"Someday," Kai said firmly. "Far in the future. After college. When we're adults who know what we're doing."
"But you'll ask her, right?" Maya pressed. "Promise you'll ask her?"
Kai looked at me, and something passed between us. A promise. A future. A someday that felt both terrifying and inevitable.
"I promise," he said softly.
Maya squealed and clapped her hands, and Sophie looked like she might cry.
"Okay, this is the cutest thing I've ever witnessed," Sophie said. "Riley, take notes. This is how you do romance."
"I'm taking extensive notes," Riley deadpanned, but he was smiling.
The rest of lunch was easier. Maya told stories about her new school, complained about a mean girl in her class, and demonstrated a TikTok dance she'd learned. She asked me about my favorite books and was thrilled to discover we both loved the same fantasy series.
"You have to borrow my copies!" Maya insisted. "I have the special editions with the maps!"
