A few days later, Gabriella was folding towels in one of the hotel's guest rooms when her supervisor called her over.
"Gabriella, there's a guest at the front desk asking for you."
She frowned, confused. "A guest?"
Her supervisor shrugged. "Tall guy, dressed nice. Says he's waiting for you."
Her stomach flipped. She already knew who it was.
When she walked into the lobby, Zay was leaning casually against the front desk, chatting with the receptionist. His fitted black hoodie and designer jeans stood out against the polished tile floors.
"What are you doing here?" Gabriella hissed, pulling him aside.
"Relax," Zay said, grinning. "Just figured I'd come see you on your break. That cool?"
"No, it's not cool," she said, lowering her voice. "This is my job. You can't just show up like this."
Zay raised his hands in mock surrender. "Aight, my bad. Didn't mean to mess you up. But since I'm here, you wanna grab lunch? My treat."
Gabriella sighed, glancing over her shoulder. Her supervisor wasn't watching, but she couldn't afford to take any risks.
"I can't just leave," she said, her tone softer now.
"You got a break comin', right? I'll wait."
She hesitated, but Zay's persistence was hard to resist. "Fine. Fifteen minutes."
They ended up at a taco truck a few blocks from the hotel. Gabriella leaned against the side of the truck, unwrapping her food while Zay watched her with a smirk.
"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "Just glad you finally let me feed you something decent."
Gabriella rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "You act like I'm starving or something."
"Not starving," Zay said, his tone light. "But you deserve better than what you been settlin' for."
She paused mid-bite, his words hitting deeper than she expected. "Why do you care so much?"
Zay looked at her, his usual playful expression gone. "'Cause somebody cared enough to show me I could have more. And now I'm just passin' it on."
Gabriella didn't know what to say to that. She focused on her food, but her mind raced.
Back at the shelter that night, Gabriella found herself pacing the small common area. Zay's words kept replaying in her head.
"You deserve better than what you been settlin' for."
But what did "better" even look like?
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Zay:
You good?
She hesitated before replying.
I'm fine. Just thinking.
Zay:
'Bout what?
Gabriella stared at the screen. She didn't want to admit how much space he was taking up in her thoughts.
Nothing important, she typed back.
The next morning, Gabriella woke up to another text from Zay.
Zay:
Be ready at 7 tonight. I'm pickin' you up.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
For what?
Zay:
You'll see.
She considered saying no, but curiosity got the better of her.
At 7 p.m. sharp, Zay was waiting outside the shelter in his car. Gabriella climbed in, wrapping her arms around herself.
"You gonna tell me where we're going?" she asked as he pulled away from the curb.
"Somewhere different," Zay said, flashing her a grin.
They ended up at a community center in a part of town Gabriella didn't recognize. Inside, a small group of people sat around tables, talking and laughing. The walls were covered in colorful murals, and a whiteboard at the front of the room read, "Entrepreneurship Workshop: Build Your Future."
"What is this?" Gabriella asked, looking around.
"Place that helped me get my start," Zay said. "They run these workshops for people tryna level up—business ideas, financial stuff, all that. Thought it might give you some ideas."
Gabriella's first instinct was to run. The room felt too bright, too hopeful. She didn't belong here.
But Zay rested a hand on her shoulder. "Just sit in for a bit. You ain't gotta say nothin' if you don't want to."
Reluctantly, she followed him to a table near the back. As the workshop started, she listened quietly, surprised by how relatable some of the stories were. People talked about growing up with nothing, struggling to make ends meet, and finding ways to turn their lives around.
For the first time, Gabriella felt a flicker of something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in years: hope.
As they left the workshop, Gabriella turned to Zay. "Why'd you bring me here?"
"'Cause I see somethin' in you," he said simply. "And I ain't gonna stop till you see it too."
His words stayed with her all the way back to the shelter. Maybe Zay was right. Maybe there was more out there for her.
And for the first time, she let herself believe it.
To Be Continued...
