CHAPTER 22 — WHAT TIME COULDN’T ERASEYara didn’t expect Jamal’s message to linger the way it did.It wasn’t poetic.It wasn’t dramatic.It was simple.Text me the quiet reunion version when you’re free.She reread it twice while standing at the bus stop, the Lagos afternoon buzzing around her—horns, voices, the heat clinging to skin. And yet, everything inside her felt strangely still.Quiet reunion version.Back when they were younger, Jamal had been all movement—big ideas, quick decisions, bold plans. He had loved loudly, too, but not always gently. She used to mistake intensity for security.Now… this Jamal was asking.Inviting.Waiting.She slipped her phone into her bag without replying immediately. Not because she didn’t want to—but because she wanted to be sure.---Later That EveningYara stood in her kitchen, chopping vegetables slowly, deliberately. Cooking grounded her. It gave her hands something to do while her heart sorted itself out.She thought about the years between
Last Updated : 2025-12-18
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