“I don’t know. Asma… I think I’ve always been pretty obvious about being into her.”
Callum sighed. “Obvious to me. Not to her.”
He leaned back slightly.
“Maybe she’s still in shock. Maybe you should’ve gone after her.”
Leif glanced toward the door. “Let’s see what your girlfriend does.”
“She’s not my—”
Callum stopped himself. Because that sounded stupid. Even if nothing had been said out loud, even if nothing was official. It didn’t feel casual anymore. Not even close.
“You look happy with her,” Leif added. “I hope Asma sees that too.”
Callum nodded slowly. “Thanks for being on my side. For pushing me to do this.”
Leif smiled, patting his shoulder. “What are friends for?”
Callum let out a breath, leaning back slightly.
I really hope she can fix this.
He needed them to be okay. Or at least close to it. Before he left.
“No matter what happens between Asma and I,” Leif added, “you take your sabbatical year—”
“Months.”
“Year,” Leif insisted. “Alright? We’ll be fine.”
Will they?
Callum wasn’t sure. Not about Lamina. Not about Leif and Asma. Not about any of it. But as he glanced toward the door where Alejandra had just disappeared, he found himself hoping, more than anything, that she could handle the storm he’d just sent her into.
That she could soften Asma.
Or at the very least, survive her.
44
ALEJANDRA
Cuando Nadie Mira - Paula Mattheus
She should have stayed behind.Asked Callum why he hadn’t told her he was heading toward burnout while she’d been crying about her fucking shoulder day and night. Maybe it was because of that. Maybe because of her petulant, crying self. Maybe he hadn’t felt good with her. Maybe shewasjust using him.
The thought hit harder than she expected, sharp and ugly.
She shook her head quickly as thebingof the elevator warned her that the doors were about to open.
No. Those were intrusive thoughts. And she already had too many of those about her future, about the ocean, about herself. Callum couldn’t be one of them.
He’s not something to ruin too.
As she stepped out through the main door of the building, the cool London air hit her face, grounding her slightly. The street was alive but muted—cars passing, people talking, the hum of the city wrapping around her.
She spotted Asma halfway up the street, walking fast, shoulders tight, heels clicking sharply against the pavement.
