Rowan tried to convince Amira to wait until she stopped bleeding to return to work, but she wouldn't listen. They got into a small argument because of her decision. Amira tried to assure him she was physically well enough to continue working, but Rowan couldn't understand why she would want to rush back into such a structured routine so soon.
He expected her to wait at least another week, but Amira claimed she needed the distraction. Not to mention, her bleeding had significantly lessened, so she was only spotting when she returned to work. Once Thursday came along, Amira had finished bleeding altogether. She spent most of her week reading through notes, completing assessments, and drafting reports while her replacement was still around. Next week, she will resume more hands-on treatments.
Amira was on her way home when she got a surprise call from Storm. "Hello?" She answered the phone, a little shocked.
"Hey, beautiful, I haven't heard from you. How have you been?"
Amira shook off her previous thoughts. "I've been okay," she answered truthfully. "I've just been in a slump lately, and I'm trying to get out of it."
"How bad is your slump?"
"Pretty bad," she emphasized.
"Then I think I have a temporary fix. Are you busy?"
"No, I just got off work."
"Do you have plans for tonight?"
"No, not really."
"Can I convince you to come out with me?"
"I don't know," Amira sighed. "It depends on what you have in mind. Is it another house party?"
"No, it's not. I can send you the flyer, and you can let me know if you want to come. I know it's last minute, so I'll pick you up."
"Okay, give me an hour to think about it, and I'll call you back." They hung up soon after, and Amira continued home. Once she arrived, she removed her scrubs and stepped into the shower.
She didn't have anything planned for tonight. Amira thought about making herself some dinner and possibly reading a book, but she could do that any day. She deserved a night out, so she welcomed the idea of getting dressed up and leaving the house. After contemplating Storm's offer, Amira called her back and asked what she should wear tonight.
"I'm surprised you agreed to come," Storm pulled off once Amira was situated.
"Why? You're literally my only friend. If you say jump, I'll say how high," she teased.
Storm peered over at Amira, smirking as she turned her eyes back to the road. "Don't flatter me, babe. I thought you might decline since you're a working woman. That nine-to-five must be hard," she jested back.
"It is, but I'm off on Fridays, so I consider Thursday nights my weekends. I could use a drink or two to start it off right."
"That's what I like to hear," Storm smiled. "Do you remember my friend, Wynter? She's a bit darker than you, has freckles, and wears long extensions."
"Does she have tattoos?" Amira asked.
"Yes, she does."
"Oh, then I think I remember her."
"Good, because she remembers you. It's her twenty-eighth birthday, and she told me to extend the invite to you."
"Why? It's not like we know each other. We only met once."
"I know, but Wynter took a liking to you."
"What did she say about me?"
"She said, verbatim: 'I like your cute little friend. She's quiet, but I bet she knows how to turn up, and I know her pussy is as cute as she is.'"
Amira started laughing. "She did not say that."
"She did. Believe me when I say Wynter is a character."
.....
Half an hour later, they entered a nightclub called Eclipse, and Storm took Amira to the VIP area.
"Finally!" Wynter shrieked when she saw them. "I love being surrounded by bad bitches." She hugged Storm first. Then she turned to Amira. "You are sexy as fuck. I love the outfit."
"Thank you." Amira appreciated the compliment.
"You might think I'm weird for inviting a stranger to my party, but I like your vibes."
Wynter then took Amira by the hand and paraded her around as if they were lovers or long-lost friends. Amira couldn't help but laugh to herself. She didn't mind Wynter's eagerness; it made her feel special, in a way, but it also made her feel awkward.
Wynter's friends were extremely welcoming—they all had good energy, and everyone seemed genuine. Amira kept her guard up as a precaution, but their friendliness made her want to let loose, especially since she hadn't partied with a group of women in a long time.
About an hour into the party, Amira had just finished her second drink when a few girls got up and started dancing. Amira was feeling good, so she got up and joined them. They stayed within their section, practically dancing on top of one another, but no one seemed to care about the limited space. Everyone was either too drunk or tipsy.
Amira showed out, of course—grinding on whoever was behind her. At first, it was Storm, but at some point, Wynter got her turn. They ended up on the cushioned sofa, and Amira gave her a lap dance.
It seemed like a harmless interaction until Wynter got a little handsy—constantly pulling Amira closer and trying to initiate a kiss. They were dancing, so Amira expected some fondling. However, it became excessive. She tried to get up, but Wynter wouldn't let go.
"Okay, I'm done." She maneuvered out of Wynter's grasp and stood up, ending their little exchange.
Throughout the rest of the night, Amira noticed how much Wynter reminded her of Camila. The flamboyant behavior, subtle disregard for personal space, and coquettish mannerisms all seemed familiar. Wynter didn't realize she was being so persistent, but Amira saw right through her not-so-subtle advances.
From then on, Amira did her best to stay close to Storm and not further entice Wynter. In the process, she got increasingly more drunk—exceeding her limit for the night.
"Don't laugh; it's not funny," she pouted.
"The effect you have on people needs to be studied. You should write a book on 'How to Attract the Sexes' and give us lonely souls some advice."
"But I haven't done anything spectacular."
"Then what's your secret?" Storm voiced, speaking close to Amira's ear. She was mostly joking—she already knew what qualities made Amira stand out.
"I don't have a secret. You think I'm some temptress, but I'm not. The only person I'm trying to seduce is Rowan."
"Yes, he has that pussy on lockdown."
Amira gasped. "Of course," she giggled, pulling away from Storm. Her infectious laugh got lost in the loud music as she continued dancing.
.....
Sometime later...
The group gathered outside in the parking lot to take pictures. They sang happy birthday to Wynter once again, and Storm had to nudge Amira towards the car.
"Wait!" Wynter yelled after them. She stumbled into Amira's arms, and they both started laughing. "No wonder you don't wanna fuck; Storm told me you found your person," she slurred. "You should've said something earlier, and I would've chilled out. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Amira shrugged. "Thank you for the invite; I needed this."
"Did you have fun?"
"Yes, I had a great time." They hugged it out before saying goodbye. Amira then got into Storm's car and sat in her seat—on cloud nine. She wanted to continue partying but knew she needed to go home and get some rest.
"Ready?" Storm questioned. Amira nodded in return. She was fine for the first five minutes of the drive, but then she started feeling queasy out of nowhere.
"Shit," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
"Say the word, and I'll pull over." Storm rolled down the windows.
"Can you take me to Rowan, please? I miss him."
"Does he know you're coming?"
"Nope. I haven't talked to Rowan since this morning, and I didn't tell him I was going out. But I'm sure he checked my location at some point and realized I wasn't at home."
"I'm surprised he didn't call you."
"Oh, shit." Amira jerked forward and reached underneath her seat. "Do you remember where I stashed my purse?"
"Relax, babe, it's in the trunk. I'll get it when we park."
"Okay." Amira sat back and eventually fell asleep. She was hoping Rowan hadn't called her since she didn't have her phone all night.
Storm eventually pulled up outside their destination and called Rowan.
"How much did she drink?" He asked, unbuckling Amira's seatbelt.
"Enough." Storm got out and retrieved her purse. "But she's grown, so I will never count Amira's intake or make her feel bad about exceeding her limit—which she seems to do whenever she's upset about something."
Rowan nodded as he lifted Amira from the car and took her purse from Storm. "Thank you for looking out for her."
"Always," Storm smiled. "You know I would never let anything happen to her."
"I know."
"Good. I'll see you two later." Storm left, and Rowan took Amira inside. He then went upstairs and lowered her onto the bed, removing Amira's outfit and pulling off her heels.
.....
The next day, Amira practically rolled out of bed after sleeping past twelve. It took her a minute to blink away her stupor, but she soon trudged into the bathroom—adjusting to her surroundings with a big stretch.
Amira bypassed the mirror and went straight into the shower—removing her bra and thong. She stood under the water for a few minutes, drenching her entire body before washing up. Once done, Amira got out and brushed her teeth. She decided at the last minute to do her skincare routine—which she had neglected for the past few days.
Amira changed into one of Rowan's shirts and went downstairs to find him. She checked his study first, knocking on the door before opening it. Rowan wasn't there, so Amira closed the door and checked other rooms—to no avail. She wasn't expecting him to be gone, so she shuffled back upstairs and got in bed. She then grabbed her phone off the charger and read through her notifications. Rowan mentioned he had errands to run and would be back later. In the meantime, he told Amira to eat and take some aspirin if needed.
She didn't feel like doing anything, so she closed her eyes and willed herself back to sleep. Only a few minutes went by when her eyes shot open. She couldn't stop thinking about Rowan. They hadn't seen each other all week, so she wondered if he was still mad at her.
Amira debated calling him until she heard the garage door open and close. She then went downstairs to greet him. "Hey." She walked into Rowan's chest and hugged him.
He greeted her back, immediately noticing how refreshed she looked.
"I was thinking that maybe we could try for a baby for real this time." She stood on her toes and kissed him, swiftly grabbing his hands and placing them on her ass.
"Amira," Rowan shook his head. "It's way too soon. Let your body heal."
"But I'm fine now. I stopped bleeding, and I'm not on birth control anymore."
"You still haven't had your follow-up appointment."
"I know, but—"
"No," he cut her off. "I said it's too soon."
Amira frowned as she stepped away. She didn't like Rowan's tone. "Are you still mad at me?"
"I never said I was mad at you."
"But you still feel some type of way."
"Of course I do," he admitted. "I gave you a suggestion that you chose to ignore. I only wanted you to wait a little longer before returning to work."
"I understand, but I didn't want to wait. I tried telling you not to worry, but—"
"Amira, you just had a miscarriage."
"I know."
"So be realistic; why wouldn't I worry?" He deadpanned. "You rushed back to work before we could talk about what happened, and you never gave me the chance to comfort you."
"I know."
"I'd be a hypocrite to demand that you talk to me, but I won't lie and pretend that seeing you so heartbroken didn't pain me. You wear your heart on your sleeve, so it's not hard to read you. If you don't want to talk about the miscarriage, I completely understand. I have things I don't want to talk about as well. However, I'm not used to seeing you so distraught. I'm not used to seeing your brightness dim so quickly. So now I'm not only worried about your physical health but your mental and emotional health too."
"I understand," she nodded, lowering her head a bit. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Rowan stepped closer to Amira and lifted her chin. "Look at me," he instructed. Her glossy brown eyes fluttered back up to meet his. "Just as you worry about me and how I deal with my past, I now worry about you and how you're coping," he stated.
Amira might've been able to push her miscarriage to the back of her mind, but Rowan couldn't. It drove him crazy thinking about how intensely she broke down—it triggered him. Now he knew what it felt like to deeply care about someone and not be able to take away their pain. He now understood the sheer desperation of wanting his significant other to open up and share their pain.
The last thing Rowan wanted was for Amira to get in the habit of concealing herself—something he usually did. They weren't cut from the same cloth; Amira was too delicate, too pure, to bury her emotions. She, especially, needed to talk and let things out—not bottle everything up. Rowan knew from experience that such a route would end up darkening that beautiful heart of hers.
He then lifted Amira into his arms and carried her into the living room. They needed time to decompress, so he sat on the couch with her in his lap. A few minutes turned into a few hours.
.....