CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Aisha had barely spoken throughout dinner.
Daniel noticed, but he waited until they were sitting outside her apartment before asking what was wrong.
"You have been somewhere else all evening," he said.
She looked down at her hands.
"Sometimes I wonder what happens when all this is over."
"What do you mean?"
"What happens when there are no more investigations, no more secrets, and no more reasons for us to see each other every day?"
Daniel studied her face.
"Are you afraid we will have nothing left to talk about?"
"I'm afraid we will discover that our relationship only became this important because of everything we have been through."
He moved closer but did not interrupt her.
"I lost you once without even knowing why," she continued. "I spent years believing you had chosen someone else. Now that I finally have you back, I don't know how to stop being afraid of losing you again."
Daniel took her hands.
"Aisha, I wanted you before any of this happened. I wanted you on graduation night, when I bought that bracelet. I wanted you when I tried to explain myself and couldn't reach you. And I want you now, even when there is nothing dramatic happening."
She searched his face.
"What if we change?"
"We will change," he replied. "We will grow, make mistakes, learn new things, and have difficult days. But I don't want us to keep living as though the worst thing that happened to us is waiting to happen again."
Aisha let out a shaky breath.
"I don't want to lose you."
"Then don't push me away because you're scared. Talk to me. Let me understand you."
She leaned against his shoulder.
For once, she allowed herself to believe that love did not have to be a constant battle against the past.
Daniel kissed her forehead.
"Let's give tomorrow a chance," he whispered.
And Aisha decided she would.