The city looked softer through the windshield—sunlight folding over buildings, painting everything gold as I steered out of the café's lot. Afternoon warmth stretched across the horizon, glazing the sky in soft hues that matched the laziness of the hour. The coffee in my cup holder was still hot, untouched. Kalpo kept stealing sips from hers between laughing fits, her head tilted back like the whole world existed just to entertain her.
"I swear," she said, flicking her hair off her shoulder, "if that waiter had winked at you one more time—"
"He wasn't winking," I said calmly, turning the wheel with one hand. "He had something in his eye."
"Oh please," she scoffed, nudging my arm. "You walk in with your clean-girl hair and your villain-era outfit and suddenly they all forget how to function."
I glanced at her, amused. "You're dramatic."
"And you're blind."
I shook my head with a quiet laugh, eyes flicking to the rearview. We passed a small restaurant across the street—and for a fleeting second, something… tugged.
I don't know what exactly. A presence. A pair of eyes. A shift in the air.
But I didn't look again.
Not because I didn't want to. But because I knew if I did, I'd search too long. Linger too much. And right now, I wasn't sure I wanted to name what I was feeling.
"So," Kalpo said, dragging the word with a smirk, "how's it feel being back in class?"
I shrugged, keeping my tone neutral. "Normal. The students seem fine. A few bold ones. One with a sketchbook in the back."
She tilted her head with intrigue. "Sketchbook?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Cute?"
I didn't answer.
Her grin widened, teeth flashing like she knew exactly where this conversation was headed. "Oh babe… don't even try to play me. I know that tone."
"I don't have a tone."
"You have that tone."
I kept driving, lips twitching with the hint of a smile I refused to let fully bloom. The roads blurred in soft streaks of color, but all I could see for a second was a pair of deep, curious eyes from across a classroom.
He had looked at me like he saw something more than a teacher. Not in a creepy, boyish way. Just… curious. Intent. Like I'd interrupted something important in his mind—and somehow, he didn't mind the distraction.
And I—
I should not be thinking about that.
"You're not saying anything," Kalpo singsonged. "That means yes."
"I'm not saying anything because you won't stop talking."
"And you didn't deny it."
I sighed, finally pulling onto the street toward her apartment. "You're exhausting."
"And you're flustered."
She unbuckled her seatbelt with a smug little smirk, but before stepping out, she leaned over and said softly, "Just be careful, Daph. You're glowing."
Then she winked and shut the door with a quiet click.
I sat still for a moment.
Glowing.
I shook my head, putting the car back in gear—telling myself it was just the sunlight through the windshield.
But the faint smile on my lips said otherwise