Neo's phone rang six times before he answered. Aliyah was about to hit panic mode until she heard his voice.
“Good morning."
Aliyah exhaled in relief. “I woke up and you were gone."
“Oh, I'm sorry, love," he said. “I should have sent you a text or something. I'm picking up breakfast."
“You can't do that. You freaked me out."
“I'm sorry, Aliyah. But, man, I thought you had more faith in me than that."
Aliyah felt a little guilty and ridiculous for freaking out. “I--I do. I was just scared for a minute."
“All right, well I'll be back soon. Think you can hang in there for another twenty minutes?"
“Yeah, yes. I can"
***
For the next couple of weeks, Aliyah and Neo fell into a new routine. They both worked until about four o'clock every weekday, and Neo always came over afterward. Ev
