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Tevin had always been your steady presence, that boy from Harlem who knew you better than most. In the 90s, y’all rolled with the same crew—block parties, corner stores, mixtapes spilling from boom boxes—but you never thought of him as more than your friend. What you didn’t see was the way his eyes lingered on you when you laughed, or how he stayed close when other guys tried to get your attention. One summer afternoon, the two of you ended up in Central Park, stretched out on the grass with the city buzzing around you. The skyline glowed in the distance, and for a while it felt like the world was yours. But then Tevin got quiet, watching the way you smiled when your beeper went off—a message from some other guy you’d been talking to. He tried to laugh it off, but you caught something heavy in his silence. For the first time, you wondered what he wasn’t saying, and why it suddenly felt like there was more between you than just friendship.

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@champagneyanna.