Unspoken Currents

017

It had been a few days since everything had felt normal again between William and me. I’d tried not to overthink it too much, and I think he had, too. Things were easy—comfortable, even. Just how I liked it. I had laid the tension between us to rest for now, not wanting to drag it out any longer.

It was Saturday evening, and Layla and I were finally escaping the campus for the weekend. I’d driven to her house after classes, and we had made our way into the cozy living room, sinking into the couch to unwind. Layla was leaning against me, her head resting on my shoulder as we picked a movie to watch.

Her mom was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, and her dad had the jazz music on, filling the house with soft melodies. It felt like a warm, simple night—nothing too complicated. The kind of night I needed to recharge. I glanced over at Layla as she snuggled into me, feeling her warmth next to mine.

"This is nice," she said quietly, her fingers tracing circles on my chest.

I smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Yeah, it really is.”

We were quiet for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence, letting the movie play in the background. It wasn’t often that we could just be like this—without the pressure of school, work, or anything else on our minds. Layla looked up at me with that familiar smile she had, one that made my heart skip a beat.

“I love you,” she said softly, brushing her lips across my cheek.

“I love you too,” I replied, kissing her forehead.

As we continued to relax, I could hear the sound of the front door opening, followed by the muffled sound of voices. Layla glanced up as she heard it too.

“Will?” she said, a little surprised. “I thought you were already home this entire time.”

A moment later, William walked into the room, his usual laid-back attitude in place, though there was something different in his expression today.

"Hey guys," he said with a smile, followed by a cheerful “This is Asia—she’s a friend of mine."

I looked up at the girl standing beside him. She was light-skinned, with braids that cascaded down her back and bright blue braces that added a playful charm to her features. She smiled at both of us, clearly a little unsure but trying to be friendly. I nodded in her direction.

“Hey, nice to meet you,” I said, offering a warm smile.

Layla, still a little surprised, stood up and gave William a quick hug. “Ooo, she's pretty Will. Didn’t know you were bringing anyone over. Anyways nice to meet you, I'm Layla.”

“Well, I thought I'd bring Asia with me for the weekend," William replied casually. "I recently met her and we just got along really well."

Asia nodded "Yeah nice to meet you guys." Smiling, though she seemed a little shy, likely not used to just jumping into a new situation.

Layla smiled, though her brow furrowed slightly as she caught my eye. She could tell something was up, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she moved toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s almost ready. You two can come eat after you settle in.”

“Thanks, Layla,” William called after her before turning back to me. "We're just gonna head upstairs for two minutes, be down in a bit”

“Alright cool” I said, though there was still a slight tension I couldn’t shake. The moment had felt a little off, but I couldn’t quite place why. Layla and I hadn’t seen William hang out with new people outside of school before, and this felt... new.

The two of them made their way upstairs to William’s room, where he and Asia were settling in. It wasn’t long before Mrs. Prescott called us all downstairs to eat. As we all sat around the dinner table, I could tell William was trying to be his usual self, but there was an awkwardness that lingered in the air. He seemed to keep glancing at Asia every now and then, as if unsure of what to say.

After the usual introductions and small talk, William mentioned, “I joined the badminton team at school this year. It’s my last year, might as well make the most of it, right?” His tone was light and casual.

“Oh, that’s great!” Layla’s dad said, clearly excited. “Badminton’s fun. We had a team when I was in high school.”

William grinned. “Yeah, it’s a good way to blow off some steam. Considering I used to play on middle school I figured why not try again.”

Asia seemed to perk up at that, smiling. “I’m actually the captain of the girls’ badminton team at my school,” she said, a little shy but proud of it. “I’ve been playing since I was a freshman.”

“Well, it sounds like you two have something in common,” Layla’s mom chimed in.

We all continued talking, sharing stories about high school and random things we had been up to. I had to admit, Asia seemed like a cool person. She was easy to talk to, and she quickly adjusted to the flow of the conversation.

After dinner, everyone helped clear the table. William and Asia stayed behind to talk, and Layla and I exchanged a look across the room.

“So, what do you think?” Layla asked quietly, leaning in as she dried a dish.

I glanced toward the living room. “About what?”

“About them, I mean they look cute together.” she said, gesturing slightly toward William and Asia.

I shrugged, not wanting to sound too obvious. “I think it’s fine. They’re just hanging out.”

Layla nodded but didn’t say anything. I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was—William had never really brought anyone around like this before. It felt like something was shifting, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was definitely... different.

We stayed in the kitchen for a little longer, talking about random things, before Layla’s dad called us all into the living room to relax. William and Asia had retreated upstairs, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his mind. It wasn’t like him to bring someone home without any heads-up.

Dinner had been nice, though, and the evening was relaxing. But as the night wore on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the start of something new. The vibe between us all was different—more so with William than with anyone else. I didn’t know why, but something told me that this weekend, despite all its normalcy, was about to mark the beginning of a new chapter.

I didn’t know what that chapter would bring, but I was starting to think it might be more complicated than I first thought.

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