Aisha didn’t notice how long it had been since she’d eaten.
She rarely did.
The hours slipped past unnoticed as she moved from task to task, helping wherever she was needed, smiling through the growing ache in her body.
Her stomach had knotted hours ago, a dull, persistent reminder she quietly ignored.
There was always something else to do.
Someone else to help.
Something more important than herself.
She bent to straighten a crooked ribbon on one of the booths, hands trembling just slightly from exhaustion.
When she stood, the world tilted for a brief moment. She blinked, steadying herself with a slow breath.
Callen noticed immediately.
He had been watching her all day—every slowed step, every moment she rubbed at her wrist or shifted her weight as if trying to hide discomfort.
