CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Daniel planned the evening without telling Aisha where they were going.
When he arrived at her apartment, she looked at his shirt and smiled.
"Why are you dressed like someone attending an important meeting?"
"Because I am."
She laughed. "Daniel, where are we going?"
"You will find out."
He drove her to a quiet rooftop restaurant overlooking the Lagos skyline. Small lights decorated the terrace, and a table had been arranged near the railing.
Aisha stared at the view.
"You did all this?"
"I asked for a table. The rest was their idea."
"Liar."
He laughed, and she joined him.
For a few hours, they spoke about ordinary things: work, childhood memories, the places they wanted to visit, and the dreams they had postponed while trying to understand the past.
Daniel listened as Aisha spoke about expanding her career in content strategy.
"You should go for it," he told her. "You have worked hard enough to deserve the opportunity."
"And what about you?"
"I want to grow my business and build something I can be proud of. Something that doesn't depend on my father's name."
She smiled. "That sounds like the Daniel I remember."
He reached across the table.
"I have one more thing to tell you."
Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
"No." He took a breath. "I don't want us to keep calling this a second chance as if we are trying to recreate who we were at eighteen. I want to build something new with the woman you are today."
Her expression softened.
"I want that too."
"I can't promise that life will always be easy. But I can promise that I will speak to you instead of leaving you to guess what I feel."
Aisha squeezed his hand.
"And I promise to ask questions instead of running away when I am afraid."
He stood and offered her his hand.
"May I have this dance?"
"There is no music."
"Then we will manage."
She laughed as he gently pulled her close, and they swayed beneath the lights.
For the first time in six years, their future felt bigger than their past.