Page 131 of Rose
She pressed decline without a second thought.
Sarai raised an eyebrow as the waitress came back, setting down their drinks with perfect timing.
“Why are you ignoring him, Zii?” she asked, sipping her strawberry lemon drop.
Ahzii let out a quiet sigh, fingers curling around her glass like it held all the answers. “I don’t know,” she muttered, though the weight in her chest told a different story.
Sarai blinked at her. “Girl, youdoknow. Spill it.”
Ahzii took a long sip, needing the citrus bite to steady her nerves. “I wasn’t supposed to feel this way again,” she said slowly. “Not for another man.”
Sarai leaned forward slightly, sensing the shift. “Feel what?”
Ahzii hesitated, her voice soft. “Remember when we first met, and I snapped about the donation and the flowers?”
“Yeah,” Sarai nodded, “you said you weren’t trying to replace someone you used to love.”
Ahzii gave a small nod as the waitress returned with their plates and quietly excused herself.
“Right. Because I used to be married, Sarai.”
Sarai’s eyes widened. “Girl! Iknewsomebody got down on one knee for your ass at least once,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Ahzii laughed under her breath, but it faded quickly.
“His name was William, and he was my first love. My soulmate. The first man who showed me what love felt like... what it meant to be loved by a man.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her hand moved to the diamond rings she wore around her neck.
Sarai caught the shift, the way Ahzii’s shoulders tensed under the memory. “So… what happened?”
“He was murdered,” Ahzii said, her voice barely a whisper. “Killed in cold blood. And I swear, it felt like my heart died with him.”
Sarai stayed quiet, her chest tightening as she watched the pain flicker behind Ahzii’s eyes.
“I never thought I’d feel anything close to that again,” Ahzii continued. “Until your brother barged into my life and started digging up everything I buried. Started making mefeelagain.”
Sarai’s lips curled into a faint smile. “So why run from him? I can tell he really likes you… maybe even loves you.”
That word made Ahzii’s body lock up. Her eyes dropped.
“It feels like I’m betraying the man who loved me. Like letting your brother in means erasing what I had. And what if he patches the wounds just to leave me with more scars?”
Sarai reached across the table, voice gentle but firm. “Ahzii… maybe Williamsentmy brother to you. Maybe he knew you weren’t supposed to walk through life without love.”
Ahzii fell into thought, gaze unfocused as her fingers absentmindedly touched the rings again.
She didn’t know if it was love, not yet, but Savior made her feel like she wasbecomingagain. Not just surviving. Not just existing.
“I find that hard to believe,” she whispered, brushing the thought away like ash from her skin.
“You can doubt it,” Sarai said, sipping again, “but I know my brother. He doesn’t say it out loud, but I see it. In his eyes. In the way he watches you like you’re the first peace he’s ever known.”
Ahzii’s throat tightened.
“And you,” Sarai added, “the way you dodge his calls… the way your body reacts when you eventhinkabout him? You’re either already there, or dangerously close.”
Ahzii picked up her glass and downed the rest of her drink in one go.
