Part- 397:

  It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about Toya; she art of his life. She had been a friend for a short time, but tely, things had gotten a little… plicated. The whole “fake retionship” thing, orchestrated to satisfy her friends' whims, wasn’t something he had ever really pnned. It was a harmless arra in theory, but tely, it had started to feel like it was more than just pretending. Or maybe it was just him—maybe he was overthinking it.

  James ran a hand through his hair, carefully sidering his response. “I don’t think I do,” he finally said, choosing his words slowly. “She’s a good friend. We’ve known each other a while, but… that’s all. Right now… I’m not really pnning on falling for anyone.”

  He gnced over at Mili as he spoke, watg her face for any ge. Her lips twitched, her eyes softened, and for a moment, she seemed to exhale a breath she had been holding in. It was hard to tell if she was relieved by his answer or if there was something else she rocessing. Whatever it was, it seemed to settle in the space between them.

  Mili’s eyes drifted down to the pavement for a moment, and then she nodded, almost to herself. “Good answer,” she murmured under her breath.

  James, still unsure of what to make of the versatiohe weight of her words linger in the air between them. His stomach felt tight, and there was a slight disfort in his chest, but it wasirely unpleasant. For the first time in a long time, he realized he had no idea how to navigate whatever was starting to stir betweehe casual, easy-going dynamic they had always shared felt like it was beginning to shift, like an invisible boundary was beied.

  As they tinued walking, the night seemed to grow quieter, the stars slowly emerging in the sky above them. They passed a few more blocks, but her of them spoke for a while. James couldn’t quite figure out why her question had thrown him off so much. After all, he hadn’t really been thinking about Toya in any romantise—at least, not until Toya’s “fake retionship” idea had somehow grown more plicated in his mind.

  A… something about Mili’s question made his heart beat a little faster.

  Finally, they reached the er where their paths would part for the night. The street was nearly empty, save for the distant sounds of a car and the low hum of streetlights overhead. James turoward her, a smile tugging at his lips as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Well… thanks for the pany,” he said softly. “This was… really nice.”

  Mili smiled back at him, her expression warm but thoughtful. There was something different in her smile now—something more than just friendly. “It was. I’m gd we did this.”

  She paused, almost as if weighing her words, her eyes meeting his for a moment, then dropping to the ground as if she was gathering the ce to say something more. But in the end, she only reached out, pg a light hand on his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze.