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“At least let me pay you for today.”
I gently took her hand. “Pasha... It’s okay. I’m happy to be of service. This is a big step for you. I just want to support you.”
She squeezed my hand. “Thank you.”
We stared at each other for a moment. Damn, I could get lost in those eyes of hers. She was so beautiful... so resilient and deserving, and she didn’t even know it. I knew so little about her, yet looking into her eyes, I wanted to know everything. Suddenly, Malcolm cleared his throat, breaking us out of our trance. We looked over to find him and Avyn giving us curious looks. I didn’t realize I was still holding her hand until she let mine go.
“You ready to get the rest of this stuff?” Malcolm asked.
“Yeah.”
I left Pasha with a smile as we headed back into the hall to grab the items we left beside the elevator.
Malcolm chuckled. “I see why you agreed to come help out.”
I feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He kissed his teeth. “You’re a terrible liar, Callum. Not only that, but you also wear your emotions on your sleeve like a badge of honor. You’re attracted to Pasha.”
“I mean, she’s beautiful; you said that yourself.”
“Nah, man. I see her beauty as a woman. You... You see it as something you want to experience for yourself. What happened between y’all?”
“Nothing. I just... If you’d seen her that night, you’d understand, Malcolm. She was broken. I watched her husband speak to her like some nigga on the street. He kicked her out of her home and moved his pregnant side chick in. The pain and hurt I saw in her face that night was nothing like I’d ever seen. I’ve thought about that woman so many times over the last couple of months. I’ve prayed for her heart and her mind. I don’t know what it is, but I couldn’t seem to shake her.”
“Damn, man. That’s deep. Who knows. She could be the one. Sometimes, heartbreak is a setup for a hell of a breakthrough. I don’t know what or how you’re gonna do it, but good luck with that. I mean it.”
I didn’t say anything as we approached the furniture. I knew it was too soon to pursue anything with this woman. After all, she was in the middle of what I could only assume was a nasty divorce. She didn’t need me trying to push up on her, and I would never be that insensitive or disrespectful. However, I did want to offer her friendship. If she was open to that, maybe, just maybe, it was a start.
Chapter Eleven
Pasha
I looked around at my little apartment with a smile on my face.
While I still needed a kitchen table and living room furniture, it was already beginning to feel like home. I can admit that when I woke up this morning and came down here to do a little last-minute cleaning, the first thing I did when I walked in the door was cry. But they weren’t tears of sadness. They were more like tears of joy. This moment had been a long time coming.
While Avyn said I could stay with her as long as I wanted, I knew I needed to kick-start my independence and get my own place. A place where I could call home. A place where I didn’t have to worry about being put out of at the drop of a dime. This was my place of comfort and peace. At the end of a long day, I could come here and leave my burdens at the front door.
“I can’t wait to see this place fully decorated,” Blake said, throwing herself across my bed.
She and Tia had come over about an hour ago bearing bags of groceries to stock my fridge, freezer, and pantry. I couldn’t believe how my friends had blessed me. They made it clear that they would be here for me. All I had to do was let them.
“It’ll probably be a while, but the important thing is, I’m in here.”
Tia embraced me for the third time. “I’m so happy for you, Pash. Your growth thus far has been beautiful. I know you’re gonna come out of this stronger than ever.”
I prayed for the same thing. I’d been wallowing in grief for so long that feeling happy was foreign to me. It heightened my anxiety, and the intrusive thoughts of something snatching this happiness away played in my head like a broken record. My therapy sessions were filled with tears, but Dr. Thomas was a godsend. She was as patient with me as she had been for years. She told me that slow progress was still progress, and I needed to believe I deserved my happy ending.
A knock on the wall broke my thoughts. We looked up to see Callum standing there with a smile.
“Pardon my interruption. I was just about to head out and wanted to say goodbye.”
“Oh, okay. Well, let me walk you to the elevator.”
I didn’t miss the smirk on my girls’ faces when I stood from the bed and walked out of the space. I followed Callum out of the apartment and down the hall to the elevator. He pressed the button and turned to me while he waited.
“Thank you again for all your help today,” I said softly.
