CHAPTER TWO:Familiar Strangers
786 Words
Rain arrived just after sunset.
Not the heavy kind.
Just enough to leave the roads shining beneath the streetlights.
Kayda sat by her bedroom window, a textbook open on her lap.
She had been staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes.
Her phone buzzed.
Jaden ❤️
"Still awake?"
She smiled.
"Trying to study."
"Trying?"
"Keyword: trying."
A laughing emoji appeared, followed by another message.
"Dad says you looked terrified when the glass broke today."
Kayda frowned.
"Your dad noticed that?"
"He notices everything."
Her fingers paused above the keyboard.
She didn't know why those words unsettled her.
She typed anyway.
"I was just surprised."
"Don't worry. He's always been like that."
Always been like that.
Observant.
Quiet.
Controlled.
She locked her phone before she could think about it any longer.
---
The next afternoon, campus was alive with music from the student center.
Jaden found Kayda outside the library, balancing two iced coffees.
"I come bearing gifts."
She laughed.
"You know coffee isn't a gift. It's survival."
"Exactly."
He handed her a cup and took her free hand.
"So..."
"So?"
"My birthday is next weekend."
"I know."
"And Dad wants to have dinner at home."
Kayda nodded.
"Okay."
"He invited you."
Her smile faded just enough for Jaden to notice.
"You don't have to come if you're uncomfortable."
"I'm not uncomfortable."
"You hesitated."
"I just..."
She searched for the right words.
"I don't want your dad to feel like I'm invading your family time."
Jaden chuckled.
"If Dad didn't want you there, he wouldn't have invited you."
She hoped he was right.
---
Saturday arrived sooner than expected.
Kayda stood in front of her wardrobe longer than she cared to admit.
Too casual?
Too formal?
Why did it matter?
She wasn't dressing for Mateo.
She was going to celebrate Jaden.
Finally, she chose a simple navy dress and tied her hair back.
When she reached the house, the smell of grilled meat drifted from the backyard.
Laughter floated through the open windows.
For the first time, the house felt... alive.
Jaden spotted her immediately.
"There she is!"
He jogged over and hugged her.
"You look beautiful."
She smiled shyly.
"Happy birthday."
"I was waiting for you."
He took her hand and led her inside.
"Everyone's here."
---
The dining room buzzed with conversation.
An aunt teased Jaden about turning another year older.
His younger cousins chased each other through the hallway.
It was loud.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Kayda relaxed.
Until she felt it.
A familiar presence.
She looked toward the kitchen.
Mateo stood near the counter, arranging plates.
Their eyes met for barely a second.
He gave a polite nod.
"Good evening, Kayda."
"Good evening."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Yet somehow, she found herself looking away first.
---
Dinner passed easily.
Jaden kept everyone laughing with stories from university.
Kayda joined in, grateful that the attention wasn't on her.
Halfway through the meal, Jaden's aunt smiled across the table.
"So, Kayda..."
"Yes?"
"How long have you two been together now?"
"Almost a year," Jaden answered proudly before she could.
His aunt smiled warmly.
"You make a lovely couple."
Kayda felt Jaden squeeze her hand beneath the table.
Across from them, Mateo quietly lifted his glass of water.
His expression never changed.
But for a brief moment...
His eyes dropped to their joined hands.
Then he looked away.
---
After dinner, everyone moved into the garden for cake.
The string lights glowed softly above their heads.
Children laughed as they ran across the lawn.
Kayda stepped away for a moment, needing a little air.
The garden was peaceful.
She closed her eyes.
"You don't like crowds."
She turned.
Mateo stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets.
"It gets a little overwhelming," she admitted.
"I noticed."
She smiled faintly.
"You notice a lot."
A small silence settled between them.
"I used to be the same," he said quietly.
"You?"
He nodded.
"I still am."
For the first time, Kayda saw something different in him.
Not authority.
Not distance.
Loneliness.
Before she could respond, Jaden called from the patio.
"Kayda! Come make a wish with me."
She laughed.
"Only the birthday person gets a wish."
"I need moral support."
She looked back at Mateo.
"I should go."
He stepped aside.
"You should."
As she walked away, she didn't notice the phone vibrating in Mateo's pocket.
He glanced at the screen.
Unknown Number
You're getting too comfortable around her.
Mateo stared at the message.
Then slowly looked toward the garden, where Jaden and Kayda laughed together beneath the lights.
His jaw tightened.
Without replying, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Some secrets...
Had a way of finding you, no matter how carefully you buried them.
- Writer
