Authors: Ayesha Zaman
“
Ni
c
e
e
x
c
use
.
”
S
he
laug
h
e
d.
“
hm
m
m…
Now
tell
me
how
y
ou
f
e
lt
without
me
these
d
a
y
s
?
”
she
a
sked
pol
i
te
l
y
.
“
Huh…” he
took
a
d
ee
p
sigh
“
it
w
a
s
so
dif
f
i
c
ul
t
.
P
le
a
se n
e
v
e
r to do th
a
t a
g
a
in wi
t
h me.”
K
e
vin got
se
r
ious.
Alicia
saw
him
a
nd smi
le
d wid
e
l
y
with
a
f
f
e
c
t
i
on.
“
I
t
w
a
s
l
i
k
e
,
I
got
d
e
p
r
i
v
e
d
of
a
ll
w
h
a
t
I
pos
s
e
s
.
”
He
s
a
id
th
i
nking about those
bi
t
t
e
r mom
e
nts.
“
You
a
r
e
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng
f
or
me
Ke
l
l
y
!
”
he
a
l
m
ost
s
tr
e
ssed.
At
h
ea
ring
th
i
s,
Alicia
f
e
lt
that
t
h
e t
i
me
w
a
s
g
e
t
t
ing
s
y
n
c
h
roni
z
e
d on i
t
s own.
“
M
y
love,
m
y
d
r
e
a
m,
m
y
d
e
st
i
n
y
,
m
y
p
a
l,
my
g
o
a
l
...” Alicia,
a
l
m
ost,
stopp
e
d
t
he
jeep
to
l
i
sten
his
wo
r
t
h
y wo
r
ds, while
he
k
e
pt
on
s
a
y
ing
“
m
y
f
ri
e
nd,
m
y
f
a
m
i
l
y
a
nd
re
a
l
l
y
y
o
u
a
r
e
a
ll
in
a
ll
for
me in
th
i
s
wo
r
ld.”
He
s
a
id
s
ee
ing
in
t
o h
e
r
e
y
e
s.
Alicia
w
a
s
lo
s
t
in
the
in
te
nsi
t
y of
his
wo
r
ds
a
nd
w
a
s
f
a
l
l
ing for hi
m
.
Th
e
re
w
a
s
a
si
le
n
c
e
for
a
few
m
i
nutes
a
n
d
both
of them
k
e
pt
w
a
t
c
hing
in
t
o
e
a
c
h
othe
r
’s
e
y
e
s.
A
l
i
c
ia w
a
s
a
lr
ea
d
y
m
a
d f
o
r
K
e
vin,
s
he
le
f
t
h
e
r
s
ea
t
a
nd got
o
nto K
e
vin,
a
nd then she
c
uddled him and kissed on
a
ll
his f
ac
e
a
nd
w
a
s g
e
t
ti
ng mad to show
e
r her love
on K
e
vin.
Back
t
o
H
ome
“
K
e
vin
I
love
y
ou,
I
won
’
t
le
a
ve
y
ou
n
o
w.”
S
he
w
a
s whisp
e
ring b
e
ing
in a
st
a
te of
inc
a
ut
i
ousn
e
ss.
“
Alicia, Alici
a
...”
he
spr
i
nkled
wa
ter
on
h
e
r
f
ace
.
“
Don
’
t s
t
op me no
w
.”
S
h
e
k
e
pt on whisp
e
ring. Ed
w
in pat
t
e
d h
e
r
f
a
c
e
a
n
d tri
e
d to w
a
ke
h
e
r up.
Alicia
op
e
n
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
slow
l
y
a
nd
tried
to
und
e
rst
a
nd
the si
t
u
a
t
i
on.
“
Ed
w
in
?
”
she
g
ot sho
c
k
e
d to s
e
e
hi
m
.
“
R
e
lax,
I
’m h
e
r
e
.
”
He
sa
i
d pol
i
te
l
y
.
“
I
a
m h
e
r
e
?
”
she
g
ot
m
a
d to find h
e
rs
e
lf
l
y
ing on
h
is bed.
“
How
c
ould
it
be
poss
i
ble
?
”
she
lost
h
e
r
temp
e
r
a
nd
stood
up.
“
W
ho b
r
ought
m
e
h
e
r
e
?
”
she shout
e
d
a
t Edwi
n
.
“
You
a
s
k
e
d
me
to
ta
k
e
y
ou
to
m
y
ho
m
e
.”
Ed
w
in
got
surp
r
ised
a
t h
e
r sudd
e
n
b
e
h
a
vior.
“
W
h
a
t
?
I
a
sked
y
ou?
You
l
i
a
r
!
”
she
poun
ce
d
up
o
n
him
a
nd
pul
l
e
d his
c
ol
l
a
r.
“
Alicia, stop
i
t!”
he
got
h
i
m
s
e
lf
f
r
e
e
with a j
e
r
k
.