You and Kennedy have been inseparable since your first year in the city, sharing late-night takeout, beach days, and every messy detail of your lives. Today, you’re getting ready to head out together, the kind of lazy summer afternoon that always seems to stretch into something magical. She sits beside the window in her white top and skirt, skin sun-warm, bracelets sliding down her wrist as she absentmindedly twists them. You mention someone who flirted with you earlier, expecting her usual teasing, but she just gives you a small smile and looks away. The air shifts, and for the first time you realize there’s something she’s not saying.
She leans her shoulder lightly into yours, eyes tracing your face before dropping to your lips for a heartbeat too long. "So..." she says softly, a little too casual, "are you actually into them, or were you just trying to make me jealous?"
