I don’t ask women out. Not ‘cause I can’t.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh2hx9zmTn
But ‘cause I don’t like giving people that kind of power.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KD75N6Lhc
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLT8DWvK0hf
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpZ5Zdeudv
But Brielle?61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoM5eCvrq2u
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXpoIIJgIC
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYheDVR5yov
She had me doing shit I don’t normally do.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HdLZSsiMg
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvn8U6Ge9TT
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1NocERdFE
I’d seen her twice since that rooftop night. Both times, the vibe was there—undeniable. She’d look at me with those eyes like she knew I was dangerous but didn’t care. And I’d look at her like I already made peace with the fact that if this went bad, it’d be my fault for getting too close.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYVOtk0iQG
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52TJHlgBdF
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So I pulled up to No Chill ATL around closing time. Waited ‘til the last drunk couple stumbled out and the lights dimmed.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIba0cYmChO
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She was wiping down tables, music low in the background, hair tied up, lip gloss shining like she was trying to distract me.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAgVNhksnX
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvcer8zsC7
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I stood by the bar and waited. She didn’t even look up.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKIKuYJmBl
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfWyPFePfb
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4aSAMXkKp
“You just gon’ stand there breathing all heavy like you tryna memorize me?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQgM8AJTZ9
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxojcQPUZC
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“Something like that.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27pHM1BAxA
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxh3I3efQA
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She glanced at me, smirked, then went back to wiping.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehWX2VKCbS
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQGFhMJO0m
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ns9YEB6ky
I stepped closer.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DFoP3FzJb
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQAw13c2Of
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TERb1aznF
“Let me take you out.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sbAySN75w
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUg6XKmB5y
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWBQJX9DNq
She froze for half a second—barely—but I caught it.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFbEC24BJI
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6LexbikdY
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTff05fbj7
“Out where?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkBMHtdEfk
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuWoXR9Ukp
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXv7L09Xp1
“Somewhere that don’t got dice, drinks, or dollar signs attached to it.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3XwVYtkql
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkRNtgHbaH
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSd0lCVtY8
“So… what? Church?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsJoZKoRI4
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZb0vrTBL6
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3c3s5ZSOX
I laughed. She had jokes.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSVu04P2rC
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknrBFxSh6o
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6tm77vl1J
“Nah, not church. But somethin’ light. You, me, real food. Real conversation.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5kkWYeysp
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0hLsNmPad
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgaPkANZ2I
She set the rag down and leaned on the table, eyes narrowed like she was trying to figure out if I was serious.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3bW21HnFG
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ2jahyStM
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUdKH7bomE
“You asking me out? Or tryna collect a debt?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nnRvapvpc
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdx1CYxbOQO
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnZLJ4wfPv
“I’m askin’.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sz1wWhOu7
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ3XJhKFsW
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPnM2q2b4q
“And what if I say no?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzqiz07ITF
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZptjQowGC
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc0gbHpT6Z
“Then I’ll ask again next week. And the one after that.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u2VWFkVef
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKL3PbKHex
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbXcQ2kFui
She tilted her head like she was trying to hide her smile, then shrugged.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHylK61LqgQ
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBW2EbSFi0
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLq3mvIA0Cn
“I mean… I guess if I ain’t got nothin’ better to do.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClr4bjdF1Q
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nyuZC4mqN
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyJLp02FPB
I stepped in a little closer.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPXCmMLLTO
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQOkn0ZaJ6
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzm4hyU9YzN
“So that’s a yes?”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsqVN0EsBq
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu7YcLhlKZ
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CVeIsUmSr
“It’s a ‘maybe I’ll let you spend your money on me if I get bored.’”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaDmT7QV7n
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4Blg3lmU6
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I just smiled.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TnlDZbmrI
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdG7KGfYGS
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafJHLduxVi
“Cool. I’ll send you the address. Saturday. Don’t be late.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJK4A9a1o3
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwA9dEW1Ff
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLzuOOhHjg
“I don’t do late. I just do entrances.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi6jyAsr1i
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72caJHIv7X
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AlBbJKjd8
She turned around and walked away, hips swinging like she knew damn well what she was doing to me.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnh3EbocZ1
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMdCIRlNrp
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFcS1l5NnW
And me?61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSc1kkoGKh
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Hmu0bYBLp
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6SYytqMdw
I left grinning like a damn fool.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sjKxq5wyq
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreHFC2v3b7
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mpEmlfu2C
She said yes.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIuNrTbWWh
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbNkQ81VPq
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sLquuzf5h
Even if she tried to play like she didn’t mean it, I saw it in her eyes.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRBgNjiY2J
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR6utmm7gT
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She was just as curious as I was.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k7ijH3fXD
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbOP4ZK0i7
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmjbZs5LrW
And now?61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUBjKrUVs4
We were about to find out exactly what that curiosity could turn into.
The restaurant wasn’t fancy—just a little spot tucked away with flickering candles and vinyl records playing low in the background. But to me, it was perfect.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBl8lQLcBo
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gv4BlT2Ff
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She showed up looking like she owned every room she walked into, lips curved like she was daring me to mess up. I couldn’t help but smile.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡck8TkRS4c8
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmByo4RFeq
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We ordered food, talked about everything and nothing. Music. Childhood. The kind of shit that makes the world feel small enough to hold in your hands.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqltIjKM9S
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WfSjlfBEM
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But there was tension beneath it all.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi2VCoYwf1
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcrH9Jrp44
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hWbALY4Ao
She kept glancing at her phone, like she was waiting on a message or trying to stay ready for a text from a past I didn’t belong in. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I didn’t.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEPDWMVNFW
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVnEI9OLEF
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Until I slipped.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgDac784N1
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mFRxwWwXP
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaln6YlLsn1
I was telling her about growing up in a house with seven brothers—loud, chaotic, rough around the edges. Then I said something I hadn’t meant to say out loud.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR1HqjQHr6
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyNANFacic
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“Sometimes… I feel like I gotta control everything else ‘cause the one thing I can’t control is how people see me.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PBbN8ybGw
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1akSFweu2
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboDlgC7svN
She looked at me then, not like I was Kairo the tough guy, but Kairo the man hiding cracks under the surface.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jewMrTTr8
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9Vv8TgWhP
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaQTwGKGxY
That silence wasn’t awkward. It was real.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGyhBqZZRS
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUUEP2oArH
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlt8iPQne4
She reached across the table and brushed her fingers over mine.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfZaezbD7e
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUphiW027Mn
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmwCBvbNV1
“That’s a lot to carry.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QI91U76In
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgH9zgSyNEl
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rOyNKQoMP
“Yeah… but it’s my shit.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbh21y58up
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qeJdZFFuD
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanneARhNty
After dinner, I took her back to my place—a small, clean apartment with just enough space to feel like home. That’s where she saw it.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNMiWLxSy4
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9URWT5P2f
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB183xOlv0W
The way every book on my shelf was perfectly aligned.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRmCaHi1z2
How the dishes were stacked by size and color.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmURdtIOYSs
The way I checked the locks twice before sitting down.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNnrhAc4r2
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcv7Hd5fpU
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JVz3OvNB9
“You’re kinda… particular.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaIPeao2jJ
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISOmCo3iC0
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAbWuC4ZhW
I laughed it off, but she caught the edge.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8evZdy45D
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspfDmwiBnw
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb9M3Dpt7L
“I got OCD. It’s like a voice in my head telling me things gotta be right or I can’t breathe.”61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROB3EgulZg
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOieLSHioF
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkSc3OO7q2
She nodded like she understood that struggle more than I’d thought.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3WTmPOIo8
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkCUSDzzLn
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNGHi0RkXM
Just then, my brothers showed up—three of them—each one a little different, but all loud and protective. They joked around with Brielle, throwing playful jabs but making sure she felt included.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SS3C1wI8I
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmmnLZ7Kqh
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She smiled like she was already fighting her way into our world.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgfYSwBU7c
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rXrnQaewj
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSGV5yBHgP
That night, between the neat lines and the rough edges, something shifted.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdvdzcgerm
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EXSEqtDed
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbnibsMji1
I wasn’t just a tough guy anymore.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIMJlt4v1E
And she wasn’t just the girl behind the bar.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1XS2ICG1s
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyomokZsafZ
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSeK3EVM2x
We were starting to be something real.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi04tZkbBHQ
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUQxEGBay6
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKumqVejkDA
61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XQCR7Jgir
