Expect The Unexpected (H-Town)

Bonjour!

Kaedi

A few weeks can really change your life if you let them.

If you would've told me a month ago that I'd be sitting on a plane headed to France, I would've laughed in your face and asked what kind of dream you were having. But here I was—seatbelt on, passport tucked in my bag, Leah asleep by the window, Stacey flipping through a magazine like she belonged everywhere she went.

And me?

I felt... free.

The guys had been gone on tour long enough for the ache to dull. Not disappear—but soften. Dino crossed my mind sometimes, usually late at night when everything slowed down. I wondered how he was doing. If he was eating right. If he was staying grounded.

But I didn't sit in those thoughts anymore.

I let them pass.

"Can you believe this?" Stacey said, nudging my knee.

"France, Kaedi. We really did that."

I smiled. "I still don't think it's real."

Hakeem leaned over from the aisle seat. "Trust me, it'll feel real when we step off that plane."

That was the thing about him—steady, calm, always present. No pressure. No expectations. Just... there.
When we landed, the air felt different. Softer somehow.

The streets were louder but calmer at the same time.

Paris moved at its own pace, and for once, I didn't feel like I had to rush to keep up.

That first night, we walked along the Seine, laughter echoing off the water. Leah held Leonce's hand like it was second nature. Stacey clung to Kadeem's arm, glowing in a way I hadn't seen in a long time.

And me?

I walked beside Hakeem, close but not tangled.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I said after a beat. "I really am."

And I meant it.

That afternoon, Stacey and Kadeem disappeared into a boutique, Leah and Leonce wandered toward a record shop, and somehow it ended up just being me and Hakeem.

No planning. No awkwardness.

Just... us.

We sat at a small café tucked between two narrow buildings, metal chairs pulled close, the table barely big enough for our cups. The smell of coffee and fresh bread floated through the air.

"You've been quiet," Hakeem said, studying me.

"Not quiet," I said softly. "Just present."

He smiled at that. "I like that version of you."

I wrapped my hands around my cup, warmth seeping into my palms.

"Being here makes everything feel smaller. The stress. The confusion."

"And the noise," he added. "Especially the noise."

I looked at him, really looked at him. He wasn't trying to impress me. Wasn't leaning in too close or saying too much. Just steady. Patient.

"I need you to know something," I said. "I'm still figuring myself out. I don't want you thinking this trip means I suddenly have all the answers."

"I don't," he said easily. "I just think it means you're open. That's enough for me."

That eased something deep in my chest.

We walked later that evening, the sky painted pink and gold, the city glowing like it knew it was beautiful.