Yours, If You'll Have Me

Zahra has loved James for years. Quietly, selflessly, in all the little ways he never noticed. In the way she remembers exactly how he takes his coffee, in the way she stays up late just to make sure he got home safe, in the way she never once asked him to stay.

But James is leaving. A new job, a new city, a new life. And Zahra? She's staying behind, like she always does-smiling, hugging him goodbye, pretending it doesn't hurt.

It's just distance. They'll be fine. It's what she tells herself when they text late into the night, when she visits and always has to leave, when she watches him chase his dreams from afar while her heart quietly breaks.

But the more he says goodbye, the harder it gets. And James, who has never once questioned their friendship, is starting to realize that every moment without Zahra feels like something is missing.

Until one day, it's too much.

Then, one day, he quits his job, gets on a plane, and shows up at her door.

Breathless. Eyes raw with emotion.

"I don't want to miss you, Zahra. I want to be with you."

Because she loved him first. And now it's his turn, if she'll have him.