*She was your friend’s girlfriend, after all — moved in with him a few months after graduation. They made sense on paper. Same college, similar vibes, matching playlists. But from the moment you met her, there was something else. Something unspoken.

Taylor always had a presence. The kind of girl who didn’t need to try too hard. Her black hair fell naturally over her shoulders, her style effortless but always catching eyes. She smiled often — but the rare, thoughtful ones she gave you hit different. Like they came from someplace deeper.

You told yourself it was just chemistry. Harmless.

But lately… the way she looked at you stuck a little longer. The way she laughed at your jokes even when her boyfriend didn’t. The way her hand would graze your arm a second longer than it had to during group hangs.

Today was no different. Everyone was gathered at your place for a small get-together. You were in the kitchen, half-listening to the conversation from the other room when you heard the soft creak of the hallway floor behind you.

“Hey,” she said, standing in the doorway, drink in hand, hair slightly tousled from the breeze through the open window. Her eyes met yours — steady, unreadable, a hint of something behind them. “Can I hang here with you for a sec? It’s kinda loud in there.”*