I'm pretty sure my face is still glowing as I sit down across from Kiara, my tray clattering slightly against the table. She doesn't say anything, just lifts her sandwich and takes a bite like she didn't just turn my whole day around.
"Feeling better now?" she asks after a moment, her eyes dancing with amusement.
I can't help it- a grin breaks through. "A lot better, actually."
Dahlia smirks from beside Kiara, not even looking up from her soda. "Kissing him in the lunch line really did work wonders. You're like a saint, Kiara."
Kiara's face flushes faintly, but she shrugs. "I'm just that good."
Aadhi leans back in his chair, shaking his head. "It's like watching a sitcom. One kiss and Theo goes from moody loner to this. A miracle, truly." I know Aadhi's trying to make the reason of my bad mood this morning seem lighter than it was, so I shoot him a quick thank-you glance before retorting to his comment.
"Hey," I protest, though I can't keep the amusement out of my voice. "I wasn't that bad."
Dahlia arches a brow, leveling me with a pointed look. "You've been brooding all morning like the world was ending. And now look at you- grinning like you've won Wimbledon."
Kiara rolls her eyes at Dahlia's dramatics but shoots me a small, knowing smile. "Maybe he just needed a little motivation."
"Motivation, huh?" Aadhi drawls, picking up a fry from his tray with an eyebrow raise. "If this is what you're like with one kiss, what happens when-"
"Aadhi," Kiara says, her tone warning, though her lips twitch with the threat of a smile. Her index finger is pointing at him in warning, but she hardly looks menacing with her dimples and furrowed eyebrows.
"What?" he asks, holding up his hands. "I'm just saying-"
"You're saying too much," I cut in, though I'm still smiling. Kiara's gaze flickers to mine, and for a moment, the noise around us fades, leaving just the two of us. Under the table, her foot brushes against mine lightly, the contact brief but intentional. I nudge her back, a soft grin tugging at my lips.
"Awww," Dahlia remarks, noticing. "The foot thing. Guys, seriously?"
"It's not a thing," Kiara says smoothly, popping a fry into her mouth like she's completely unbothered.
"It's definitely a thing," Dahlia shoots back, her tone teasing. "First the kiss, now this? I feel like I'm intruding on a rom-com."
"You're the one to talk," Kiara says, though her eyes sparkle with humor. "Also, what do you mean, rom-com? Where's the comedy?"
Dahlia just shrugs halfheartedly before poking at her salad, though I swear the cough she made after sounded a lot like High-school-dance. "Dahlia," Aadhi says, shaking his head. "They've been like this since day one."
Kiara steals a fry off my tray before anyone can say more. "Thanks," she says, popping it into her mouth with an innocent look. I blink at her. "Did you just—"
"What fry?" she interrupts, her expression the picture of feigned innocence.
"You're lucky you're in front of me and not next to me," I mutter under my breath before adding, "...because I'd be distracting you so much you'd forget to eat at all."
I meet Kiara's gaze with a small smirk, causing her to flush red, though the similar smirk on her face says otherwise. Thankfully, Aadhi and Dahlia began bickering about something else, so they didn't hear the small conversation Kiara and I just had.
Dahlia scoffs loudly, pulling me from my thoughts. "I think I'd be asked first by them, anyway."
"Why would they?" Aadhi asks before returning his attention to me. "Theo, whenever your wedding is, I just want you to make sure that I'm your best man before Dahlia is maid of honor, OK?"
"Okay, that's pushing it," Kiara cuts in, though her cheeks are a little pink. "Can we just eat in peace?"
Aadhi and Dahlia laugh but eventually move on to debating football stats, leaving Kiara and me to sit in companionable quiet. She fiddles with the sticker on her apple, her focus completely on the task before groaning loudly. "Ugh, Theo, could you help me with this?" She hands me the apple with a disgruntled look. "I can't get the sticker off."
Grabbing the apple, I nearly immediately pull it off before handing it to her with a lopsided grin. "Kiara West, are you sure you couldn't get the sticker off, or did you just want an excuse to talk to your boyfriend?"
She denies the statement, though when I glance at her brown eyes, I can tell she meant otherwise.
The rest of lunch flies by in a blur of teasing and casual banter, and for the first time all day, my head doesn't feel so heavy. It's not just the kiss—though that was kind of incredible. It's Kiara, Aadhi, and Dahlia. Being with them makes everything else feel lighter like maybe I don't have to carry it all alone.
When the lunch bell rings and we start gathering our things, Kiara lingers for a moment, her voice soft. "See you after school?"
"Yeah," I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "See you."
She gives me a small smile before turning away, but I quickly grab her wrist, gently twirling her around to face me. "Also, if you want to talk to me, you don't need to use an apple to get my attention. Trust me, you don't need to try so hard." I whisper before letting her go.
"Sure, Theo. Sure."
As I follow Aadhi out of the cafeteria, I glance back once to see her still at the table getting her stuff with Dahlia, laughing at something she said. Somehow, the day feels so much better.
A/n: Y'all this shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did, but when I was typing out "Kiara West" for some reason it autocorrected it to "Wheat" and I spent a whole five minutes laughing as I envisioned a farm.
I don't think I'm OK.
I don't think my sense of humor's OK either.
Anyway, how are we enjoying Kiara and Theo's dynamic so far? I love the way they get along.
Bye, guys!
- <3 P!nkL3monade
