| |
Ryan Hosseini.
That moment of moments was like a million pinpricks on her soul. Searing. Red-hot. And she felt everything at once.
Longing.
Anger.
Regret.
There he was on the sidewalk outside the café, wearing a suit, clutching a briefcase, gliding through the crowd. And – damn it – he still had that hitch in his step; that tightness in his shoulders; that posture of loneliness that he carried everywhere with him like an eternal burden.
Ten years.
Ten fucking years.
And nothing had changed.
As Ryan faded from her line of sight, Kendra blinked hard. Not knowing what to think.
Twist of fate.
Cosmic joke.
Karma.
Whatever.
Somehow, in a city this big, their trajectories had collided, atom to atom. And – oh God – she was snivelling, her throat raw.
Stay away from him. He doesn’t need you in his life. And you don’t need him in yours. Not after all that’s been said and done.
But – no – another part of her wanted to rebel against that logic. She wanted to believe that maybe – just maybe – this was an omen. A sign. A chance.
Ten years. Goddamn it.
Kendra forced herself to breathe.
In through the nose.
One, two, three.
Out through the mouth.
One, two, three.
And she made a decision.
Do it. Just do it.
Stabbing her nails into her palms, Kendra stepped out of the café, sweat beading her forehead. She plunged into the crowd, trying to catch up to Ryan.
And that’s when she saw them.