Victim

God, am I lucky with her

Kylie's POV

It's Monday, and Malia and I are in her room. I might have skipped a lecture to hang out with her, but who cares? It was a boring class anyway. She's sitting at her desk, completely focused on her coursework, while I'm sprawled out on her bed watching her. It's adorable how she tries so hard to concentrate, but every now and then, I catch her sneaking glances at me. The moment our eyes meet, she quickly looks away, her cheeks tinged with the faintest blush.

"Mia," I call out, staring lazily at the ceiling.

"Yes, Kylie?" she says, turning to face me, her voice curious but amused.

I sit up, patting the spot beside me. "Come here," I say, grinning.

She rolls her eyes but gets up from her desk and walks over. I pull her down onto the bed, and she lets out a soft laugh as she falls onto the mattress beside me, her head landing perfectly on my chest.

"If we weren't already dating, where would you take me on a first date?" I ask her, playing with her hair absentmindedly.

She tilts her head, thinking for a moment. "I'd take you to the planetarium," she says, a little proud of her answer.

I scoff, pushing her playfully. "Girl, bye. You would not get a second date."

Her jaw drops, and she sits up abruptly. "What? That's a cute idea! Imagine, like, stargazing—" she says, gesturing dramatically to prove her point.

"Nobu only," I tease, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms.

She scoffs right back. "Pfft. Nobu only, huh?"

Before she can retort further, we hear the front door swing open, followed by Momona's voice. "We're home, and we brought food!"

I spring up, energized. "Yes, food! I'm starving," I say, picking up Malia as if she weighs nothing.

"Kylie, put me down!" she protests, laughing as she wiggles in my arms.

I carry her into the living room, and Xóchitl and Dior exchange knowing looks, chuckling to themselves. Momona, ever the instigator, whips out her phone to snap a picture, so I hoist Malia even higher just for dramatic effect.

"Aha, so this is why you weren't in class," Dior says, smirking at me.

"Kylie, down. Now," Malia demands, trying to sound firm through her laughter.

I set her down, grinning as she straightens her clothes and gives me a mock glare.

"Aww, cute. You listen to your girlfriend," Dior teases, winking.

I flip her off playfully, but Malia crosses her arms and looks at me with mock sternness. "You told me you didn't have any more classes today."

"Oh, someone's in trouble," Xóchitl says with a sing-song tone, grabbing plates from the cabinet.

I flash Malia my most charming smile, hoping she'll find it sweet that I skipped class just to be with her. Judging by the unimpressed look on her face, though, she doesn't seem amused. "Okay, so maybe I told one little lie..."

Malia smacks me lightly on the back of my head. "You shouldn't be skipping, Ky," she scolds, though her voice softens at the end.

I nod obediently, knowing better than to argue with miss goody-two-shoes.

"Um, Kylie, we didn't know you'd be joining us, so you're getting a little bit of everyone's food, alright?" Momona says, balancing a couple of containers in her hands.

I'm about to say, Thanks, it's okay, but Malia beats me to it. "It's okay. I'm not really hungry—she can have my food," she says quickly, her voice casual but almost too nonchalant.

I glance at her, suspicious. At lunch earlier, she barely ate a tiny salad, and now she's claiming she's not hungry? "Malia, are you sure?" I ask, my tone laced with concern.

She just nods and gives me a small smile, rubbing her collarbone absentmindedly. Something feels off, but I decide not to press her about it. Maybe she really isn't hungry, or maybe she's not feeling well.

I grab the plate and take a seat on the couch, and Malia follows with two glasses of water. We all settle in to eat, chatting and joking around. I try to feed Malia a few bites from my plate, but she shakes her head each time, politely declining. Eventually, I sigh and drop it, though I make a mental note to keep an eye on her.

"Kylie," Xóchitl says with her mouth half-full, "what are you doing for Malia's birthday?"

I choke on my food, startled by the question. Malia's birthday? My eyes widen as I realize I never even thought to ask her when it was. Malia pats my back, concerned, and hands me my water while Dior snickers knowingly.

"Yeah, it's in ten days," Dior says, her smirk making it clear she's aware of my blunder.

"It's a surprise," I manage to say after a quick recovery, taking another bite and avoiding eye contact.

Xóchitl tilts her head, narrowing her eyes at me like she's trying to read my mind. "Mm-hmm," she hums, unconvinced, but thankfully changes the subject to some juicy gossip she heard earlier.

My phone buzzes in my lap, and I glance down at the screen.

Dior: December 18th. You better get her something special—golden birthday...

"Shit," I mutter under my breath. My face goes pale, and Malia notices immediately.

"You okay, Ky?" she asks softly, scooting closer and rubbing my back. Her warm, worried eyes make my heart twist.

I panic, shoving my phone onto the couch with more force than intended, and it clatters loudly to the floor. Dior bursts out laughing, and I shoot her a murderous glare before turning back to Malia, who's watching me with confusion.

"It was just Ruby asking when I'm coming home," I lie, forcing a smile.

She nods, satisfied with my answer, and returns to her conversation with Xóchitl, leaving me to spiral in my thoughts. I need to get out of here and start planning—fast.

"You know what," I say, standing abruptly. "I should probably head to back home now."

Malia gets up too. "Okay, I'll walk you out."

"Malia, the door is literally, like, one inch away," I tease, laughing as I put my plate on the counter.

She rolls her eyes but pushes me toward the door anyway. "Fine. Then no goodbye kiss. Your loss."

"Wait, no, come here," I say, grabbing her waist and pulling her into a soft kiss.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. Bye, Kylie!" Momona calls out, dramatically shielding her eyes as if we're too gross to look at.

I laugh, letting go of Malia. "Alright, alright. Bye, guys. Thanks for the food!"

They all wave as I step out the door, but before I can leave, Malia opens it again and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, baby." she whispers with a shy smile before closing the door.

I stand there for a moment, my heart fluttering. God, am I lucky with her.

-

Next up, Miss Baker's birthday...