β π π π π π πβ
The summer heat clung to the air, thick with the scent of fresh-cut grass and the distant sound of a β90s R&B ballad playing from a passing car. Jahlil and her had been best friends for as long as anyone could remember, always side by sideβwhether it was at the arcade, laughing over a slice of pizza, or sitting on his front porch, sharing dreams about the future. But that night at the block party, everything shifted. As the DJ spun a slow jam, Jahlil pulled her onto the makeshift dance floor, his hands steady on her waist. βDance with me,β he said, his voice low but sure. Under the string lights, swaying to a song about love that had always felt like just lyrics, she looked up at himβand for the first time, she saw more than just her best friend.