By the time I got back home, I was more tired than I wanted to admit. I forced myself through the routine—shower first, then dinner, then cleaning up. All the motions of being productive, but really, I was stalling.

Because what I actually wanted was to hear her voice.

I sat on the edge of my bed, phone in hand, staring at the screen longer than I should have. She was probably busy, probably working on something academic or even asleep even though it won't be night time over there. But the silence of the room pressed in on me.

So I gave in. I dialed.

The call barely rang once before she answered, her face filling the screen like she'd been waiting with the phone already in her hand.

"Hey," I said, a smile tugging at my lips the instant I saw her.

She pouted instantly.

My smile faltered. "What's wrong?"

Her voice came soft, almost a whine. "Why did you call?"

I blinked. "Wait… what?"

She crossed her arms, frown deepening, fixed and unyielding. "I was about to call you. And then you called first. I was supposed to be first."

I stared at her, caught between confusion and amusement. "…I—wow. Seriously?"

Her pout cracked into giggles, and she hid her face with her hand.

I leaned back, shaking my head, though the smile had already returned. "You really are something."

"I have to keep you on your toes," she teased, lowering her hand, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Otherwise you'll get bored of me and start talking to other girls."

I smirked. "What makes you think that'll work?"

Her head tilted in a frown. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged casually, lips twitching. "Maybe I like boring."

The pout snapped back onto her face. "Kai."

I tried holding it—her frown, the narrowed eyes, the little puff in her cheeks—but I cracked, chuckling under my breath.

She groaned. "It's not funny."

"Oh, but when you do it, it's supposed to be?" I countered, raising a brow.

She nodded immediately, no hesitation at all. "Mhm-mm."

"And somehow that's fair in your dictionary?" I asked, leaning closer to the screen, my smirk widening.

"Of course it is." Her lips curled with satisfaction, like she'd just won an argument she hadn't even made.

I shook my head slowly, a smile tugging at my lips. "Care to explain how?"

Her grin turned impish. "Because I'm your baby. And babies don't listen to logic."

She switched her voice to something soft and babyish on purpose, like a toddler imitating innocence.

I stared at her. She stared back. We both lasted maybe three seconds before bursting into laughter.

Her laugh filled my room like sunlight cracking through blinds, and for a moment I just let myself watch. The tilt of her head, the way her hand brushed at her hair when she laughed too hard, the sound that made every problem I'd had today dissolve into nothing.

I shook my head again, still smiling. "Guess what?"

She stilled, curiosity lifting her brows. "What?"

"Tomorrow's my first paycheck."

Her whole expression shifted—bright, proud, alive. "No way!" She clapped, her grin wide and genuine. "Congratulations, babe!"

The warmth in my chest nearly floored me. She was so easy to please, so quick to celebrate even the smallest of my milestones like they were her own.

"Thanks," I said softly, the smile tugging at my lips refusing to leave.

She tapped her chin dramatically, eyes flickering with mischief again. "Soon you'll be able to get me that Sub."

I blinked at her, a half-smile tugging at my mouth. "You still remember that?"

Her eyes softened, mischief giving way to something warmer. "Of course I do. That was my first birthday with the love of my life. I'm never forgetting it."

I shook my head, fighting a grin. "You're unbelievable."

"And yet, you love me," she sang, leaning back smugly.

She wasn't wrong.

We slipped back into easy conversation—her telling me about the chaos of her day, how some professor went on a thirty-minute rant about deadlines, and how Natasha had gotten into an argument with a couple of girls that nearly turned into a fight.

Her eyes gleamed as she recounted it, half amused, half exasperated. "Seriously, Kai, I thought someone was going to throw a punch. The professor had to step in before it got out of hand."

I frowned, leaning back in my chair. "Val… do you really think Natasha's a good friend? First she shows up to class hungover, now she's picking fights? Doesn't exactly scream reliable."

Her smile softened, though her tone stayed steady. "Kai, relax. I know how to keep myself out of trouble. Natasha's choices are hers—I don't let them become mine."

I let out a breath, the frown easing, though it didn't leave completely. "…Okay," I murmured. It wasn't surrender, not really, but more like a truce with my own thoughts.

Her eyes softened at that, a quiet curve of affection in her gaze. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

I gave her a half-smile, leaning back in my chair. "Don't get used to it."

That earned me the smile I hadn't realized I was waiting for—soft, satisfied, like she'd won something even though I'd drawn the line.

We talked a little longer after that. About what, I couldn't even list now—small things, fleeting things. The kind of pieces that only made sense between us.

And somehow, in that way only she could manage, she ended up forcing me off the call and into bed. Not without protest, of course. Not without me trying to hold on to just a little more of her voice.

Still, when I finally closed my eyes, the weight in my chest felt lighter. Happier. Not only because of her, though she was always the bigger part of it—but because tomorrow, at long last, my first paycheck would land in my hands.

For once, it felt like everything was beginning to shift forward.

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To be continued...

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