☆★☆ 𝐉𝐀𝐋𝐢𝐋 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀 ★☆★

• The late afternoon sun dipped behind the brownstones as I walked down the hill from school toward the block in Manhattanville. The chatter of kids playing and the faint melody of music drifting from an open window filled the air. I spotted my mom and her friends sitting on folding chairs, laughing and catching up. As I got closer, my heart skipped a beat—there he was. Jalil. My boyfriend. We had spent countless nights talking on the phone, dreaming of moments like this, but seeing him in person was surreal. He gave me a quick, knowing smile, and I tried to hide my excitement. No one else knew about us, and I wasn’t sure if they ever would. But for now, he was here, and that was enough.

@champagneyanna.