neighbors to lovers
Kayiku

3
𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
ɪ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴡᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅʟᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɪɴꜱᴜʟᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴜᴛᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴏɴᴄᴇ, ᴄᴏᴜɢʜꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ—ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ᴀ ᴘɪᴛɪꜰᴜʟ ᴅʀɪᴘ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ꜱʟɪᴅᴇꜱ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴜᴄᴇᴛ, ᴛᴀᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ.
“ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ,” ɪ ᴍᴜᴛᴛᴇʀ, ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ᴀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴍʏ ᴅᴀᴍᴘ ʜᴀɪʀ. “ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱᴛɪᴄ. ᴛʀᴜʟʏ, ᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ʟᴜᴄᴋ.”
ɪ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅʟᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ʜᴀʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ, ɪ ᴄᴏɴꜱɪᴅᴇʀ ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴋɪᴄᴋ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ɢᴏᴛ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ʙʀᴜɪꜱᴇꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ʜᴇʀᴏɪᴄ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴀᴛ ꜰɪxɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ.
ꜱᴏ ɴᴏᴡ ɪ’ᴍ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ—ʜᴀʟꜰ-ᴡᴇᴛ, ʜᴀʟꜰ-ᴅᴇꜰᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ, ᴀ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʟ ᴍʏ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀʀᴍᴏʀ—ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛʜᴏᴏᴅ ᴡɪɴꜱ. ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ ʀᴜɴꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: ᴄᴏʟᴅ ꜱʜᴏᴡᴇʀ? ɴᴏ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ. ꜱᴋɪᴘ ɪᴛ? ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ.
ᴀꜱᴋ ᴍʏ ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏʀ…
ɪ ꜰʀᴇᴇᴢᴇ ᴍɪᴅ-ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ. ᴍʏ ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏʀ.
ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ… ᴏᴋᴀʏ. ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴏᴋᴀʏ, ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ. ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴇʏᴇꜱ, ᴇᴀꜱʏ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ—ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ—ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ? ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ǫᴜᴀʟɪꜰʏ ᴀꜱ “ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ.”
ꜱᴛɪʟʟ, ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ.
ɪ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ, ɢʀᴀʙ ᴍʏ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʟ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴏᴏʀ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱᴛᴇᴘ ꜰᴇᴇʟꜱ ʟᴏᴜᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ. ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ’ꜱ ᴘᴏᴜɴᴅɪɴɢ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪ’ᴍ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴꜰᴇꜱꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴀꜱᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ