I don’t ask women out. Not ‘cause I can’t.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9JPKfG6Z6
But ‘cause I don’t like giving people that kind of power.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuvxhyW52r
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nJW3yrpAi
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpxlNuFtr6
But Brielle?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt8EAMTQpv
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHRPmhxa3q
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1XPlIFFtc
She had me doing shit I don’t normally do.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagM7BcdaVt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwzAUTmPle
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIh9DHDWlZ
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLV8PHgKbM
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlndub2nc73
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbL0BxZsiWM
So I pulled up to No Chill ATL around closing time. Waited ‘til the last drunk couple stumbled out and the lights dimmed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLrjLeKFbh
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlZbyGXpTh
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRefaGhdBwE
She was wiping down tables, music low in the background, hair tied up, lip gloss shining like she was trying to distract me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPF1inS64h
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDscGzN8qx
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtdGU3jKWj
I stood by the bar and waited. She didn’t even look up.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAQTFWOKjB
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsNMmy6sOu
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXElTeoWrv
“You just gon’ stand there breathing all heavy like you tryna memorize me?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rfntB18QF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkZOMADZjc
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D5D7Ty747
“Something like that.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB80ErpTV55
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ2ydwutig
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqDbkWAJqH
She glanced at me, smirked, then went back to wiping.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccSgyXZ3SX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQoGEmgMuK
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPdgRLFCqI
I stepped closer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZDSvknXyw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7IvQ5Odmw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uMfNQp9lM
“Let me take you out.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYvXvuUQnG
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnh3ow3gCiD
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6kvXgYDOA
She froze for half a second—barely—but I caught it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4D1WkLxUbI
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqq28MKIIS3
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlh9neUVw5e
“Out where?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPPsns9gXE
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhbr0msSOF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIj97MhzyD
“Somewhere that don’t got dice, drinks, or dollar signs attached to it.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3vocpX3XN
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6U5zl0FV5
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcvBNbnTtT
“So… what? Church?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqxARWgMUp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqD8CY8yjq
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYCLvWlTBE
I laughed. She had jokes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AXLVJuvQE
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0KooiqJef
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisORTAkcO4
“Nah, not church. But somethin’ light. You, me, real food. Real conversation.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6thSN8RRxV
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpuyfcNAxz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUsyRCqDjQ
She set the rag down and leaned on the table, eyes narrowed like she was trying to figure out if I was serious.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlWyPJ3PXZ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDVWjzRLbF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bFJPa5hNm
“You asking me out? Or tryna collect a debt?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5Ri6e2bxC
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkok3ErrfSB
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocgDt5X8HH
“I’m askin’.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1DOa53V1z
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvHtt2GatT
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJko2X4eOq
“And what if I say no?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGjSBr2wQq
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RBMTxoYMP
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW3dPMBhsw
“Then I’ll ask again next week. And the one after that.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOKL16Rqek
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotO1kDa7pk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVQwymUCZt
She tilted her head like she was trying to hide her smile, then shrugged.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mxFWunbgR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRX383qUaX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxdG0TMTKl
“I mean… I guess if I ain’t got nothin’ better to do.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaoguHdCp8
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrHqeCVwZR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsONCBKMLB4
I stepped in a little closer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSfSuA075n
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoahz2m3Hzk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYRYSCnLRB
“So that’s a yes?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMSebG74vj
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wn5ccUzZp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddvGccHPvi
“It’s a ‘maybe I’ll let you spend your money on me if I get bored.’”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3b6eD1WrPk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyPzKuDSF2
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbq91WfRNNg
I just smiled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzEgXVfQpX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7AEeN4Xdw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj32jMiYFn
“Cool. I’ll send you the address. Saturday. Don’t be late.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPB8J04Rsp6
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTtnFH7lBk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVlGCb2eqw
“I don’t do late. I just do entrances.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGaPl8PMcu
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJc1X2udC9j
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwDMiYpUwN
She turned around and walked away, hips swinging like she knew damn well what she was doing to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIoIOWKx5K
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PuafBxBrV
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkQV6XgYLf
And me?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1uSF8tjGH
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQT9vuT2dU
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxCQx9KMIS
I left grinning like a damn fool.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85ce5yoMDG
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TdU7jzM4u
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She said yes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsQTizWMW1
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0biEsh6wNH
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq09QrB3AL5
Even if she tried to play like she didn’t mean it, I saw it in her eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJqbNTxpks
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFp6PtfBeW4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyh9tgLeeFs
She was just as curious as I was.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKbcQvlmP7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhp7nnKzl6k
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0WgNUe6fI
And now?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZavjbiKgM
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHW1E7tgNO
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIpvnDwmrF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAAy0T7FGR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilL65G1a5A
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpwYYTNVMN
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfjK9ynoJS
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVkQ3kBYKq
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7grThtxXk8
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriXC2xsZqF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWqyJj5A0B
But there was tension beneath it all.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf30qsFMbF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbH41zrj1n
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rvkAtC88k
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEtBYesyrF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBK8Ywe090G
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8zyNvB6UU
Until I slipped.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy0nGB5p9I
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9SKZwlxgS
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAtddgqdgK
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRcvlY6zyf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEnZxLEcq6
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzTJVlmivp
“Sometimes… I feel like I gotta control everything else ‘cause the one thing I can’t control is how people see me.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GmdULGCO6
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0jP9CxEDp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfY9iPaiZtB
She looked at me then, not like I was Kairo the tough guy, but Kairo the man hiding cracks under the surface.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Hzn2DZdcR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMxB7eX25y
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCp4vWZy6R
That silence wasn’t awkward. It was real.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kL4RTa5I8
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5REl7bHK6
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcWFFXfTCu
She reached across the table and brushed her fingers over mine.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mJFVOo4vv
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhgfwqiN7L
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccXbDTqlfy
“That’s a lot to carry.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu3udJterX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMOezqNDXq
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcjl7fWYMx
“Yeah… but it’s my shit.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITjrb1Kr6j
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KoWkdWrIb
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbAhONQjoC
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotIr1eE7O6
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3DQfP3ZSS
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Dr1NR5SCU
The way every book on my shelf was perfectly aligned.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HTOILjfJf
How the dishes were stacked by size and color.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03lWpKhi9C
The way I checked the locks twice before sitting down.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWn6KwOR8Wy
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMh7mEYWkT
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhNMsHiDKp
“You’re kinda… particular.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTw07pyvrj
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGlIhVfXJJ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOsJ5ppSNF
I laughed it off, but she caught the edge.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1suIEJ1wk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnFPXSSNjf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPFglUXIqK
“I got OCD. It’s like a voice in my head telling me things gotta be right or I can’t breathe.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5uzdzAxFT
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfygmZwEIR2
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxKP7YHT1h
She nodded like she understood that struggle more than I’d thought.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qnwLI6sV9
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSNv6uIBTf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4Ypfd7VB5
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkGrEMPX9R
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7zlQ0vJdU
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJieted9V5n
She smiled like she was already fighting her way into our world.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZjRVAWNZj
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUr1A60WzH
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT13Rxtyvbt
That night, between the neat lines and the rough edges, something shifted.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe68TmL896X
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3H32FUNGo
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlt7VRnRMJ
I wasn’t just a tough guy anymore.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LtDoGLrQE
And she wasn’t just the girl behind the bar.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj9wHAiFnC
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHV3xphsP4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ20tujZu0M
We were starting to be something real.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4v0q2Sj25a
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG51YLs4IcU
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbd5TvrCtJt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJyF8hZgRE
