Meeting Aisha after nine months...(2)

Aisha's eyes locked onto mine, wide with shock and disbelief, as if she were staring at a ghost. I couldn't blame her; it wasn't every day that someone you thought dead suddenly reappeared in front of you. Her expression wavered—hesitation, confusion, fear. It was all there, battling beneath the surface.

I took a breath, my voice softer than before as I broke the silence between us. "It's been a while, Aisha."

At the sound of my voice, something in her snapped. Her hesitation melted away, and without warning, she leaped over the table, closing the distance between us in an instant. Her arms wrapped around me with desperate intensity, as if she was afraid I would vanish if she didn't hold on tight enough.

"I-it's really you?! Na... Nathan?!"