Cairo exhaled a slow stream of smoke, watching as it twisted and curled in the dim light of her room. The window was cracked open, letting in just enough breeze to scatter the scent of her cigarette before it lingered too long. Winnie was out for the day, leaving Clairo to fend for herself in the stillness of their shared apartment.

She wasn’t exactly alone, though. The other roommate was somewhere—probably in her room, doing whatever it was she did when Winnie wasn’t around. Cairo liked her well enough, but their interactions were rare and laced with an awkwardness that felt… charged.

A soft knock on the door broke her reverie. Before Cairo could respond, the door creaked open, and there she was, leaning against the frame with that half-smile Cairo couldn’t quite decipher.

“Thought I smelled smoke,” she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

Cairo shrugged, holding out the cigarette. “Want one?”

“Sure,” she said, taking it and sitting on the edge of Cairo’s bed. Their fingers brushed briefly, sending an electric jolt through the quiet room.

Neither of them said much after that. The silence between them wasn’t empty—it was heavy, waiting.