The sky outside was a dull, silver gray, the kind that made everything feel a little slower, like the world was trying to catch its breath. Khrisana stood by the kitchen window, her mug of cocoa cooling in her hands. Junior's laughter echoed faintly from the living room, where he was sprawled on the floor with his superhero toys. Autumn was curled up nearby with a book, her lips moving silently as she read, completely absorbed. The quiet buzz of family life was soothing, but Khrisana's thoughts were elsewhere. Her phone lay on the counter, screen still lit up from the latest message. SHAWN: "So? You free tomorrow?" Her thumb hovered over the reply button. She wanted to go. Part of her did. But something inside her hesitated—like a small, familiar voice that always tugged at her when something didn't feel quite right. Still, after a long pause, she typed back. KHRISANA: "Yeah. But only if Amara or Jaylen can come too. I don't like going places alone." She hit send before she could overthink it. Almost immediately, a reply came in. SHAWN: "Cool. Whatever makes you comfortable. Just wanted to chill a bit. I'll buy lunch." Her stomach fluttered, but not entirely in a good way. It wasn't nerves. It was more like… awareness. That something was shifting.
The next afternoon, she met up with Amara and Jaylen outside the corner plaza. It wasn't anything fancy just a food spot with outdoor tables, the kind of place that smelled like fries and ice cream and over-salted popcorn. Amara had thrown on a bright yellow hoodie, already sipping from a slushie. Jaylen had his usual laid-back swagger, earbuds around his neck and sarcasm ready on his tongue. "You nervous?" Amara asked, bumping Khrisana's shoulder gently. "A little," Khrisana admitted. "I mean, it's not a date-date." Amara smirked." Mmhmm. That's why you wore the lip gloss." "Girl, hush. " Jaylen grinned. "If he acts weird, I'll pretend to be your boyfriend and scare him off." "You do not give 'boyfriend scare' vibes," Amara laughed. Khrisana rolled her eyes. "Y'all are embarrassing." just then, Shawn walked up. He wore a denim jacket over a plain white tee, notebook still tucked under one arm like always. His eyes scanned the group, landing on Khrisana first. "Hey," he said, flashing that quiet smile. "Hey," Khrisana replied. "Hey," Jaylen echoed, not bothering to hide his measuring glance. Amara gave a short nod. "Sup." There was a pause not awkward, exactly, but definitely not smooth either. "I ordered already," Shawn said, gesturing toward the food stand. "Thought I'd get something for you, Kris. Fries and a burger okay?" Khrisana blinked. "You didn't have to…" "I wanted to," he said, soft and insistent. "You mentioned fries were your favorite once." Jaylen raised his brows. Amara side-eyed Khrisana. Khrisana smiled, a little hesitant. "Thanks."
They sat down at one of the round tables. The conversation started off normal enough school stuff, funny teachers, favorite shows. But after a while, it became clear that Shawn wasn't used to being around people like Amara and Jaylen. Amara talked with her hands and got louder when she was excited. Jaylen cracked jokes that pushed the edge. They weren't trying to be annoying; this was just how they were. Family. Chaos and laughter and comfort. And Khrisana could feel Shawn shrinking a little. He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. He glanced at his phone more than once. His arm was close to Khrisana's, but not in a gentle way in a "you should lean toward me" kind of way. She shifted slightly. Just enough to make space. By the time they'd finished eating, Amara had to go meet her older cousin. "Call me later," she whispered to Khrisana, who nodded. Jaylen walked a little slower, pretending to lag behind until Khrisana shot him a look. "I'm good," she mouthed. "Promise." Jaylen gave a reluctant thumbs-up and jogged to catch up with Amara. Now it was just Khrisana and Shawn walking side by side, the sun dipping low in the sky. "I'm glad you came," Shawn said. "Even with the... extra guests." "They're not extra," she said. "They're my best friends." He looked at her, something unreadable in his face. "I get that. But sometimes people talk too much." Khrisana stiffened slightly. "They're just being themselves." "Yeah, but... not everything needs to be so loud, you know?"
She didn't answer right away. They kept walking. A silence stretched between them, not quite comfortable. But then he reached for her hand, slipping his fingers between hers. She let him. It wasn't a grand moment. It was quiet. Simple. The touch of skin and the unfamiliar closeness of someone new. When they reached her gate, she stopped. "Thanks for today." "Anytime," he said, stepping a little closer. "You're different, you know that?" She didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded. "No kiss goodbye?" he asked, half-joking, half-not. Khrisana smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Too soon." He chuckled. "Alright. I can wait." She waved as he walked off, her fingers still tingling where his had been. But her heart felt… off. That night, back in her room, Junior barged in without knocking. "Kris! I beat the level you couldn't!" "Junior!" she laughed, pushing him gently. "Get outta here." He grinned and ran off. A few minutes later, Autumn peeked in too. "Can I sleep in here?" "Of course," Khrisana said, opening her arms. Autumn crawled into the bed, her tiny frame warm and comforting. Their mother peeked in, smiling softly. "You three make this house feel like home." Khrisana swallowed a lump in her throat. "Thanks, Mom." As the night wrapped around her, Khrisana lay still, Autumn's breathing soft beside her. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. SHAWN: "Goodnight. Hope I see you again soon. Just us next time." She stared at the message for a long time before turning her phone face down. She didn't reply. Not because she wasn't interested. But because something in her chest whispered: Be careful. And maybe, for once, she was ready to listen.