5. Fun must be had

LEONA'S P.O.V

“Tell me what you know about Zion,”

That was the first thing Leona said when Mwenya finally picked up the call.

“Wow. No good morning? No, I missed you?,” Mwenya laughed softly.

“Why are you even asking me about him now? You never bothered all these years.”

Leona hesitated for a second. "We met a few nights ago,” she admitted.

There was a pause on the other end.

“Ooookay.”

“That’s why you called?” Mwenya continued teasing. “To ask about your childhood crush?”

It was more than a crush.

Leona wanted to say it, but she stayed quiet.

“Yeah,” she said instead. “I’m just… curious.”

“Well,” Mwenya replied, “he’s a busy person. Very influential in the corporate space. We cross paths at church sometimes.”

Leona froze.

“You mean you’ve been seeing him all this time?”

“Yeah,” Mwenya answered casually.

“Honestly, I thought you knew.” Leona leaned back against the hotel headboard.

“What’s he like now?” she asked, unable to hide the small smile tugging at her lips as she remembered how grown he looked the other night.

One thing that hadn’t changed was the way he looked at her.

Leona was used to men looking at her with lust, liek her body was the only desirable thing about her, but Zion had never looked at her like that.

With him, it was something else.
Something softer.
Something deeper.
Like he truly saw her.

Even in high school, they had always found each other in crowded spaces. It was almost strange that no one ever noticed.

Or maybe they had and just never said anything.

“He’s basically every single girl’s dream,” Mwenya laughed.

“I know he’s a top partner at church, but I’ve never asked exactly what he does professionally. Just that he’s very hardworking.”

The question still lingered in Leona’s mind.

“He’s not married?,” she asked carefully.

“Can you imagine?” Mwenya replied dramatically.

Leona frowned.

Zion could have had any girl he wanted.

“Why are you suddenly asking all these questions?,” Mwenya asked. “You hated talking about him in high school. After everything that happened, you just resented him.”

Leona sighed quietly.

“It was easier to believe I hated him,” she admitted. “It helped me move on.”

But had she really moved on?

If she had, she wouldn’t remember him so clearly.

Every detail.Every word.

“Lee,” Mwenya called gently.

“Yeah?”

“Zion is a good man,” she said firmly.

“Don’t play with his heart just because you’re not ready to commit. He’s not one of the guys you casually get involved with. If you’re not ready to love properly, stay away from him.”

Leona knew that tone.Mwenya was serious.

“Yes, woman of God,” she joked lightly, trying to ease the tension.

                         **********

The next few days passed in a blur of meetings, training sessions, and presentations.

Honestly, it was the best work trip she had ever had.

Not just because of the summit but because of the people.

Men and women like her. Engineers.
Innovators.

People who loved what they did.

Sometimes, while presenting, she could feel Zion’s eyes on her from across the room.

And occasionally,  she would catch him smiling.

It made her nervous in a way she couldn’t explain.

When the weekend finally arrived, she was beyond excited.

She had made a list of places she wanted to see.

The first stop was Saadiyat Island.
Later that evening, she visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and it completely took her breath away.

She dressed the part too.A light black hijab and a flowing black dress accompanied by minimal makeup.

Elegant but minimal.

She sipped wine slowly as she walked through the galleries, moving from one masterpiece to the next.

The beauty.
The artistry.
The quiet luxury.

She could live here forever, she thought with a smile.

Later that night she returned  to her hotel restaurant for dinner.

She needed to be back at Yas Island by Monday.

The next morning she went back to the spa for another massage.

Afterward she enjoyed an outdoor breakfast overlooking the water.

Later that evening, she walked down to the beach, and for the first time in a long time, she sat quietly by the ocean, watching the waves listening to the wind as she wrote.

She wrote about how she felt.
About what she had been through.
About what she wanted from life.
About the places she still wanted to see.

And suddenly, it hit her.

She didn’t have to wait for work trips to travel, she could go anywhere she wanted because she had built a life that allowed her to do that.

She just hadn’t realized it till that moment.

“Why do I keep running into you?”
The voice behind her startled her upright.

She didn’t even need to turn around to know who was speaking. She would recognise his voice on any day.

“I should be asking you that question,” she replied, turning slowly as she stood up from where she was sitted.

“Are you stalking me, Zion?”

He laughed softly.

But suddenly, Leona felt self-conscious.
She was wearing a knitted two-piece bikini.

Without thinking, she grabbed her throw blanket and wrapped it around herself.

That had never happened before.

She had never cared what men thought about her body.

But with Zion…

Something felt different.

“I didn’t mean to catch you off guard, Lee,” he said quickly, carefully keeping his eyes on her face.

Still a man of honor, she thought.

“Are you stalking me?” she repeated, standing and walking toward him until they were only a few feet apart.

“No,” he said gently. “I didn’t even know you’d be here. It’s a coincidence.”

She studied him carefully.

He was dressed casually.
Light brown slacks, a white shirt that fit his frame perfectly and a watch on his wrist.

He smelled expensive and yet looked simple.

But unmistakably wealthy.

She noticed something else.

He never once let his eyes wander from her gaze.

Every other man she had ever met did.

For a moment, she almost wanted to drop the throw just to test him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked instead.

“I come here sometimes when I visit the island,” he explained. “I have a place nearby.”

She tilted her head.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he admitted shyly, slipping his hands into his pockets.

It felt strangely familiar.

The pull to hug him.

To stand close the way she used to when they were younger.

Back then, it had been innocent.

Now it wouldn’t be.

Suddenly she hated what she was wearing.

Because she realized something.

She didn’t want him to know the woman she had become.

The woman who avoided commitment.

The woman who had casual hookups.

The same boy who once wrote letters promising he would marry her.

Would he still say that now?

The thought made her chest tighten.

She remembered the day everything ended.

The tears she never allowed herself to cry.

She quickly turned to pack her beach bag.

“I’ll see you around, Zion,” she said, attempting to walk past him.

But he gently caught her wrist.
“Not so fast.”

She looked up at him.

“Don’t run from me just yet,” he said with a soft smile.

His dimples appeared.

He’s so fine, she thought immediately.
Stop it, she scolded herself.

“You never said yes to coffee,” he reminded her.

She frowned.

“No.”

He looked at her like she was joking.

“Just one date, Lee.”

“Don’t call me that,” she said sharply.

“You don’t get to do that anymore.”

Something about the softness in his eyes made everything worse.

“I’m sorry, Leona,” he said quietly.
She frowned.

“For walking away back then,” he continued.

Her throat tightened.

Her eyes glistening as her heart and mind remembered that time, tears threatening to break free but she didn't know how she stayed strong in that moment

She thought she had moved on

“I just thought maybe we could talk about it,” he said gently.

“Over coffee. Now that we’ve run into each other again.”

She glanced down.

He was still holding her hand.

Carefully.
Like something precious.

“I don’t know, Zee,” she whispered before she could stop herself.

He smiled at the nickname.

“Just this once,” he pleaded softly. “Say yes this time, and if you still don’t want to see me again, I’ll let it go.”

His thumb traced slow circles across the back of her hand.

Leona pulled her hand away.

“No, Zion.”

Then she turned and walked away.

And only when his eyes were no longer on her did the tears finally fall without restraint.

How were our first five chapters of the story. What do we think will happen next ?

I think this is my favorite chapter so far from all five. Which one was yours?

Till next time
Unathi 🤍