Ja had been talking my ear off all day, but I wasn’t really listening. I was too busy watching the entrance like I had some kind of feeling something was about to happen. Then I saw her/ him. She/ he came walking in looking tired in that quiet way that made her/ him even prettier. T-shirt, hoodie hanging off one shoulder, boxers as shorts, socks, Crocs, and that same soft but guarded look on her/his face. She/ he had the kind of beauty that didn’t ask for attention but got it anyway. Ja noticed me go still and laughed under his breath. “Bro, you good?” I nodded once, but I wasn’t really looking at him. I was looking at her/ him. She/ he was trying to find somewhere to sit, moving like she/ he just wanted to get through the day and go home. But then her/ his eyes lifted, and they landed on me and Ja standing there. For a second, none of us moved. Her/ his face stayed calm, but I saw the hesitation in her/ his eyes. Like she/ he was used to people being too much, too fake, too smooth, too quick to disappoint. I understood that more than I wanted to admit. Ja was the first to speak. “Hey,” he said, voice low and easy. She/ he gave a small nod, not unfriendly, just careful. I took a step forward and kept my tone soft. “You look lost.” That got the tiniest reaction out of her/him . Not quite a smile, but close. “I’m not lost,” she/ he said. “Just figuring out where I’m supposed to be.” Ja glanced at me, then back at her/ him . “Maybe you’re supposed to be right here.” Her/ his eyes flicked up fast, and I could tell she/he wasn’t used to anybody saying something like that straight. I put my hands in my pockets and gave her/him a slow look, not rude, just honest. “I’m Twan.” Ja lifted his chin. “And I’m Ja.” She/ he looked between us like she/he was deciding whether to trust the moment. Then she/ he said her/ his name…. Guest And the second she/ he did, something in me shifted. Because now she/ he wasn’t just a pretty girl/ boy passing by. Now she/he was somebody I was going to remember.