Hide and Seek

11 hours...

Teagan grumbled and tapped on the decline icon on her phone.

"Isn't that your boyfriend?" Zahara asked.

"It is. That... person and I had a fight. I haven't spoken to him for two days and he only looks for me now? I'll let him suffer a little longer."

"Umm... Okay?" Zahara pressed her lips together.

"Tell me," Teagan turned to fully face Zahara. "Did you and Ezra ever fight?"

"What couple doesn't fight?"

"No, I don't mean petty fights. I mean a fight that caused you guys to almost break up."

Zahara's eyebrows furrowed as a memory unlocked in her mind. "Yeah, we have." She sighed.

"How long was the fight?"

"We didn't talk for over a week."

"Woah," Teagan placed her hand over her mouth. "How did you guys make up?"

"We just... talked it out." Zahara gave her a small smile as Teagan's phone buzzed. "I think you guys should do just that." She nodded to the phone. "We can take a five minute bathroom break."

"Okay, thanks," Teagan stood up and stepped out of the study.
Zahara placed her head on the table and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted off to her memory archives.

'I was visiting my uncle at the hospital one time when I saw this girl. She was probably seventeen or eighteen. I remember her because she came to the hospital with her school teacher. She wasn't crying but she had tears in her eyes and she was shaking. She cleared her throat and asked for a name I didn't hear. The poor thing wanted to look strong. It seemed the sister had actually passed away and she had been called in to identify the body.
I saw her again in the chapel. I was praying for my uncle and she was there too, praying for herself. She was crying so hard and it kind of made me really emotional.
"I forgive those who did this to my sister," she sniffed. "I forgive them because she would. I forgive them because I could be following her soon. And I want to go to Heaven."

I never forgot her, and thought about how she was from time to time.
If that little girl could forgive those who caused her sister's death, then perhaps I could forgive Ezra, and we could try to correct our mistakes.
I called him over that night and we talked.

"I didn't think we'd ever speak again," he whispered.

"Me either," I laughed.

"I'm so sorry, Zahara. I didn't mean for any of that to happen. It never should have happened."

"But it did, and we have to face it. We can't just ignore it because that won't make it go away."

"I understand. So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, first I just want you to know that I'm here for you," I took his hands in mine, "I love you and I'm willing to risk everything for you."

"I love you too," he whispered.

"I understand that you did everything on your own because you were afraid. You were afraid that you'd make a mistake, or maybe you were afraid to hurt me, or maybe to expose your siblings. I don't know. We can't turn back time and undo what we did, but let's make the right decisions from now on. Let's find a way to right our wrongs so we don't live with regrets."'

"Hello Inez," Teagan greeted her, waking Zahara up from her power nap.

"Let me just tell you that you're waisting your time. I have nothing to do with this," Inez said, shaking her head.