CHAPTER 56: HARD GOODBYE

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling warm. "Just... I’ve never seen you in regular clothes before. It’s different."

She raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"

"Good different," I said quickly. "I mean, you always wear the school uniform, so I never really..." I gestured vaguely at her outfit. "You look nice. The clothes suit you."

She glanced down at herself, then back at me with this little smile. "What, this old thing? It’s just a t-shirt and shorts."

"Yeah, but it’s..." I stopped myself before I said something stupid. The truth was, seeing her like this made me realize things I’d been trying not to think about. The school uniform was like armor or something, made everyone look the same. But now, in her own clothes, she just looked... real. And pretty. Really pretty.

"It’s what?" she asked, genuinely curious now.

I looked at the ceiling. "It’s just different seeing you as, like, a regular person instead of just ’Nina from school,’ you know? You look comfortable. Happy."

She was quiet for a second, and when I looked back at her, her expression had softened.

"That’s... actually really sweet," she said. "Most guys would’ve just said something dumb about my legs or whatever."

"I mean..." I felt my face heat up. "I’m not blind. But that’s not the point."

She laughed. You’re such a dork."

"Thanks. Very helpful."

"I’m serious though." She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. "You’re handling this whole ’girl in your apartment’ thing better than I expected. Most guys our age would be, like, vibrating with nervous energy right now."

"Who says I’m not?" I admitted. "I’m just good at pretending to be calm."

"Oh yeah? What’s the giveaway?"

I held up my hands. They were shaking slightly. "These. Also, I keep forgetting to breathe normally."

She grinned. "That’s oddly reassuring."

"Glad my suffering brings you joy."

"It’s not suffering I’m happy about." She moved closer, and I had to resist the urge to take a step back. "It’s that you’re being honest about it. That’s... cool."

"Cool?"

"Yeah. Like, you’re not trying to act all smooth or whatever. You’re just being you."

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Part of me wanted to make a joke, deflect somehow. But she was looking at me with this expression I’d never seen before.

"I don’t really know how to be anyone else," I said finally.

"Good. Don’t change that."

We silent for a bit before she spoke.

"So," she said eventually, "you gonna tell me what you were really thinking when I walked in? Because I saw that look."

My stomach dropped. "What look?"

"The deer-in-headlights look. Like you’d never seen a girl before."

"I have seen girls before."

"In person? Without a school uniform?"

I thought about it. "Actually... no. Not really."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I mean, on TV and stuff, obviously. But in real life? You’re kind of the first girl I’ve hung out with who wasn’t wearing a uniform."

"That’s..." She paused, like she was processing this information. "That’s actually really sweet. And sad."

"Thanks for the pity."

"It’s not pity!" She punched my arm lightly. "It’s just... I don’t know. It makes this more special, I guess."

"Special how?"

"Like, I’m your first normal-clothes girl experience. That’s kind of a big deal."

I laughed despite myself. "You’re weird."

"Yeah, but you like it."

"I do," I said, and the honesty of it surprised me. "I really do."

"Good. Because you’re stuck with me now."

"Pillar contract?"

"Pillar contract."

Time went by fast.

"I should probably head out. It’s getting late."

Something twisted in my chest. I didn’t want her to leave. The apartment was going to feel empty without her here, and I couldn’t even walk her to the door properly without looking like I was about to collapse.

"Yeah, okay." The words came out flat. I tried to push myself up from the couch, but my body just wasn’t having it.

"Don’t even think about it," she said, pointing at me. "Stay put."

I sank back down, frustrated. This whole situation was ridiculous. I felt useless just sitting here while she cleaned up after me and now I couldn’t even see her out like a normal person.

She must have noticed my expression because she stopped what she was doing and just looked at me for a second.

"Hey," she said, her voice softer. "What’s that face about?"

"Nothing, just..." I gestured vaguely at myself. "This whole thing is stupid. I can’t even walk you to the door."

"Kofi." She came over and sat on the edge of the couch next to me. "You literally almost passed out carrying groceries. Cut yourself some slack."

"I know, but still." I looked down at my hands. "You came all the way over here, made me food, cleaned up my mess. And I’m just sitting here like a lump."

She was quiet for a moment. Then, without warning, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

It caught me completely off guard. This time she smelled like vanilla and something else I couldn’t name. Her arms were warm around my shoulders, and for a second I just froze, not sure what to do with my hands, same as before.

"You’re not a lump," she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "You’re hurt. There’s a difference."

I finally managed to hug her back, careful not to squeeze too tight. "Thanks, Nina."

"Plus," she said, pulling back with a small smile, "you’re learning to cook. That’s pretty cool, even if you almost died doing grocery shopping."

I couldn’t help but laugh. "Yeah, well, next time I’ll buy like three things instead of trying to stock up for the apocalypse."

"Good plan." She stood up, slinging her jacket over her shoulder. "I’ll call you later, okay? Make sure you haven’t burned anything down."

"I’ll try to keep the destruction to a minimum."

"Appreciate it." She headed toward the door, then paused and looked back at me. "And Kofi? Don’t worry about the whole ’being useless’ thing. You’re not. You’re just... figuring stuff out. We all are."

I watched her unlock the door and step into the hallway.

"Text me when you get home," I called out.

"Will do."

She grinned and gave me a little wave before closing the door behind her.

The apartment felt immediately different. Quieter. Emptier. I could still smell the eggs she’d made, and there was a faint trace of her vanilla scent lingering in the air.

I leaned back against the couch cushions and closed my eyes. My ribs still ached, and I was definitely going to be sore tomorrow, but somehow I felt better.