Page 53 of Finally Loved

She left the room, closed the door softly behind her, and walked back towards the living room. She still needed to get the rest of her stuff, but she just needed a second.

Zainab watched her as she collapsed onto the sofa. “How’s she doing?”

“Shit, honestly.”

“Yeah, I can imagine, and I don’t even know the whole story.” She looked at Alba genuinely. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?”

Alba’s gaze drifted back the way she’d just come. “Yeah, she’s strong. But I think it’s going to be a long road.” She shook her head and looked back at Zainab. “Charlie’s a shit.”

She’d already thought Neve’s ex was a shit, and, now, she wasn’t sure which one of them she disliked the most. They’d both thrown phrases at Neve that they shouldn’t have, that she didn’t deserve. Alba had no idea how a person had someone like Neve being so open with them, only to use that gift to hurt her.

If she never saw Charlie again, it would be too soon.

“Are you okay?” Zainab asked.

Alba shot her a look. “I’m fine. I’m not the one…” She waved her hand through the air. She wasn’t about to betray Neve by spilling all of her business, even if Zainab knew enough to be able to fill in the blanks sufficiently well.

“Yeah, I know, but it can’t be easy for you, seeing her like that. I know you—”

“I’m fine,” Alba insisted, shaking her head in something akin to amusement. “I stopped at the drive-thru, got pastries for the morning, and iced coffees for now, but they’re still in my car.”

Zainab breathed a laugh. “I’ll go.”

Alba eyed her suspiciously. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because you bought me coffee.”

Alba narrowed her eyes before pretending to believe her. She grinned wide and tossed the keys at Zainab. “Great. Don’t forget to bring mine up with you. Pastries are on the back seat.”

Zainab shot her a look, shook her head, exchanged her slippers for shoes, and slipped quietly out the door.

Alba relaxed back into the couch. She wasn’t usually a vindictive person, and she didn’t necessarily like that she was thinking it, but she hoped Charlie was hurt by her own actions. She’d hurt one of the best people Alba had ever met, destroyed a part of her that Alba didn’t think she’d get back easily. The least she could be feeling was remorse for her actions. Alba didn’t even know her well enough to know if that was likely. Odd, really, that Charlie had been so convinced she knew exactly who Alba was when Alba didn’t have the slightest clue who Charlie was or how she worked.

It didn’t take long for Zainab to return, but, while she was gone, the weight of the evening seemed to have settled on Alba—the realization of everything that Neve must have been carrying and how, when it came down to it, her supposed best friend was nothing but a fraud. Alba’s heart broke for Neve, but she attempted to hide it from Zainab.

“You look exhausted,” Zainab said as she dropped back onto the couch.

“Eh. I’m good.”

“It’s okay to be tired.”

“I’m not the one going through anything. There’s nothing for me to be tired about.”

“You care. Caring can be exhausting sometimes.”

Alba laughed. “Is that your campaign slogan for when you attempt to win the presidency?”

She snorted. “You know it.”

“The people will love it.”

“Eh. Maybe it needs some workshopping.”

Alba took her drink. “Maybe you could go with ‘the only person who’ll drink coffee with you in the middle of the night’.”

“Imagining there are a lot of voters out there looking for that in their lives, are you?”

“I don’t know about them, but I appreciate it.”

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