They didn't speak again after that. Both of them simply lay side by side on the wide bed, lost in their own thoughts, until the quiet hum of the room was shattered by the sharp ringing of Zade's phone.
Zade's immediate instinct was to ignore it. He assumed it was one of his persistent relatives trying to drag him back into the family drama. But then he remembered: practically no one back home had his new international number. Only a tiny, trusted circle held that contact.
He pushed himself up, reached across the nightstand, and grabbed the phone. The moment his eyes landed on the caller ID, a warm, genuine smile broke across his face.
Rai, who had been watching Zade's every move, noticed the instant shift in his expression.
