I don’t ask women out. Not ‘cause I can’t.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmdgsy4E26
But ‘cause I don’t like giving people that kind of power.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6fohaBrGN
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwDTPFIfl3
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuMQT2YGK7
But Brielle?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7NPmztsiW
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFhNkUafi8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhjLnjw2KT
She had me doing shit I don’t normally do.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgsHn5bhQk
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRjBGMGbDT
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0ro3hpmru
I’d seen her twice since that rooftop night. Both times, the vibe was there—undeniable. She’d look at me with those eyes like she knew I was dangerous but didn’t care. And I’d look at her like I already made peace with the fact that if this went bad, it’d be my fault for getting too close.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tDsgJNKUG
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJi0vlqQIA8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyETaF5s76
So I pulled up to No Chill ATL around closing time. Waited ‘til the last drunk couple stumbled out and the lights dimmed.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5DDu4ncCD
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyY27dSDqF
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHifdbnKE7W
She was wiping down tables, music low in the background, hair tied up, lip gloss shining like she was trying to distract me.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3Ww2Rrbto
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLxqtlvinV
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I stood by the bar and waited. She didn’t even look up.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QtV8FNwqU
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPztYWv7wdA
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ex052oGAX
“You just gon’ stand there breathing all heavy like you tryna memorize me?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9tE7KUk38
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUmottmPaC
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkozVubiw2Y
“Something like that.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38spcYoO0J
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She glanced at me, smirked, then went back to wiping.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDyyx3FBpI
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OEri6zClZ
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkp0SHQlKc
I stepped closer.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcDZAK4GAG
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboe4a2CnQl
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxOQ7BIoC9
“Let me take you out.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXalSmP2wE
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvPQSOOY3g
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruaLehytE9
She froze for half a second—barely—but I caught it.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk78u9pYQy5
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFW72dtnHfo
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SNPrqAcex
“Out where?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMzITmAe0f
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmiFK6sp09
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweqaEug7Jn
“Somewhere that don’t got dice, drinks, or dollar signs attached to it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDPHaaiyxm
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbWVZNvYa9
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0ev9G6xOU
“So… what? Church?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx4sFBujog
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsj3Sx7gjE
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgFYygmOJu
I laughed. She had jokes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeXlR4U2eR
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqwAzLhzLD
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKq391TafC
“Nah, not church. But somethin’ light. You, me, real food. Real conversation.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uKjuh19cx
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsP2SRDZMFF
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsatGAyE2uW
She set the rag down and leaned on the table, eyes narrowed like she was trying to figure out if I was serious.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMilBxsznia
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdaamCwYI8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5ax7bEE3C
“You asking me out? Or tryna collect a debt?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWFNNunOgi
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH0RP6yxWw
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrWMU4UnhL
“I’m askin’.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oMHbY4d96
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsnEzvulMm
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewsCjkv3Fm
“And what if I say no?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqI6hDcaj1
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNFHNNiqx0
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVBsvs7lMz
“Then I’ll ask again next week. And the one after that.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA9FtNU4OP
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8LQ5ERB4d
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBjv1rQoAF
She tilted her head like she was trying to hide her smile, then shrugged.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqE2MkVIxs
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMxy4EmopY
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“I mean… I guess if I ain’t got nothin’ better to do.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUM0L57JPn1
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGDTwpVAuI
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I stepped in a little closer.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFFR9TT5ND
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wD1NQfPbS
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC8u2dcm3G
“So that’s a yes?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrDFKbgjQk
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfx5AyQ26FI
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hZv62GlES
“It’s a ‘maybe I’ll let you spend your money on me if I get bored.’”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVo70073tM
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2avDGPdqK
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKiEpAgxNJ
I just smiled.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFp3SsyEc6
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVCcwTAd6j
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreY8Jt48CA
“Cool. I’ll send you the address. Saturday. Don’t be late.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtMajInfE8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwfMppmrnI
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hbpyLpWIi
“I don’t do late. I just do entrances.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsZpL9DAfL
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5p0am82TgY
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwJCF6i2Re
She turned around and walked away, hips swinging like she knew damn well what she was doing to me.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16u7onse8z
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0J8ls4cdp
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQciOC6tB0
And me?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKluM0lWwG
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0mNXXHp9N
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnZuWl7r8J
I left grinning like a damn fool.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bwWZcd2Wj
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECpsnwtgGB
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbM5dz2f8GN
She said yes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvWgW21IFh
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES9yVavVHX
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpbpZ6A6YR
Even if she tried to play like she didn’t mean it, I saw it in her eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVTggxFdKd
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnebibhxdR
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKR9eQIQKiZ
She was just as curious as I was.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCo3QDBw9H
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5tgtE4nJs
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLNz7sZ4QR
And now?63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdZ6jBGqIt
We were about to find out exactly what that curiosity could turn into.
The restaurant wasn’t fancy—just a little spot tucked away with flickering candles and vinyl records playing low in the background. But to me, it was perfect.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5Hy9OSifk
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHofpW9lNWo
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63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvNgvINDYn
She showed up looking like she owned every room she walked into, lips curved like she was daring me to mess up. I couldn’t help but smile.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkOa7HeICv
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugfQuSydkm
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNIiFg6vp9
We ordered food, talked about everything and nothing. Music. Childhood. The kind of shit that makes the world feel small enough to hold in your hands.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K1GCLi1Z8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUSDtxG418
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShsL6cUtkV
But there was tension beneath it all.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLctVYEu1l4
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyNEQDE8NA
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuPHOgYN1D
She kept glancing at her phone, like she was waiting on a message or trying to stay ready for a text from a past I didn’t belong in. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I didn’t.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvrFUCipnK
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUY9k2vfWeN
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Until I slipped.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4TGwMJnX8
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniKysQ3r7k
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JsI0uRZpq
I was telling her about growing up in a house with seven brothers—loud, chaotic, rough around the edges. Then I said something I hadn’t meant to say out loud.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUYMCvfcbZ
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqeX0nUPAj
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“Sometimes… I feel like I gotta control everything else ‘cause the one thing I can’t control is how people see me.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9t1yI2UVI
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj405zQfXgA
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZsu6HgS7d
She looked at me then, not like I was Kairo the tough guy, but Kairo the man hiding cracks under the surface.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96hqaDgF0S
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bp41fbSZJ
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeocbC5wUG2
That silence wasn’t awkward. It was real.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5lVrEbDEq
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgIXRrSc1p
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfD5wZrf3V
She reached across the table and brushed her fingers over mine.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF9qLLM3IM
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppDyUxgYK8
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“That’s a lot to carry.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnLaM1rTfz
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjChViWwokb
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKun4oNmSYW
“Yeah… but it’s my shit.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbj9f1DCkf
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHat5Xbk0W
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukNXEbmYSH
After dinner, I took her back to my place—a small, clean apartment with just enough space to feel like home. That’s where she saw it.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMhswcut6l
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEu0TzKX8y
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyMYezS4JA
The way every book on my shelf was perfectly aligned.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlBUsB7hzv
How the dishes were stacked by size and color.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT7UzxeVa3
The way I checked the locks twice before sitting down.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqGyN3vxn3
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXElFBO6s0t
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMi4b7KZlr
“You’re kinda… particular.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28b4aKyYIK
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJIjBEIJC0
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmbx03CINJ
I laughed it off, but she caught the edge.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaSworfS5x
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLsLs6BA1H
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgSyTnTiBt
“I got OCD. It’s like a voice in my head telling me things gotta be right or I can’t breathe.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIEKJep9EF
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6W0LMOOSU
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWtnwUTyKH
She nodded like she understood that struggle more than I’d thought.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThzx90tTSg
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtr7Ndx6Th1
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCRBBXTl5F
Just then, my brothers showed up—three of them—each one a little different, but all loud and protective. They joked around with Brielle, throwing playful jabs but making sure she felt included.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rerurKh0b
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfGfJocvBV
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiD6he0T7L
She smiled like she was already fighting her way into our world.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqd72q3sUrr
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsc51xUBqi
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7X4HCBXR8a
That night, between the neat lines and the rough edges, something shifted.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuljrKQFaSL
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7017MCsCBs
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56uOQa0Zs5
I wasn’t just a tough guy anymore.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwD1ZeshcA
And she wasn’t just the girl behind the bar.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZciRtbGzA
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wbm4u85wu
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4OJh4pK0R
We were starting to be something real.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszgfeYOvr3
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTR7o5cH4Hx
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2iSK7MROP
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTNjRFu0t9
