Gio’s hand closes over mine again. "Good," he says quietly. "Now we match." And for a second, that tiny bracelet feels like armor. Like a promise. Like we’re finally seen.
I lift my head a little, just enough to see his face in the faint streetlight. My voice comes out low. "So…what do we do?"
He blinks, still stroking my arm absently. "About?"
I hesitate, then say it.
"I have to go back… on September 15th. University issues. I graduate on October 26th. And then… Master’s degree."
He lets out this soft little laugh. "No shit?"
"What?"
He looks at me, and for once, his smile is genuine.
"That’s my birthday!"
I blink. "I know. I have an alarm that rings every year on the 26th. To remind myself that the trouble is still very much alive and very much growing. I have alarms for many people. Not just you. Don’t get cocky."
He laughs. "And they say romance is dead."
I let out a breathy laugh, but it catches somewhere in my chest. "That’s so fucked."
He grins. "Yeah. Tell me about it."
I sit up a bit straighter, turning toward him, and our legs shift, tangling again. "I wish I could be with you that day," I say. He leans his head back with a sigh.
"Rava. Yours is way more important. You’ll be walking across a stage, diploma in hand. And I’ll be getting yelled at by some cop again for disturbing the peace because my bike’s too loud."
I huff out a laugh. "Sounds about right."
My phone buzzes against my thigh. I look down. "It’s… my mom," I mutter. Gio raises a brow, curious. I slide my thumb across the screen and bring it to my ear.
"Hello, mom."
"Hi, sweetheart. Where are you right now? Is everything okay? How’s Gio? How’s his mom?"
"Okay, hold on—one question at a time."
She’s nervous. I can hear it in her breath. "Are you far from the house?" she asks quickly. I look at Gio, who is still playing with the frayed end of his shoelace like he isn’t listening. "Not really," I say carefully. "We’re not that far."
"Do you think you could come pick me up? I want to go see her. I’m just so worried—"
"I don’t think we’ll be able to—"
Gio suddenly snatches the phone out of my hand. "Give me that, you idiot." He doesn’t even look at me, just presses the phone to his ear and shifts his voice instantly.
"Hi, ma’am, of course we’ll come get you." His tone changes, softer now. Almost guilty. "My mom’s not doing so great…they will do everything they can."
He pauses. I gently reach over and touch his shoulder. "I’m sure she’ll be just fine, love—FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHARLES, STOP TALKING!"
Gio immediately yanks the phone away from his ear, laughing in disbelief. I burst out too. "I love your mom."
"Right, where were we…" He clears his throat and puts the phone back to his ear. "You know…I’mreallydown right now. It’s been a rough day. But I think your pies could help me feel a little better. Do you think maybe you could…"
"Of course, honey. You don’t even need to ask, Jesus. I’m starting them now."
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. Gio leans against my side, happy. When he hangs up, he passes me the phone again andlets out a deep breath. We sit there quietly for a second, leaning into each other like magnets finally allowed to rest.
