Page 18 of Finally Loved

“Stranger things have happened.”

The waiter arrived—thankfully not by jumping out from nowhere and terrifying the pair of them—and Alba was left waiting through their entire interaction for Zainab’s thoughts. Not that she really needed them spelling out. They were written quite plainly all over the woman’s face.

Any hope Alba might have had of convincing herself they were just going to move on and pretend nothing had happened was well and truly gone.

“So, did this friend of yours recommend that shakshuka you ordered?” Zainab asked, barely concealing her own amusement, when the waiter hurried away with their order.

“They did not.”

“Mm. Did they recommend any of the dishes?”

“No,” Alba replied cautiously. She knew where they were heading, but she was reluctant to get there.

Zainab looked her over, lips pursed and head nodding sagely. “How interesting.”

“Indeed. I have heard the waffles are delightful, though.”

“From someone other than your friend from work?”

“Yes.”

“Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Nobody whose name begins with ‘N’?”

Alba stared at her. “I honestly don’t remember.”

Zainab smirked. “Of course.”

For several moments, they waited in silence that felt something like a standoff. Not nearly as risky as a traditional duel, of course, but loaded and tense, both knowing what was happening and neither quite breaking the tension of the moment to simply name it.

Alba figured she’d come this far, she wasn’t going to give herself up now.

Their drinks arrived and the waiter didn’t seem perturbed by the energy around them, so Alba assumed it must not be quite as desperately tense as she felt. Maybe you had to be in the inner circle to sense the cat-and-mouse dance she and Zainab were engaging in.

Zainab took a measured sip of her coffee. She did like coffee, and would often savor a good cup, but this wasn’t that. This was her playing with Alba. They both knew it.

Finally, she smiled over the rim of the mug. “Say, Alba?”

“Yes, Zainab?” Alba replied with the most sickly sweet smile she could manage.

“Nobody at work recommended this place, did they?”

Alba sighed. “Not that I’m aware of.”

Zainab’s smile twitched, something triumphant she was trying to keep under control.

She always had liked winning.

So had Alba. That was, after all, why they were playing this game.

“Of course.” She watched Alba closely. “We cannot say for sure, because who’s to know?”

Alba shrugged. “I don’t routinely survey my entire building on where they do and do not recommend in the area. It’s not unfathomable that some of them could have been here, though. It’s a large office.”

“Of course. Off your regular route, but not so far out as to be suspicious.” Zainab was enjoying herself too much.

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