Mia woke up to the soft light of the morning spilling across her room. She stretched, feeling the slight ache in her muscles from all the dancing the night before. Last night was... something else. She shook her head, thinking about the way Liam had smiled at her, how easy it felt to talk to him. She wasn’t used to this kind of thing, but it felt nice. Real nice.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She grabbed it, already knowing who it was from. Sure enough, there was a message from Liam:
Good morning, Mia :) Hope you slept as well as you danced! What time should I pick you up for lunch? Can’t wait to see you.
She grinned at her phone, rolling her eyes at the cheesiness, but still feeling that little rush. Okay, I see you, Liam. She quickly typed back:
Hey :) I slept like a baby—guess I wore myself out, lol. Noon works! I’m kinda excited too, not gonna lie.
She hit send, then dropped her phone on the bed and went over to her closet. Alright, Mia, time to stunt... but not too much. She needed something that said, “I’m cute, I’m confident, and no, I don’t care what anyone thinks.” Her hand landed on her favorite fit: a cropped white tee that showed off just enough skin and a pair of grey sweats with neon green graffiti-style lettering and stars. Chill but fly. She threw a black bomber jacket over it to complete the look. Her belly ring glinted in the light as she checked herself out in the mirror. “Okay, okay, you’re giving a whole vibe right now.”
Her outfit:
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Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down to see another message from Liam:
I’m probably smiling way too much reading your text right now. See you soon :)
Mia chuckled to herself. “This boy,” she muttered, shaking her head. But, yeah, she was smiling too.
Mia smirked at her reflection in the mirror one more time, running her hands through her curls to make sure they were sitting just right. Okay, girl, you’re looking like a whole snack. Let’s go.
Heading downstairs, she found her mom in the kitchen sipping on her morning coffee. Without even looking up, her mom said, “So, this boy you’re going out with... got you smiling at your phone like a fool. Must be cute.”
Mia couldn’t help but laugh. “Mom, stop. It’s just lunch.”
“Mmm-hmm, just lunch. Right.” Her mom raised an eyebrow and gave her a look over the rim of her mug. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That doesn’t leave me with much,” Mia shot back, grabbing an apple from the counter.
Her mom snorted. “You’re not wrong.”
Mia headed toward the door, feeling her nerves kick in. As much as she’d played it cool in front of her mom, she was low-key nervous. First real lunch, first time out in broad daylight together. She knew people would stare—people always did when they saw a Black girl with a white boy, especially around here. But she wasn’t about to let that ruin her day.
Just as she reached the door, her phone buzzed again:
I’m outside :)
She took a deep breath, tossed her apple in the trash, and opened the front door. Liam was leaning against his car, looking up from his phone with that same smile that made her heart flip. He was wearing a simple grey hoodie and jeans, nothing flashy, but he still managed to look good—like, really good.
“Hey,” he said, pushing off the car and walking up to her. “You look amazing.”
Mia bit her lip, trying to play it cool. “Thanks. You clean up nice yourself.”
Liam laughed, opening the passenger door for her. “I try.”
As she got in the car, she couldn’t help but notice how easy it felt, like they’d done this a hundred times before. But underneath it all, there was that tension—the good kind of tension—that made her feel alive. She knew Liam felt it too, the way he kept glancing over at her like he couldn’t quite believe she was sitting there.
“So, where are we going?” Mia asked, looking at him sideways as they pulled out of her driveway.
“I was thinking this cool little spot downtown,” Liam said, glancing at her with a grin. “Laid-back, good food, no pressure.”
Mia nodded, feeling a little more at ease. “Sounds good. No pressure’s my vibe.”
As they drove, the conversation flowed like it always did, bouncing from random jokes to music, to school drama. Liam had this way of making her laugh, and Mia found herself forgetting about her nerves, about the stares they might get. It was just her and Liam, and for the moment, that was enough.
But as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Mia couldn’t help but notice a couple of people giving them a look. She felt that familiar heat rise in her chest—the one she got when she felt people’s eyes on her, judging, assuming.
Liam must have noticed too because he reached over and squeezed her hand before she even had time to say anything. “You good?” he asked, his voice soft but sure.
Mia glanced down at their hands, her fingers laced with his, and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”
He smiled at her, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Good, ’cause I’m starving, and I need you to help me figure out what’s good here.”
She laughed, the tension melting away a bit. “Alright, let’s see what they got. But if the fries are trash, I’m blaming you.”
“Deal,” he said, his smile wide and easy. He didn’t let go of her hand as they walked toward the restaurant.
And as they pushed through the doors together, Mia realized something: she didn’t care who was watching. Not today.
