Safe.
My body goes still.
Grayson doesn’t seem to realize he just said something that made my pulse spike. He offers a quick two-finger salute like Weston would, then turns and disappears into the crowd like he belongs here. I stand there for a second longer than I should, holding the plate like it’s evidence. Then I move to an empty table near the window—wall at my back, exit visible—and sit.
The bagel sits there like a challenge. My stomach twists. My brain whispers.
Too much. Too visible. Too late.
I squeeze my eyes shut for one second. Then I remember something I told a stranger last night.
I did eat something. I’m trying to count it as a win.
I open my eyes. I pick up the bagel. I take a bite.
Small. Careful.
My throat tightens, but I chew anyway.
I don’t cry.
I don’t run.
I just…eat.
It tastes like plain bread and stubbornness.
It tastes like a small victory.
My phone buzzes.
Kai.
Kai: want me to meet you for lunch later?
I stare at the text.
My fingers hover.
I type the truth that won’t start a war.
Harlow: I’m in the dining hall now.
Three dots appear instantly.
Kai: ok. what’d you get?
My stomach tightens. I stare at the bagel like it might answer for me.
Then I type:
Harlow: Bagel.
A beat.
Kai: good.
My throat tightens again, but it lands softer this time—less like a hovering mother hen and moreI see you fighting. I take another bite and look out the window at students moving across campus like it’s easy.
