them. This was just how they worked.

“Are you ready now, then?” Zainab watched Alba with narrowed eyes.

“Just waiting for you,” she said, jumping up from the couch.

Zainab huffed but followed after Alba as she headed for the door, grabbing her things along the way.

Alba should have known she was simply biding her time.

As they settled into the car and Alba started driving, it didn’t register to her that they still hadn’t discussed where they were going to eat. In Alba’s mind, it felt clear, so clear she couldn’t imagine she hadn’t mentioned it to Zainab, but still, Zainab didn’t ask.

She did, however, watch Alba with a studying look. “So, are you ready to share what’s going on with you yet or not?”

Alba frowned as she merged onto the highway. “Nothing’s going on with me.”

Zainab scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’ve been weird for days.”

“How so?”

“Seriously?” She sighed heavily. “Staring off into space, looking worried half the time. Something’s on your mind, and it’s not like you to keep things so closely guarded.”

Alba wasn’t sure that was true. There were things she kept guarded, but, as she thought about it, she supposed the general point was true. The only things she usually kept so private were things she tried not to think about around other people. When she was obviously preoccupied by something, she supposed she did usually talk about it.

She wasn’t really sure why she hadn’t talked about it this time—well, other than the fact that it was weird to still be so consumed by thoughts of a stranger she’d met a week ago. She’d met plenty of strangers over the years, and she seldom spent so much time thinking about them. Maybe she wasn’t talking about it because she didn’t want to be told she was turning into a weird stalker.

“Just like this…” Zainab added pointedly when Alba hadn’t replied for several minutes.

She laughed briefly. “Sorry. I… am… just thinking.”

“Yes, about the same thing you have been for days.” She hesitated. “And hopefully about driving.”

“Of course about driving.”

Was there any real harm in telling Zainab about the whole thing? Zainab was one of the closest people to her in the world. Surely she wouldn’t judge. Well, maybe she would, but perhaps that was what Alba needed.

Especially when she thought about where she’d driven the two of them to.

Zainab looked around as Alba pulled into a parking lot. “Where are we? What is this place?”

“Oh. Um.” Alba scrunched her face up.

They hadn’t talked about this place, they hadn’t agreed where to go for lunch, Alba hadn’t explained anything that was going on. It was so unlike her.

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