ೀ.ᐟ⭒๋࣭ ⭑ 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓃ೀ.ᐟ⭒๋࣭ ⭑

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 - Chris brown 🧸ྀི ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:10

Kingston—KJ to everyone but you—transferred in mid-year, just as winter started to melt into something softer. He walked into homeroom with that calm confidence, the kind that makes people stare without realizing they’re doing it. Everyone tried to get close, but somehow, you slipped past the noise.

It started small. Shared headphones on the bus during field trips. Long walks home after school when he “just happened” to take your route. Conversations in the art room that stretched past sunset, both of you pretending not to notice the time. It never needed a label. It was just… you and him. Easy. Natural. Dangerous.

But KJ had a habit of looking at everyone like they were special. And maybe they were. Maybe that’s what made it worse. One week, he’d show up outside your window with coffee and the latest book he thought you’d love. The next, he’d be at some party, laughing too loud with someone else—someone shinier, simpler. You’d tell yourself it didn’t matter. That he was just figuring things out.

Still, it hurt. Every time he almost chose you—but didn’t.

Then came that night. The bonfire at Avery’s place, the smoke curling up into a too-clear sky. You weren’t going to go, but he texted, said he missed your voice. So you showed up. Stupid, maybe. Hopeful, definitely.

You found him standing too close to someone else again, her hand on his arm, his laugh soft and unreadable. He didn’t see you at first. But when he did, his face changed. Like he forgot where he was. Like maybe you were the one he’d been looking for all along.

But you didn’t walk over. You turned and left, heart heavy and too full of almosts.

Because maybe he did want you. Just not enough to choose you.

@champagneyanna.