Mira climbed the narrow stairs to her attic late on a Wednesday afternoon. She felt that familiar flutter in her stomach as she reached the top.
Sunlight came through the single window. She had left it cracked open exactly three inches, just like she always did on these days.
Malik was outside again, working on the pipes along the side of his house. The plumber wore a tight gray tank top that stretched across his massive chest and arms. His deep brown skin glistened with sweat under the afternoon sun. Mira stood just inside the window and watched him for a moment. The muscles in his arms flexed as he turned a wrench. His broad back shifted with every movement.
She stepped back from the window, heart beating faster. This had become her weekly ritual for the past two months. Every time Ma
