Cedric
I was halfway through a plate of creamy pasta carbonara when the knock came.
I had deliberately put my phone face-down on the far side of the table an hour ago. Gwen was being too much tonight — too many messages, too many commands, too many soft little threats wrapped in royal entitlement. I needed the quiet. So I left the phone alone, turned the volume up on the television, and focused on eating.
The knock came again, lighter this time.
I stood, wiped my hands on a kitchen towel, and opened the door.
Lia stood there, smiling the same soft, familiar smile she had given me for years. My best friend’s younger sister. My neighbor. The girl I had quietly liked longer than I cared to admit.
“Hey,” she said, holding out a small box. “I bought too many chocolates and figured you mig
