Dinner is Jonah’s idea.

It always is.

He points down the street like the decision was made long before he spoke,
already moving, already smiling.

Leah follows without question.
Anya laughs and slips in beside her.

Aviva hesitates.

So do I.

The glow from the show still lingers on the street behind us,
light fading slowly,
like something reluctant to leave.

Then she steps forward.

That is enough.

The place Jonah chooses is small.

Crowded in a way that feels warm rather than loud.
Tables close together.
Lights low.
The smell of food settling into the walls.

We sit.

Jonah talks easily with the server.
Leah studies the menu with quiet focus.
Anya leans in, already asking what everyone plans to order.

I stay where I am.

Watching.

Listening in my own way.

It’s easier when people are relaxed.
Their words slow down.
Their faces soften.

Aviva sits across from me.

She rests her hands on the table, fingers loosely intertwined,
as if she’s not quite sure where to put them yet.

She joins the conversation naturally.

Talks about college.
Third year.
A packed schedule.

Mentions working part-time since moving here,
how the city still feels unfamiliar in places.

Jonah reacts with exaggerated sympathy.
Anya teases her about overworking.

I watch Aviva while she speaks.

Not because I’m searching for meaning—
just because she holds attention without asking for it.

She glances at me once, mid-sentence.

I meet her eyes.

She smiles, small and unguarded,
then turns back to the others.

Food arrives.

Plates settle onto the table with quiet weight.

I eat slowly.

This is another thing people misread about me.

They think I am distracted.

But really, I am concentrating.

Taste arrives differently when sound does not compete with it.

Spice.
Warmth.
Texture.

Jonah launches into a story about school days,
something exaggerated, something familiar.

Leah corrects him without raising her voice.

Anya laughs.

Aviva listens closely.

At one point, she looks at me and asks,
“So—do you always disappear into your thoughts like this?”

There’s no judgment in that.

Only curiosity.

I shrug lightly.

A half-smile.

She accepts that answer.

That surprises me.

Jonah says something—probably a joke.

Everyone reacts at once.

I smile when they do,
a half-second late.

Time passes gently.

No one rushes.

The kind of evening that doesn’t demand anything from you.

When we finally step outside,
the night air feels cooler, calmer.

The group starts to break apart naturally.

Anya checks her phone.

“Early class tomorrow,” she says with a sigh.

Leah nods.
“I’ll walk you back.”

Jonah stretches his arms overhead.

“I’ll come too.”

They move ahead, already talking.

Aviva and I linger behind.

Not awkward.

Just… quiet.

She adjusts the strap of her bag,
looking down the street.

Then she looks at me.

“I’m glad I came tonight,” she says.

I nod.

That feels right.

We walk together for a short distance
before the road splits.

She slows.

“Maybe I’ll see you around again,” she adds.

Not a question.

A statement left open.

I nod once more.

She smiles and turns away,
her steps unhurried.

I stand there longer than I need to.

The city breathes around me.

And for the first time in a long while,
the quiet does not feel empty.

It feels shared.

To be continued…

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