Nonceba17
"Why do I keep meeting you?"
Leona froze, her pen hovering over the page. She didn't need to turn to know it was him.
"I should be asking you that question. Are you stalking me, Zion?" she challenged, suddenly self-conscious in her knitted two-piece, wrapping the throw around her arms.
He smiled gently, a warmth that made her chest tighten. "No. I didn't even know you'd be here. It was a complete coincidence."
Her heart betrayed her as she studied him-his calm, unwavering gaze - the way he carried himself. Everything about him screamed of the boy she had never forgotten, now grown into the man she couldn't ignore.
"You never said yes to coffee," he added softly, a playful note hiding in his tone.
"No," she said firmly, pulling away, her eyes brimming with a mix of frustration and longing.
And just like that, the past and present collided, leaving her breathless and uncertain of where to turn next.
*****
Leona thought she had left her teenage crush behind, tucked safely into the letters of her younger self. But a work trip to Abu Dhabi turns into more than just networking and presentations-it's a collision with the boy who once made her heart race: Zion.
Eight years later, he's everything she remembers and more-refined, confident, and impossible to ignore. For Leona, every glance, every conversation, every near encounter pulls her back into a world of longing, laughter, and memories she thought she had buried.
As professional boundaries clash with old feelings and letters from the past meet truths in the present, Leona must confront her choices, her desires, and the possibility that some loves don't fade-they wait.
But there's another layer: Zion's faith guides him, shaping the man he is and the love he believes in, while Leona's lifestyle and choices have taken her down a very different path.
Can hearts aligned by history and memory reconcile with hearts divided by belief and conviction?