“How did he get in God? I worked hard to keep my defenses up after the last time I got hurt. I promised myself I would not put myself in a position to be hurt again. I said I wouldn’t fall head over heels and yet here I am. Lord, I wasn’t even paying attention to his flirting until…”

***
Rob had been to almost every family event since Nadira’s passing. At 6’5, the gentle giant always made his presence known no matter how hard he tried to stay out of the way. It was easy to spot Rob standing in the back of every picture taken at the Taylor’s social events.
Nadia made it a point to host as many functions as she could since moving back to Jersey. Nadira had always confided in her sister that she wished their family was closer. Nadia used the regular rituals as a way to pay homage to her little sister.
Rob had checked in on Nadia here and there since the accident. He sent her friend requests on all of her social media platforms. He even managed to exchange cell numbers with her. Nadia still didn’t know how the smooth-talking young man got her digits so casually. He was good. Nadia had heard stories about Rob from Nadira.
Though quiet, Rob had a reputation of being somewhat of a partying playboy. He and Nadira had met at a mixer in college. Rob was trying to talk to Nadira’s roommate, but she wasn’t interested. Rob tried to soften the roommate up by making nice with Nadira, but that didn’t work...