Chapter Forty Four

Zara Howard

"Hey Caleb!" I say with a bright smile, relieved to finally catch up with him.

"Hey Zara, finally! I thought you ghosted me!" he replies playfully as he joins me at the small table for two.

"Of course not," I respond, but then it hits me that I had read his message and forgotten to reply amidst all the things happening with Asher.

"Yeah, you did, but I figured you were busy with your mom's health," Caleb says understandingly as he stands a few inches away from me, and a pang of guilt washes over me.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Caleb. I did read your message, and I meant to reply, but then something came up, and I thought I had responded," I apologize sincerely, feeling guilty for not getting back to him. "Things have been quite hectic lately, but I promise it wasn't intentional. By the way, how have you been?"

Caleb smiles understandingly, his eyes showing empathy. "No worries, Zara. I've been good, just busy with work and all. But enough about me, how's your mom doing? Is she