Not like Alejandra.
She turned, spotted them, waved brightly, and stood up in one smooth motion, already grabbing her coat.
“We’re leaving you two to it,” she said with a wide, almost mischievous smile.
Asma looked like she might actually commit murder.
“Alejandra…” she hissed under her breath.
“You two need to figure out whatever is going on,” Alejandra continued, unfazed, squeezing Asma’s hand. “It’s been too long.” There was something softer in her voice now. “Give yourself some grace.”
Asma’s expression shifted, just slightly. The sharpness faded, replaced by something more vulnerable. And then, slowly, she nodded.
Callum blinked.
How the hell did she do that?
Tame Asma in under two hours? Unbelievable.
He nudged Leif forward, practically pushing him into the booth, as Alejandra appeared by his side.
“We’re going for a stroll,” she said, looking up at him with that easy smile. “Have fun!”
She waved one last time, grabbed his arm, and after quickly paying the waitress, pulled him out of the pub before he could even protest. The door shut behind them, the noise fading into the background.
“What if I wanted a pint?”
“We can have it somewhere else,” she shot back, already leading him down the street.
“So, how did you do it?”
“What?”
They walked in the opposite direction of his apartment, hand in hand, the cool April air brushing against their faces. There was something softer about it now, spring settling in, summer just around the corner.
And for the first time in a while, the idea of the next three months didn’t feel terrifying. It felt… right.
“Tame Asma.”
Alejandra shrugged lightly. “She just needed to talk. And confess.”
“Can I know what happened?” he pressed, curiosity eating him alive.
She nodded solemnly. “She gave me permission to tell you. Ready to be shocked?”
Thank fuck.
“Hit me.”
“Asma has had feelings for Leif for the past five years,” she said casually, like she wasn’t dropping a fucking bomb, “but she made a promise to herself to never fall in love with either of you. For Lamina. So… she’s been avoiding the truth. Even though it was pretty obvious.”
Callum stopped walking for half a second. His mouth literally fell open. His brain started replaying the last five years like a fucking highlight reel.
Five years. Before Vanessa and him broke up. Before everything. Back when Lamina was just an idea in a cramped apartment.
“What the fuck?” was all he managed. “Why would she do that?”
Alejandra shrugged, but her expression shifted slightly, her smile fading just a bit. “I understand her.”
