Riya squeezed the bridge of her nose, sighing. “No, it’s fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“Really?” Kian’s eyes widened. “Then—wait, can I go first?”
“Sure.”
Kian took a steadying breath and stood a little straighter.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m really, really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have gone off like that. I didn’t mean to embarrass you like that.”
Riya didn’t answer right away.
She shifted the flowers in her hands, inspecting their slightly crushed stems. He must’ve been squeezing them the whole way here.
“You didn’t embarrass me,” she said softly.
Kian blinked.
“I was... worried,” she admitted, fingers tightening around the stems. “When Quin said all that stuff, it was like something cracked in you. Like you didn’t know what was real anymore. And then when I told you to stop—”
She hesitated. “You looked at me like I’d abandoned you. And maybe, in a way, it felt true. So, I’m sorry. I yelled at you, but I know you’re doing your best. I wasn’t being fair.”
Kian’s eyes glistened.
“Wait, are you crying?”
“N-no.” Kian scrubbed at his face, hard. “I just— I know what people think of me. But it would suck if you thought the same, you know?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. Looked away. “I want you to know I got you. The way you’ve always got me.”
Always?They’d known each other for less than a month. So what was Kian—
“Riya, who is it?” Amara suddenly called from inside the house.
Crap.“No one!”
Nyra peeked over her shoulder. “Doesn’t look like no one.”
Seconds later, Amara appeared, too. “Oh! Are we keeping secrets now?”
Riya sighed. “Not a secret. Just a friend.”
A friend.The word had slipped out so easily.
Amara raised a brow. “A friend... who’s come all this way on a cold evening just to see our little sister?”
“Are you Riya’s big sisters?” asked Kian, his mouth falling open. “Mel mentioned Riya having sisters.”
Nyra flicked Riya’s ear. “Hey, how come Mel had to be the one to tell him about us?”
“Ow! I don’t know! It just happened like that.”
Kian smiled. “I’m Kian, by the way. We’re friends from school. Same grade.”
“I’m Nyra, and this is Amara,” said Nyra. “It’s chilly. You need to head home? We’re about to have family game night—you should join us if you’re free!”
“No way. I would love to.” Kian was already stepping inside the house.
Riya made a horrified expression. “Wait, but—”
