Heart Buffs, Coffees & Cats

23

The past three days felt like a giant blur, like someone put my life on fast-forward and didn't give me the remote. I hadn't planned on getting attached to these people, not this quickly - definitely not in under a week. But here I was, every morning, dealing with Ryan, who bounced around the house like he'd had three espressos before sunrise. Then Luca would stumble out of his room, basically still asleep, throwing lazy insults at Ryan that somehow sounded like affection, with this goofy grin that gave him away. And Chris? Well, Chris had this adorable habit of 'accidentally' taking the last of the coffee and then flashing a guilty smile that made it impossible to stay mad.

Somehow, we'd fallen into this routine, like we'd been a sitcom ensemble for years. It was always the little things: Ryan hatching some wildly impractical plan, Luca rolling his eyes but smirking anyway, and Chris blurting out trivia about 'the mating habits of tree frogs' or whatever else he'd picked up online. And then there was Ayden... who definitely didn't bounce around.

He was like this brooding shadow, always there, always watching, and somehow able to communicate about twelve emotions in a single exasperated look. And I'd catch myself smiling at him - like, what was that about?

Nothing about this was epic or dramatic. It was just... comfortable. Weirdly comfortable, like falling into this rhythm was the most natural thing in the world, and maybe that was why the thought of leaving was suddenly such a punch on my little girl's heart.

I tried reminding myself that this was just a 'small stay'. But every day here just chipped away, like Ryan's laugh and Luca's sarcasm and Chris's wild facts were working some sort of group spell on me. And Ayden, with his quiet, thoughtful stares - I felt this strange little pang every time, like the kind of feeling that made me wonder if he'd actually miss me when I left.

It was the eighth day, and I was dreading goodbye. But for now, I just tried to soak it all in, because I knew that, as soon as I walked out of here, this was all I'd have. Only the memories.

I sighed.

Maybe the end of all this was creeping up faster than I wanted. First, I didn't even want to come here, and now... I didn't want to leave. It was actually kind of funny, in a way that wasn't funny at all.

Yawning, I wandered out onto the balcony, gazing up at the night sky. The crickets were getting louder, the air was cool and crisp, and it somehow made everything feel lighter. I took a deep breath. There was something about the night sky - quiet, peaceful, like the stars were trying to tell me it'd all be okay.

"Stressed?" Ryan's voice broke into my thoughts.

I shook my head with a soft smile. "Nah, just enjoying the air."

He grinned, looking at me like I was a kid who just discovered something amazing. "Ayden likes to stand here when he's stressed. Calls this his 'calm stay.'"

"Oh, I get why."

"What's up?"

"Hmm?"

"What's bothering you?" He leaned against the railing, resting his face on his hands like he was all ears.

I shrugged, but I could feel the weight of everything. "I've got to go check out new apartments tomorrow... need to decide in a couple days." I exhaled slowly. "And, I'm supposed to cover a shift at the café too. It's a lot."

Ryan watched me, nodding. "You know, you could always stay a few more nights. We wouldn't mind."

"But I said nine days."

He shrugged. "Who cares? You're part of us now. Heck, you could stay forever, though... your future boyfriend might have problems." He winked.

I rolled my eyes, but before I could shoot back, I noticed Ayden approaching, sipping from a yogurt bottle, dressed in an oversized black tee and pants. I suddenly felt self-conscious, tugging at my messy bun and realizing my mismatched shorts and shirt probably weren't giving off 'effortlessly cool.'