My phone vibrates while I’m still helping Linda put away the kids’ paintbrushes.
A message from Maddie.
Maddie: We’re waiting for you. Where are you?
“Shit,” I mutter.
We had plans. I completely forgot.
Me: I’m on my way!
“Linda, I’m so sorry, I have to run! I had an appointment and… I totally lost track of time.”
She gives me that little smile of hers.
“Go, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon. And… breathe.”
I nod and rush out.
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I jump in the car and dive into traffic toward the city center.
The shopping street is packed, as always—bright windows, music spilling out of stores, people laughing with bags in their hands. I park, grab my bag and jacket, and practically sprint.
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I spot them in front of a shoe store, all three leaning against the window.
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“Girls, I’m so sorry!” I say, breathless. “I didn’t realize the time.”
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Maddie crosses her arms.
“Vale, where’s your head these days? Because it’s definitely not with us. You forgot the appointment—just admit it.”
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Chloe adjusts her sunglasses, even though we’re standing in the shade.
“Sweetheart, you look like the main character in a romance movie who just made a huge mess and is pretending she didn’t. It’s all very… suspicious.”
She waves her hand dramatically, like she’s performing on stage.
Carol laughs, shaking her head.
“I’m just saying—Vale never forgets anything. So something’s up.”
“There’s nothing!” I protest—too fast.
They exchange a look.
That look.
The one that means: okay, we’re exposing her.
Chloe swings her bag over her shoulder like she’s about to step onto a runway, then points a finger at me, all theatrical.
“Okay, sweetheart. You’ll tell us everything later over drinks. But right now, move. We have an entire street to raid and a wardrobe to resurrect.”
Maddie claps once, loudly.
“Finally! Vale, no excuses today. You’re late, you’re weird, and I need a distraction. So: therapeutic shopping.”
Carol smiles.
“Get ready, because we’re not leaving without at least three full bags. And Vale… this will be good for you. Trust me.”
Before I can say anything, Chloe hooks her arm through mine and drags me into the first store.
And from there… chaos.
Beautiful chaos.
Clothes everywhere.
Colors, fabrics, mirrors, lights that are way too bright.
In three seconds Chloe is already wearing a huge hat, a fuchsia bag under her arm, and oversized sunglasses.
“These say don’t talk to me, I’m the Queen,” she declares.
Maddie snorts.
“They say don’t talk to me, I’ve lost touch with reality.”
Carol bends over laughing, and I laugh with her.
We try on clothes I’d never wear in real life, but somehow feel perfect in that moment.
Chloe steps out of the fitting room in a fire‑red dress and does a fake runway walk, hand on her hip, diva stare.
Carol tries on glitter heels and almost falls, and Maddie catches her.
Maddie follows with giant sunglasses and a tiny bag.
Then it’s my turn.
Maddie literally shoves me into a fitting room.
“Try this. And this. And THIS.”
She throws three dresses at me without even checking if I catch them.
“Maddie!” I protest, laughing already.
“No Maddie. Today we’re transforming you.”
I try on a simple, light dress, and the moment I step out, all three turn toward me at the same time.
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
“Vale…”
“Okay, this should be illegal.”
“Girls, stop,” I say, but I’m smiling like an idiot.
Chloe comes closer, fixes a strap on my shoulder, and whispers:
“Sweetheart… if he sees you like this, he’ll faint.”
“Who?” I ask—too quickly.
Three eyebrows shoot up at once.
I blush immediately.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” Maddie asks.
“Like you’re hiding something,” Carol adds.
“Or someone,” Chloe finishes, smirking.
“Okay,” Maddie says, crossing her arms. “Drinks. Now. And you talk.”
Chloe nods decisively.
“Yes, sweetheart. Because I smell romantic trouble. And I love romantic trouble.”
Carol gives me a softer smile.
“Vale… we’re here. Whatever it is.”
I nod, already dreading their thousand questions.
We reach the bar looking like a criminal gang… loaded with bags.
Chloe has so many she looks like she’s moving houses. Maddie carries three in each hand. Carol keeps laughing because one of hers keeps slipping.
“Okay, enough,” Maddie says, dropping everything on an empty table. “I can’t feel my arms. Vale, this is your fault.”
“Mine?!” I protest, placing my two sad little bags down. “I barely bought anything!”
“Exactly. We had to compensate. This is professional shopping,” Chloe says, taking off her sunglasses dramatically. “Not for beginners.”
We sit, still half out of breath.
The waiter comes and we order without thinking.
“Four spritz!”
When he leaves, Maddie turns toward me with that expression I know too well.
The interrogation one.
“So, Vale…”
She adjusts herself like she’s about to open a classified file.
“What are you hiding? You’ve been somewhere else lately.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but Chloe beats me to it.
She leans back, crosses her legs, and says with a slow, ironic, confident smile:
“Somewhere else… or on someone’s lips? And I’m being polite—let’s stick to lips.”
I freeze.
Mistake.
I shouldn’t have frozen.
Chloe’s eyes widen, then she bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God, wait—wait! It was a joke! A joke! I didn’t think there was actually someone!”
I say nothing.
And that’s worse than anything.
Carol leans forward.
“Vale… really? Something happened? Who is it? Do we know him?”
Maddie inches closer.
“Oh my God. Vale. Don’t tell me it’s who I think it is.”
Chloe and Carol turn toward her in perfect sync.
“Who?” they say together.
I want to sink under the table.
The waiter arrives with the drinks, giving me ten seconds of oxygen.
But as soon as he leaves…
Their eyes are back on me.
Three pairs of eyes.
My spritz trembling slightly in my hand.
That suspended silence louder than the music around us.
I inhale slowly.
“It’s… Kai.”
They freeze for one second.
Then:
“Whooo?!” Chloe and Carol explode, loud enough that a nearby table turns.
Maddie doesn’t turn.
She just nods.
She already knew.
“Exactly,” she says, pointing at me with her glass. “Kai. That Kai.”
Carol covers her mouth.
“Wait, wait… Kai, the one who owns the club we always go dancing at? That Kai?”
I don’t answer.
I don’t need to.
My silence is already a confession.
Chloe grins like she’s just been handed the gossip of the year.
“Ohhh, now I know who he is.”
She bites her lip, amused.
“Sweetheart… excellent catch. A whole damn snack. Actually—full meal.”
She winks so dramatically she almost spills her drink.
I blush.
Obviously.
“Girls, don’t start,” I say, trying to sound composed. “Let’s just say… it wasn’t planned. It just happened.”
Maddie leans in.
“What do you mean ‘it happened’?”
“I’ve seen him a few times. Then last night he took me somewhere and… we kissed.”
I swallow.
“But that’s it. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
Chloe shakes her head, smirking.
“Vale… you’re not talking like someone who thinks it’s ‘not serious’.”
Carol nods.
“And you don’t sound convinced at all.”
Maddie looks at me like she can read my thoughts.
“You’re already in deep. Vale, we’ve talked about this. You know he’s not the serious type.”
I grip my glass, trying to look calm.
“Maddie, seriously… you’re exaggerating.”
Carol adds softly:
“Yeah, I’ve heard things too. You could get hurt.”
Chloe tucks her hair behind her ear and drops it casually:
“Well, let’s just say he changes girl every night.”
Maddie shoots her a death glare.
Carol sighs. “Chloee…”
“What? What did I say?” she replies, hands up. “It’s true.”
I run a hand through my hair, pretending I didn’t hear that.
“Girls, we’re creating a problem… but there is no problem.”
I force a smile.
“I’m sure he won’t even reach out again. It was just a kiss.”
Just a kiss.
Except that kiss stirred something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Like being a teenager again.
Like someone flipped a switch I didn’t know was still there.
But knowing what people say about him, I don’t want to admit it.
I want to pretend it was just a moment.
Maddie takes my hand—her silent way of saying I care about you.
“Sweetheart… you know we love you. We just don’t want you to get hurt.”
I nod, trying to lighten the mood.
“Really, don’t worry. There’s no danger.”
I smile.
“I’ll keep living my boring life: work, university… and hanging out with my crazy friends.”
Chloe raises her glass.
“Crazy? Sweetheart, we keep you alive.”
Carol laughs.
Maddie shakes her head, but she’s smiling too.
We finish our drinks, the ice clinking softly.
We gather our bags, stand up together, still laughing at something Chloe said.
We say goodbye by the cars, each of us loaded with bags and leftover giggles.
When I close the door and I’m finally alone, the quiet inside the car feels almost strange after all that chaos.
I set the bags on the seat, start the engine.
The dashboard lights up slowly.
A small smile escapes me—uninvited.
I buckle up, breathe, and tell myself tomorrow will be a normal day.
My usual routine.
And yet, as I drive home, that familiar feeling creeps in again.
The one that’s been following me since I met him.
The one that shows up when something stays in your head longer than it should.
I try not to think about it.
I don’t want to think about it.
I drive.
And that’s it.
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and then Add to home screen.