Episode 3:TOO VISIBLE
627 Words
Amina knew two things the moment she stepped onto campus the next morning.
One — she hadn’t slept well.
Two — she was already looking for Zuri.
She hated that about herself.
Her eyes scanned faces without permission, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. She told herself it was just anxiety, just habit. But deep down, she knew the truth made her uncomfortable.
She wanted to see her.
That realization settled like a weight in her chest.
She spotted Zuri near the student center, laughing with someone, posture loose and open. People gravitated toward her naturally. She wasn’t trying to be noticed — she just was.
Amina slowed her steps.
This is dangerous, she thought. Not Zuri — the feeling. The way her chest tightened when she imagined walking over. The way her name seemed to echo in her head when she thought of Zuri saying it.
“Amina.”
She flinched.
Zuri was suddenly right in front of her.
“Hey,” Zuri said, smiling softly. “You look like you’re about to run.”
“I wasn’t,” Amina replied too quickly.
Zuri tilted her head. “You sure?”
Amina glanced around. Students passed by. Laughter. Conversations. Too many eyes. Too much noise.
“I don’t like crowded places,” she said.
“That’s funny,” Zuri replied gently. “You didn’t say that yesterday.”
Amina’s fingers curled around the strap of her bag. “Yesterday was different.”
“How?”
She hesitated.
“Yesterday… it was quiet.”
Zuri nodded slowly, like she understood more than Amina had said. “And today feels too open.”
Amina met her eyes, surprised. “Yes.”
They stood there, the space between them charged. Zuri took a small step closer — not enough to touch, just enough to be felt.
“Does it bother you,” Zuri asked quietly, “that people can see us talking?”
Amina’s heart skipped.
“I don’t want people assuming things,” she said.
Zuri didn’t smile this time. “What kind of things?”
Amina swallowed. “Things that aren’t their business.”
Silence stretched.
Zuri leaned back slightly, giving her space. “So this is about them. Not me.”
Amina’s voice dropped. “It’s about me.”
She exhaled shakily. “I’ve spent a long time making sure no one looks too closely. When people look… they ask questions. And when they ask questions, things change.”
Zuri studied her face. “Has that gone badly for you before?”
Amina didn’t answer right away.
“That’s not something I talk about,” she said finally.
Zuri nodded once. “Okay.”
Just okay. No pushing. No prying.
That almost hurt more.
“I don’t want to be invisible,” Zuri added softly. “But I don’t want to force you into the spotlight either.”
Amina looked up at her. “You’re not invisible.”
Zuri smiled faintly. “I know. That’s the problem, isn’t it?”
Amina laughed under her breath, nervous. “You make it hard to hide.”
“Good,” Zuri said. Then, gentler, “But I can meet you halfway.”
A group of students walked past, one of them glancing their way. Amina instinctively stepped back.
Zuri noticed.
She didn’t follow.
“I’ll see you later,” Zuri said instead. “If you want.”
Amina hesitated, fear and longing fighting inside her.
“I want,” she admitted quietly.
Zuri’s smile this time was slow and patient. “Then I’ll be around.”
As Zuri walked away, Amina stood frozen, heart racing.
She wasn’t ready to be seen.
But for the first time, she wondered what it would feel like to stop hiding.
- Writer
