Breaking the Grid

Good night

- she lets out a laugh, smiling and looking at me almost choking on her glass of water

Kyra stands up, stretching slightly before heading toward the kitchen. "Alright then, let's put your smoothie-making skills to the test, Becks."

I raise an eyebrow, surprised but excited. "Wait, you're serious? Right now?"

She tosses a playful glance over her shoulder. "Why not? You made a big deal about them, so show me what you've got."

I follow her into the kitchen, watching as she pulls out ingredients from the fridge. "Alright, alright. Let's see if you have the essentials—kiwi, spinach, maybe some almond milk?"

"Almond milk, yes. Spinach... no." She smirks, setting the items on the counter. "I'm not a health freak like you."

I roll my eyes. "We'll improvise. It'll still be amazing."

As I start grabbing things from the fridge, Kyra leans against the counter, watching me. "You know, I'm not easily impressed," she teases, crossing her arms.

"That sounds like a challenge." I smirk, reaching for a blender and setting it up.

We both start chopping the ingredients, and there's a playful energy between us. She's next to me, cutting fruit and deliberately bumping into me with her shoulder now and then.

"Watch it," I warn, smiling as she tries to nudge me off balance.

"Oops," she says with a mock innocent look, before grabbing a piece of fruit and tossing it into the blender. "Maybe you need to work on your stability, F1 driver."

I laugh, nudging her back gently. "You're trying to sabotage my smoothie skills."

She shrugs, grinning. "Just making sure you're not all talk."

As we continue preparing everything, I can't help but feel how natural it is—us, together in her kitchen, teasing each other, moving around in sync. There's no awkwardness, no hesitation, just pure fun.

Kyra starts the blender, and we both take a step back as it whirs loudly. "Okay, moment of truth," she says, crossing her arms and looking at me expectantly.

I pour the smoothie into two glasses, handing one to her. "Try it."

She takes a sip, her eyes narrowing as she slowly savors it. Then, with a deadpan expression, she says, "Not bad... for a rookie."

I laugh, pretending to be offended. "Rookie? Please, that's a masterpiece in a glass."

She takes another sip, unable to hide her smile this time. "Okay, maybe it's not bad at all. But I'm still going to call you out on Instagram just for fun."

I step closer, leaning against the counter next to her. "Go ahead. Just make sure you tell everyone it was the best smoothie you've ever had."

She chuckles, glancing up at me. "You're so full of yourself, you know that?"

"Confident," I correct, grinning as we fall into a comfortable silence, sipping our smoothies. There's an unspoken ease between us now, the playful banter feeling like a bridge to something deeper.

"Well," she finally says, setting her glass down and turning to face me fully. "Looks like you passed the smoothie test, Becks. What's next?"

I tilt my head, smiling. "Guess you'll have to invite me over again to find out."

Kyra raises an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth. "Oh, so now you're angling for another invite? Getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think?"