Aulani Mitchell, a 22-year-old woman weighed down by family responsibilities and a toxic home life, crosses paths with Knowledge, a wealthy yet troubled man who hides his pain behind a carefree façade. As they navigate their complicated pasts and bu...
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Atlanta, GA
May 18th
The soft hum of the ceiling fan and the faint morning light filtering through the blinds gradually pull me from sleep. I blink slowly, lost at first until I realize where I am, KJ's bedroom. My heart sinks as the events of last night rush back to me in vivid detail.
I turn my head and see him lying next to me, still asleep. He looked so peaceful. The reality of what happened begins to settle in, and I feel a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach.
Carefully, I slip out of bed, trying not to wake him. I gather my clothes from the floor, moving slowly as if each movement might shatter the fragile calm of the room. As I dress, I can't help but glance back at him. A part of me wishes I could stay in this moment, but the other part, the more rational one, knows I need to get out of here before things get even more complicated.
Just as I'm about to leave, I hear KJ stir. I freeze, not wanting to make eye contact, but it's too late. He's awake now, propping himself up on one elbow, his eyes squinting against the morning light as he looks at me.
"You heading out?" he asks, his voice rough from sleep.
"Yeah," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. "I... I just thought it'd be best if I got going."
He sits up fully, rubbing his eyes before looking at me with an unreadable expression. There's a tense silence between us, one that feels almost suffocating. I can tell he's searching for the right words, just like I am.
"You don't have to rush out, you know," he says, finally breaking the silence. "We can still talk... still be cool."
I look down at my feet, unsure of what to say. Part of me wants to believe him, to trust that things can go back to how they were, but another part of me knows that nothing will be the same after last night.
"Are you sure?" I ask hesitantly. "Because I don't want things to get weird between us."
He gets out of bed, grabs his pants, and slides them on before walking over to me. He reaches out, gently lifting my chin so I'm looking at him. "Aulani, it doesn't have to be weird. We're both adults. We can handle this."
His words are meant to be reassuring, but I can't shake the feeling that we've crossed a line that can't be uncrossed. Still, there's something about the way he's looking at me—something that makes me want to believe him.
"Okay," I finally say, offering a small, tentative smile. "We'll stay cool."
He grins a flash of relief in his eyes. "Good. I like having you around, Aulani. I don't want to lose that."
There's a softness in his voice that I've never heard before, and it makes my heart ache a little. I nod, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "Me too, KJ."
