Joey hadn't slept well.
Her mind replayed the café date with Zed like a film stuck on loop. His words, his eyes, the way he listened—it all felt too good. And that scared her.
She sat on her balcony, watching the Nairobi skyline stretch into morning haze. Her phone buzzed. A message from Zed.
> "Hope you slept well. I didn't. Too many thoughts. Mostly about you."
She smiled, then frowned. She hadn't told him about Paul. Not really. Not the depth of it.
She typed, paused, deleted.
Instead, she called Brian.
"Joey Beans," he answered, voice groggy.
"Don't call me that."
"You called me at 6 a.m. You deserve it."
"I need to talk."
Brian sat up. "Zed?"
"Partly. But also… Paul."
Brian sighed. "He's back. You know that, right?"
"I do."
"And?"
"I don't know. I saw him. He didn't say much. Just looked… broken."
Brian was quiet. "He should be."
Joey flinched. "That's harsh."
"He left you. No explanation. No goodbye. Just vanished."
"I know. But I also know he's hurting."
Brian's voice softened. "And you still care."
Joey didn't answer.
Brian continued, "Zed's good. I've seen him around. He's solid. But you need to be honest—with both of them. And with yourself."
Joey nodded, even though Brian couldn't see her.
"I will," she said.
But she didn't know when.