I look down at our hands. The contact grounds me.
“No,” I say quietly. “It’s just… I want to be known for more than what I look like.” I nod vaguely at my body. “I want to build something that helps people, not just… gets attention.”
She studies me, understanding dawning in her eyes. I know she gets it. I can tell by the way she tries to hide herself whenany attention lands on her body. I slide my fingers between hers, unable to stop myself.
“Can I tell you something?” I ask.
She squeezes my hand. “Of course. You can tell me anything.”
For a split second, I almost tell her the secret I’ve carried for as long as I can remember. The one that has nothing to do with my side hustle and everything to do with her.
Almost.
8
Grey
My eyes drop to our intertwined fingers. I brush my thumb over the side of her knuckle, a sense of belonging washing over me. My pulse thrums so quickly, I’m convinced she can feel it through our hands.
She said I could tell her anything. I believe that, but I’m not sure she’s ready to hear my full confession. All of it. That I know in my heart she’s the one for me. That I fell in love with her when I didn’t even know what love was. Telling her about my Fans page seems way less scary, but I’m not ready to let that out into the wild.
I lift my gaze to her face as she waits patiently for me to put what I want to say into words. In the past, this is where I’d crack a joke and deflect. Where I don’t risk tipping the balance in case I lose it all.Her. Because I’d rather settle for her friendship than lose it by making her uncomfortable.
My chest tightens.
“I’m really glad we found our way back to this,” I finally say. My heart pounds heavily in my chest. A warning or a sign. I’m not sure which. “To each other.”
Her grip tightens.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d missed you,” I admit. “Not just… knowing how you’re doing. Darby’s always been good about keeping me up to date on what you two are up to, but… What I’m trying to say is I like being around you. Talking, laughing together. Feeling like myself again.”
It’s a simple but difficult confession that costs me more than I anticipated. My stomach flips with nerves I haven’t felt in years. It feels like I’m standing on the precipice of something that will change my life forever, but without knowing if the outcome will be good or bad.
I think about my sister, of how fiercely she loves Kari. Of how complicated this could get if I screw things up. If either of them thinks I’m crossing a line that can’t be undone.
But none of that stops the truth from settling in my chest. Because it’s already happened. I’m already in too deep.
I squeeze Kari’s hand once, grounding myself. “I just wanted you to know that.”
My heart races, hoping I haven’t said too much—or not nearly enough.
“Me, too,” she says softly. “You’re the best part about moving back home.”
Her words settle deep in my chest. I look at her, unable to express what that means to me. Her gaze holds mine, and her lips part like she might say something more but decides not to. The universe seems to narrow to the two of us. The air between us tightens, thick with everything unsaid.
Movement behind Kari’s shoulder catches my eye. The clerk flips the sign on the door fromOPENtoCLOSEDand gives us an apologetic smile.
Kari blinks and turns, the spell breaking. She lets out a small, breathy laugh. “Guess that’s our cue.”
“Yeah,” I say, standing.
Outside, the night has cooled even more, the air crisp enough that Kari hunches, allowing her hoodie to bunch around her neck as we walk toward my truck. The sidewalk is quiet, streetlights casting long shadows ahead of us.
I reach for her hand, and she threads her fingers through mine just as easily, like it’s already decided.
The drive back is quiet, comfortable. Her hand stays in mine the whole way, my thumb tracing slow, absent patterns over her knuckles. Every so often she glances at me, and every time she does, my chest tightens like I’m holding something fragile.
When I pull up beside her car, neither of us moves right away.
