Forbidden Desires

EPISODE 14

*Zayana's POV*

A whole day had passed, and there hadn't been a single text from Atticus. Should I call him? Who knows what he's caught up with or where he is... Poor guy, living all alone-he must be busy. But then again...could there be someone else? Maybe another girl? But if there was, he would've told me. Why would he hide that from me?

This thought lingers, and my heart urges me to just pick up the phone and call him. But as soon as I do, he cuts my call. "What the hell? He declined my call?" A wave of unease washes over me. "Is he alright?"

With that worry on my mind, I decide to check on my mom and head towards her room. Just then, a sharp pain shoots through my left lower abdomen, leaving me frozen in place for a moment. The pain fades almost as quickly as it came, like a flicker, but it shakes me nonetheless.

I hurry downstairs to Mom's room and, to my surprise, find Stacy sitting beside her.

"Stacy! Is that you?" I exclaim with joy, "I missed you so much!"

Stacy smiles back, "I missed you too! That's why I came home."

"Come on," I say, tugging her hand, "let's go upstairs to my room. Mom, I'm taking Stacy up!"

Mom nods, smiling, "Go ahead, you two have a nice chat. I'll bring tea for both of you."

Once we're upstairs, it's like two sisters reuniting after years. We dive straight into conversation, as if we're catching up on every moment we missed. Whatever little resentments I had toward Stacy faded the moment she walked through the door. That's the beauty of our friendship: no matter how many issues arise, we always make up without needing apologies.

"Zayana, guess what?" Stacy says with a mischievous grin, "I met a guy on Dating App who asked me out for dinner. Look, here's his picture."

"Oh, he looks nice," I reply, glancing at the photo. "But what about Henry?"

Stacy shrugs, "He hasn't texted me in a while, so I haven't reached out either. You could say we're done...he ghosted me, and I guess I ghosted him back."

"And now?" I asked

"Well, I think I'll give this new guy a chance," she says with a confident smile.

"Just be careful, okay? Do a little background check first," I advise.

"Of course," she nods, "he seems sensible, though. But enough about me; what's going on with you?"

"Actually," I begin hesitantly, "I've been talking to someone too. He's sensible too, but...I don't know, something about not hearing from him today has me feeling so restless. Maybe things are moving past just talking."

"Oh? Are you in love...?" Stacy's question trails off as I cut her off, saying, "No, no, not so fast."

"Come on, at least show me his picture. What does he look like?" She insisted.

"He sent me one, but I deleted our chats, so I don't have it."

Stacy grins, "But is he good at heart?"

"There's something about him," I admit, trying to put my feelings into words, "something I've been searching for all my life. This feeling of love I never quite found in anyone before, this wholeness I always hoped to feel. With him, it feels like he might finally be able to give me that complete, unreserved love I've only ever dreamed about-a love I looked for in the wrong places, in people who never quite cared. But now it feels as if he's ready to bring that missing piece back to me, like he's presenting it with pride, ready to fill my life with love."

Stacy sighs, "Wow, Zayana, how can you say all this about him?"

"Maybe because the incompleteness in me somehow matches the emptiness he carries too. It's as if...as if we could be whole together."

Stacy raises an eyebrow. "Zayana, sounds like your heart has already chosen him."

"Maybe... just maybe." I whisper, my heart echoing the unspoken truth.

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