I wanted to kiss her.
I wanted to hold her.
I wanted to touch her skin.
But more than anything, I wanted to know if she wanted that too.
Those thoughts followed me into my parents’ home at dinner one night.
“You know, you’ve mentioned Nyah’s name every time you’ve come over,” Cat teased, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Not just once, but like every time!”
“It’s true,” Sandra, Simon’s wife, agreed. “You loathed her when you first started working at the hotel.” She bit into a piece of bread andused the crust to point at me. “Now you’re singing her praises. What’s going on?”
“I think someone has a crush,” Sophia teased in a sing-song voice.
“No, it’s not like that.” My cheeks grew warm. “I just… admire her, that’s all.”
“That’s some admiration,” my father said, suppressing a smile. “It has heralded a new work ethic, less frivolous spending, and better relationships with family. Our household staff have even been asking about the change. Now I can tell them—it’s admiration.”
“A lot has changed in the past few months,” my mother said matter-of-factly, “and most of it for the better. Wherever Caleb finds his inspiration, we can all just be thankful that he is finding his way in life.”
“Thank you, Mother... I think,” I said, unsure how to take the lukewarm praise. “Nyahhasinspired me to be a better person. And if I talk more about her, I’m sure that’s the reason why.”
My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“Well,” Bruce, Sophia’s husband, added to the conversation. “The Pope inspires us all to be better, but you don’t hear us going on about him at every meal.”
They all laughed as heat spread to my ears and neck.
Everyone else quickly moved on, but my mother squinted at me while she silently picked at her food. She clearly disapproved of Nyah—even as a topic of conversation, much less as a romantic interest. I couldn’t imagine why, as they hadn’t even met. If I was going to ask her out, then perhaps I should introduce them... but first, I needed to know whether she felt the same way about me.
In the months I had spent getting to know her, I had learned one thing very clearly—Nyah was guarded. Her walls were always up. She revealed almost nothing about herself unless it concerned Lucas. Everything else stayed carefully locked away.
I had never waited to tell someone how I felt, never overthought, never questioned my own emotions like this. The uncertainty was new and strangely exhilarating. I knew I felt something for her… something far beyond simple attraction.
Our relationship had taken a dramatic turn from the rockybeginning we had shared. The presence of Lucas had only deepened everything. My feelings had grown deeper, heavier, more rooted.
I wanted more.
I wanted to take us to the next level—but only when the moment was right.
But before any of that, I had to take the first step.
And for once in my life, I knew I would regret it far more if I did nothing at all.
23
NYAH
Ihad collected the medicines from Dr. Sloan’s office after picking up my car from the garage the previous week. I promised him—again—that I would get the surgery done by the end of the year. I said it calmly, like it was a plan I fully believed in, even though part of me wondered whether my heart would survive that long. Hope was easier than fear, so I held on to it.
My phone buzzed on Monday morning. When I glanced at the screen and saw Alex’s name, my nails went straight to my mouth. I let it ring three times before answering, torn between not wanting to hear whatever he had to say and wanting even less to hear it later on voicemail, alone and unprepared.
“Hi, Alex,” I said when I finally picked up, standing and turning toward the window. Normally, watching the leaves change colour in October left me struck with awe and reminded me that endings could also be beautiful. Today, none of that worked. I tried to sound cheerful anyway, but the fear sitting low in my chest made me want to pace the room like a caged animal.
“Nyah. I’m glad you answered because what I have to say is urgent. Jeremy has popped up on our radar. He’s in the city.”
The words hit me all at once, like a physical blow.
