Mission Love

Ten

Recap: There's definitely something going on.

"Aisha, guess what!" Dina’s voice burst through the screen the moment I hit the green icon, her excitement practically radiating through the pixels.

Her cosy apartment, decorated with her beloved stuffed animals, was bathed in the soft glow of evening light streaming through the window, giving her an actual golden halo. Meanwhile, I shoved aside the chaos of papers scattered across my desk and tried to focus.

"I’ve got an interview!" she beamed, practically squealing with joy.

I blinked, processing her words. My brain was lagging—too much… thinking.

"Oh my god!" I finally jumped up, as my two brain cells caught up.
"Where, where?" I squealed, waving my hands around like I’d just witnessed a miracle.

Well, it was a miracle.

Dina had been working so hard to get back on track after having her whole identity stolen from her. She’d been like a zombie these past few years, and now… she was actually moving forward without looking back.

Dina cleared her throat dramatically, miming the fixing of an invisible tie with closed eyes. I rolled my eyes at her antics, but my grin stretched to my ears.

"Z.T. Ventures!" she announced in a low, smug tone.

I gasped, my hand flying to cover my mouth. It was really a miracle.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!"I echoed, and soon we were both squealing at each other, our voices overlapping in a frenzy of excitement.

"I’m so happy for you! This is your dream job, Dina!" I couldn’t stop grinning at the screen, completely caught up in her joy.

"I know, right? But… it’s scheduled for next week, and I’m already freaking out," she admitted, her enthusiasm dipping slightly into nervousness.

"You’re going to kill it, don’t even stress. That explains the stress-baking though, huh? The cake thing!" I teased, remembering the cake she’d posted on social media just the other day.

"Yeah, yeah… guilty as charged," Dina laughed, rolling her eyes in mock embarrassment.
"I’ll drop some off in the morning. Just leave the door open," she sang the last part, holding her invisible mic again.

Her sing-song tone made me laugh, and for a moment, I felt lighter.

"Wow. You’re living your best life, landing dream interviews, baking stuff, while I’m buried under papers, trying to remember where I left my sanity," I joked, waving at the disaster zone surrounding me.

Dina narrowed her eyes at me through the screen, a knowing smirk on her lips.
"Okay, spill. What’s really going on? You’re deflecting."

I groaned, slumping onto my bed with the phone in hand. How was I supposed to explain this tangled mess in my head?

"It's just... Ugh, where do I even start? It's these weird voices in my head. I don’t know what to believe anymore."

Dina raised an eyebrow. 
"Weird voices? What weird voices? No, wait—whose weird voices?" she teased lightly, through her eyes betrayed a hint of concern.

I buried my face in the pillow before groaning again. "Ryan's not who I thought he was. And Serena—ugh, Serena—she always twists things, but somehow makes it sound so believable. Why do I keep falling for it?"

"Aisha, I'm still waiting," Dina chimed in, clearly amused by my dramatics.

I turned my head to face her.
"Okay, fine. It's not a big deal or anything, but... I think Ryan might have a thing for Naveen."