CHAPTER 18 — BEGINNINGS DON’T WAIT FOR PERMISSION
421 Words
The rest of the day goes smoother than she expects.
Not good.
Not easy.
But steadier.
She drinks water.
She eats.
Priya forces her to take breaks.
Rico sits beside her in Music again, humming quietly as he tunes his guitar.
When he catches her staring, he smiles in that easy, boyish way that feels like sunlight through a window.
Rico: “Better day?”
Malisa nods. “A little.”
Rico: “Good. You deserve a little.”
Something warm blooms in her chest.
He doesn’t push.
He doesn’t ask about Keon.
He doesn’t ask what they talked about.
He just exists beside her in a way that makes breathing easier.
When class ends, he walks her to her bus stop — not because she asked, but because he noticed she looked tired again.
They stand there in the cool air.
Quiet.
But not uncomfortable.
Rico kicks a pebble lightly and glances sideways at her.
Rico: “You don’t have to say anything. I just… wanna make sure you’re okay.”
Malisa: “You always do.”
He smiles softly.
Rico: “Someone has to.”
Her breath catches.
Because the way he says it isn’t romantic.
But it could be.
And that’s the dangerous part.
She looks down at her hands.
“I don’t want to confuse anything.”
Rico tilts his head. “Confuse what?”
Malisa hesitates. “Me. You. Keon. Everything.”
Rico’s smile fades into something more serious.
Rico: “I’m not trying to take anyone’s place, Liss.”
Her chest tightens.
He continues quietly:
Rico: “But I won’t pretend I don’t care about you. A lot.”
Her heartbeat jumps.
Rico steps closer.
Not touching.
Not pushing.
Just close enough to make her feel the air shift.
Rico: “Whatever you need from me — a friend, someone to talk to, someone to just sit next to you when things get loud — I’ll be that. No pressure. No expectations.”
Her eyes sting.
Because it’s everything she didn’t know she needed.
The bus arrives.
Rico steps back.
Rico: “Get home safe, yeah?”
She nods, swallowing hard.
As she gets on, she looks back.
He’s still watching her.
Still waiting until the bus pulls away.
Still steady.
And she realises something terrifying:
Keon is the love she’s scared of losing.
Rico is the calm she didn’t know she was missing.
And she’s standing in the middle.
Trying to find herself before she chooses anything — or anyone — at all.
- Writer
