His voice echoed through the hall before I even saw him. “Ray! Guess who’s back?”

I smiled automatically, walking out of my room. “You act like I didn’t see your fifteen texts.”

He laughed, pulling me into a quick hug. “Still the same smart mouth, huh?”

I hugged him back. “Someone had to keep it alive while you were gone.”

He grinned, slinging his backpack onto the couch — and that’s when Kim walked in from the kitchen.

For a second, it felt like the air shifted.

“Hey, man,” Ethan said, grinning wide. “Did she annoyed you too much while I was gone?”

Kim smiled — easy, the kind that hides everything underneath. “Survived. Barely.”

Ethan laughed, not noticing the flicker of silence that followed. I did.

The three of us sat around for hours — eating, catching up, listening to Ethan’s wild stories.

It was like old times. Almost.

But every now and then, Kim’s eyes would meet mine — quick, quiet, full of things we couldn’t say.

And every time, I’d look away first.

That night, Ethan decided to throw a small “welcome back” bonfire party in the yard.

He called a few friends, set up lights, and put on music that reminded me too much of summer.

I tried to act normal — laughing, talking, moving — but my thoughts kept drifting to Kim.

He stayed on the other side of the fire, his face lit by orange light, his laughter blending with the music.

Every time our eyes met, the noise around us faded just a little.

Later, when most people had left, it was just the three of us cleaning up.

Ethan went inside to grab more trash bags, leaving just me and Kim by the fire pit.

He tossed a paper cup into the bin and sighed. “He missed you.”

“I missed him too,” I said softly.

Kim nodded, kicking a stray piece of wood. “You should tell him that. He thinks you’re growing up too fast.”

I smiled faintly. “Maybe I am.”

He looked at me for a long second — something flickering behind his eyes trying to say something, something that felt like hesitation and honesty tangled together.

“You really are,” he said finally.

The moment lingered — warm, confusing, and too short.

Ethan’s voice called out from the kitchen window, breaking it instantly.

“Hey! You two done hiding out there?”

Kim chuckled, stepping back. “Guess the boss is calling.”

But as we walked toward the house, our hands brushed — just for a second — and it was enough to make my heart forget its rhythm again.