When we came home, I helped Zion change and freshen up. We ate, and then we did his homework. After tucking him in bed, I sat next to him, stroked the side of his face, and then bid him good night.
“Sweet dreams, okay?” He nodded, and I leaned in and placed a kiss on his forehead before leaving his room for mine.
I had assignments and projects to grade, and I had to do them tonight before turning them in tomorrow.
I entered the bed, wore my glasses, and gathered the papers and books on the nightstand onto my legs. Thirty minutes into my grading, I heard my phone buzzing on the nightstand, and I reached for it. I saw Diya’s ID on the screen and didn’t hesitate to pick it up.
“I’m engaged!” were the first words that came into my ears, her voice high and glass-shattering. I didn’t need to see her to know she was grinning from cheek to cheek.
“Oh wow, congratulations! Greg finally decided to put a ring on it.”
“He did! I’m over the moon with excitement!” she squealed.
“Have you called your mom and dad?”
“Not yet. You were the first person who crossed my mind after I said yes.”
My heart swells at her words. I have always rooted for them since the first day. Their chemistry was like no other back in university. It wasn’t forced, and anyone who saw them could tell their love was genuine. I envied them in a good way and always prayed I would find someone who would make me as happy as Greg made Godiya happy. They were both perfectly made for each other, and they waited until they had attained their dream positions in their careers before making the big move. After six years of being together, they were engaged to be married.
“I am indeed happy for you, Diya! You both deserve nothing but the best.”
“Thank you; I believe your knight and shining armour are around the corner.” She cooed.
My mind raced back to the face I had seen across the road earlier today, and chills ran through me. I had done my best to block out all the thoughts in my head and focus mainly on the present. He wasn’t there. My mind made him up.
‘But how can your mind make him up if you haven’t been thinking about him?’ A voice in my head argued.
‘If he was real, then where did he go? And how did he disappear so fast?’ Another voice argued.
He had to be an imagination. I couldn’t have him be real under any circumstances. I’ve moved on from it all, and my life is fine. I couldn’t have him in my life. It had to be an image, one I didn’t want to see again.
“Are you there, Zera?” I snapped out of my thoughts to realise I was still on the phone with Diya.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I zoned out a bit,” I admitted.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice switching from worried to concerned in a second.
I nodded and rubbed my face, then realised she couldn’t see me. “I think I saw Aaron Hart today.”
There were a few changes in his appearance, but he was still the same man. The changes were because of the years gone by, and I had those changes as well. I had changed my appearance and was no longer the size or shape I used to be. I was curvier. My hair was shorter now, and I had it in curls instead of the plain, straight ones it had. My eyes were now ocean blue instead of the topaz blue they once were. Career-wise, I was not a student anymore; I was a professor at a prestigious university and the top of my world. We weren’t the same people we were when we met years ago, yet we were.
“What? Where? And When?” Diya’s worried tone pulled me back from my wandering mind.
I sighed, and my eyes fluttered. “I took Zion to get ice cream at the Dominos, and that’s where I saw him standing across the road and staring at me with a grimace on his face. He disappeared a moment later, which was very weird. I was still asking myself to make out the truth about whether he was real or a figment of my imagination.”
Diya knew about Aaron. She knew about my magical weekend, filled with care, affection, and steamy moments. I confessed every detail to her after I returned home from class on that faithful Monday. And despite my heartache, I could reminisce about the moments we had and admit they were unbelievable. She had my back, like always. She told me she was happy I had a fun-filled weekend, called him a good-for-nothing for breaking my heart and reminded me I deserved better.
“You will find someone that will make you happy.” She had told me back then.
Maybe I would have already found someone, but after having Zion, my priorities shifted from relationships to my son. He was my primary focus, and though I’d been on a few dates, none had made it past the first. Daniel was the only one who had persisted so far, but I liked him as a friend and didn’t want to compromise our relationship by adding more to the mix.
“It’s been five years since you two met, and you lived in a different state then. I don’t think what you saw was the man you were with five years ago.”
I know what I saw, or maybe I didn’t.
I sighed and said, “I guess you’re right, Diya. We should talk about you, not me.”
“Nonsense. If you’re not happy, how the hell will I be happy?”
I smiled, counting myself lucky to have this lady as my friend. “I love you, Diya.”
“I love you too, Zera.”
The call ended, and I clung to my best friend’s words. There was no way the one I saw earlier was with the man I met five years ago. Aaron Hart was in the UK, running his many businesses and cuddling the woman of his dreams. The last thing he would think about was me.