Image Made with Canva The air that day was suffocating and hot. On the streets, women bared shoulders and legs, while men, shirtless, donned wide-brimmed hats. “There are too many people out.” Cash startled, the cap to his pen skittering across his desk. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” Andela circled Cash’s desk, her eyes on the city street below, “I’m asking to leave work early. How about you?” “No, I’ll work late. There won’t be as many people when the sun goes down,” Cash glanced at her. He didn’t notice her filmy sundress or coiffed hair. No, his eyes settled where they always did, on the gap between her face mask and the apple of her cheek. Sometimes he imagined he could make out the slip of a lip, something that made his thoughts scatter like a dandelion puff in the wind. “You’re missing out. Who knows when we’ll get another nice day,” Andela patted his desk and moved on. “Are you going to the beach?” “I guess I could take off early too.” “Let’s eat ice cre