Azia woke up the following morning and wondered if the kiss had been a dream. She rolled around on her mattress, wishing she could convince herself that it was so. But she knew it had happened. It could not be taken back.
A few hours passed, but all Azia managed to do was change into a fresh pair of clothes. She kept staring at her bedroom door, as if it were made of laser beams she dare not cross. Stepping out into the compound meant facing the outside world, and that world included Ezekiel Knowles. Azia decided to remain in her bedroom where it was safe, where she understood things.
She had begun to drift off again when there was a light tapping sound on her door. Azia fumbled off the bed to answer it.
Finn stood on the other side of the door, offering up a lopsided grin. "Oh, good, you aren't dead. Your mother will be mostly happy to hear it," he said cheerfully.