Prologue
Brussels, September 2019
Amélie
There he sat at his desk, unsuspecting of my presence. It’s been seven years since we last saw each other and he hasn’t changed at all. His dark brown hair neatly combed to the back and gelled so his curls don’t stand out, those eyeglasses that make him look even more intelligent than he already is and that perfect straight nose.
I watch him carefully, until my colleague Sofie interrupts my thoughts. ‘Have you introduced yourself to our new colleague already?’ she asks, nodding in his direction. ‘He’s going to replace Charles, who’s retiring. From what I heard he first went France to work as an intern emergency doctor and then he ended up here. Apparently his sister lives here in Brussels with her husband and he came here via them.’
I look in his direction, wondering if I should go talk to him or not but Sofie’s already dragging me to him. ‘Hey Rayan, can I introduce you to Amélie, our pediatrician.’
When he looks up, I can see the spark of recognition in his eyes. Will he pretend to not know me in front of my colleague? I do hope so. Then I wouldn’t have to explain to Sofie where I know him from.
He stands up and walks towards me. ‘Amélie, it’s been so long!’ he exclaims in surprise. Oh no. He holds out his hand to me. I take his hand into mine and I can feel the tingling going through my whole body. Can he feel it too?
Now Rayan is standing before me, it dawns on me how much I’ve missed him. Emotions are bubbling up – emotions that I’ve been repressing for years.
It’s been seven years since we last saw each other, but it seems like it was yesterday...
