Bonded In Love

Chapter 6

I decided to walk—it wasn’t far, just a few blocks. One of the things I loved about living here was how everything was within walking distance. As I made my way, I sent a quick text in the group chat.

Group Chat – The Nerd Nest

Nyxie: "Hey, just a reminder! 30 minutes or sooner at Ren’s shop. Don’t be late!"

I’d already given them a heads-up earlier, so it wouldn’t feel too last-minute.

"You won’t make it to Ren’s in 30 minutes at that pace."

I whipped around, startled. Zev rolls up on her skateboard, grinning. I laughed at her sudden appearance.

"Going for the grunge look today?" I ask, eyeing her outfit—plaid flannel tied around her waist, ripped baggy jeans, a tank top, and a backwards cap.

"Yeah, switching it up. Found an old photo of my mom dressed like this, and she looked so cool." "I’m bringing grunge back," she says, executing a quick trick on her board.

I get an idea while watching her. I take off running, and Zev pushes her skateboard faster to keep up. The rush of movement is exhilarating—I secure my bag and pick up speed, feeling like I could go even faster, like I’m barely tapping into my limits.

"Nyx!" "Whoa!" Zev calls out, struggling to catch up. "How are you so fast?!" She’s breathless, while I feel like I could still go further, push harder.

That’s when I realized—I need to pull back, to dial it down. I can’t let them see what I really am. I slowed my pace, easing into a light jog.

When Zev finally catches up, I offer a quick excuse. "I’ve been… working out," I say, acting like I’m winded, though I don’t feel the slightest bit exhausted.

"You?" "Working out?" "Yeah, okay," she scoffs, laughing. "The most exercise I’ve seen you do is chasing me around the house when I steal your favorite bag of chips."

I smirk, suddenly hyper-aware of the little things—our easy back-and-forth, the way she weaves around me on her skateboard, casually sipping her energy drink as she does tricks.

"Let me try that," I say, nodding toward her board.

"My skateboard? Seriously?" She laughs in disbelief.

On the way to the Loop, I hopped onto Zev’s skateboard, letting her guide me through the basics of balance.

"Wow, you’re a fast learner," she murmurs as I start to get the hang of it.

I shift my weight, feeling the board beneath me, and push forward. Zev runs after me, laughing—but all I can think about is how many times she’s offered to teach me before, how I never took her up on it. Regret washes over me. I should have spent more time with my friends, done more, been more present.

I handed her board back, and we made our way into the plaza.

"Thanks, Zev," I murmured, giving her a small smile.

"Anytime, Nyx. You know you’re always welcome to use it. "Glad you’re finally showing some interest," she says with a grin.

As we pass by our favorite boba tea spot, I steal a glance at it, hoping that wherever I’m headed, there’s something similar. I don’t think I could live without it.

When we step into Ren’s shop, he’s already making his way out.

"Nyxie!" He grins, clearly surprised. "Rev!" "You got here way faster than thirty minutes." "I’m done for the day—let’s get some boba." He gives me a quick side hug and fist-bumps Zev.

We head back to our usual spot, and I scan for an open table—most of them are outside.

"Sit here, I’ll get our drinks," I offer. It’s the least I can do—a final farewell gesture, though the thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Ren starts to protest. "Nyx, no, let me ge—"

"Ren, no. You always offer." "Let me do this, just this once," I say gently.

He gives me a warm smile. "That’s really nice of you, Nyx. At least let me order with you."

I returned his smile. "Alright." My voice comes out soft.

Zev barely looks up from her phone, too distracted to care.

"The usual?" I ask her.

She just nods, and we make our way inside.

Ren and I stand side by side, scanning the menu.

"I’m getting matcha and mango—the biggest size they have," I say quietly, still focused on the board.

"I think I’ll switch it up this time—going for milk tea with vanilla," Ren muses.

I nod. "Good choice," I reply, eyes still on the menu.

"Nyxie…you’re—" His voice drops, and I feel the light touch of his fingertips against my cheek.

"You’re crying," he says softly, turning to face me fully.

I blinked at him, confused, then reached up to touch my own cheek. My fingers brush against the dampness.

"Crying?" I let out a disbelieving laugh, then another—sharper, more frantic. "It’s nothing, oh my god, this is embarrassing." I muttered, trying to brush it off.

Ren doesn’t buy it. His brows knit together as he watched me carefully.

"Nyxie," he breathes, voice low and serious. "I know you." "Something’s wrong—you’re not acting like yourself."

There’s real worry in his eyes now.

"It’s nothing!" "Let’s just get our drinks." I stepped forward and place the order for everyone. Mira isn’t picky—she’s tried almost everything on the menu—so I pick one she hasn’t had in a while.

Ren and I carried the drinks back to the table, where Mira has already joined us. She’s her usual bright and animated self, laughing loudly as she recounts my recent weird behavior—how I growled at her, kept complaining about being thirsty, had a pounding headache, and even threatened to rip my clothes off because I felt so overheated.

Ren raises an eyebrow at me. "She also started crying just now. Then laughed."

I stared at him, shocked that he actually said that out loud.

"I think it’s just your time of the month," Mira chimes in casually.

"Yeah, probably," I mutter, taking a sip of my boba, desperate for the attention to shift away from me. But that isn’t going to happen.

Not when I’m about to tell them I’m leaving tonight.

Not when I’ll probably never see them again.

We talked for a while, but I still couldn’t bring myself to say it. There have been so many chances, yet I let each one slip away.

Instead, we dive into our plans for senior year—the outfits we’ll wear to prom and graduation, which family members will be there, the legendary after-party at Mira’s. We go over classes, electives, the club, and who will take over next year. There’s so much ahead, so many things to look forward to.

Between reminiscing about the past four years and laughing at old memories, we start listing people on our unofficial Do Not Friend list—boyfriends Mira has blacklisted, included.

"So, Zev, are you taking that hot redhead from your calc class to prom?" Mira asks, sipping her tea, eyebrows raised suggestively.

"Ash?" Zev blinks, caught off guard.

"We’re friends," she replies casually, but the way she shifts in her seat tells us everything.

They definitely are not just friends.

Zev shifts the conversation. "Nyx, are you and Ren going together?"

Ren stiffens slightly, his turn to look uneasy.

"I mean… I wouldn’t mind." "I’d rather go with someone I know than just anyone else," he says softly.

"Yeah, let’s go—you and me," I reply, meeting his eyes.

That familiar emotional tug hits me again. This is it. It’s time.

"So, uh… I wanted to tell you all this in person instead of over chat," I begin.

Mira looks up from her phone, her expression unreadable.

"You’re moving." "We know," she says quietly, taking a sip of her drink.

I paused, then glance at Zev and Ren before finally admitting,

"I am." "But it’s far—way more than just a hundred miles from here," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

The conversation stills in an instant.

"What?" Mira and Zev say at the same time, their voices edged with disbelief.

I swallowed hard. "I’m moving far." "I don’t know when I’ll be back." "There’s an art college and university where I’ll be going too." My words feel rehearsed—practiced with Darius’s help—but saying them out loud doesn’t make them any easier.

"This is really hard. I don’t want to go, but I—"

Mira cuts in, setting her phone and drink down with force. "Nyxie, you’ll be eighteen soon. You don’t have to leave just because your mom is. You got held back a year, so you—"

"Mira, I can’t just leave my mom with that guy." "He seems good, but… I need to be with her until I know she’ll be okay on her own," I say softly, trying to make her understand.

She exhales sharply, frustration creeping into her expression.

"Nyxie, do you even hear yourself?" she says, her voice tight. "You’re babysitting your mom. There’s going to come a time when you need to let go—live your own life. You have one more year left at our school. Are you really going to throw that away? Start all over somewhere new? After everything?" "This doesn’t seem fair to you, Nyxie."

She leans forward, arms resting against the table, looking straight at me—waiting for an answer.

Zev nods in agreement, while Ren just stares at me, frowning slightly, biting his lower lip like he wants to speak—but he doesn’t.

I pushed myself up from my seat.

"Look, it’s getting late." "I’m leaving tonight." "I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you—this all came as a shock to me too."

They sit back, stunned, unsure how to respond.

"Wait… you mean you’re actually leaving? Like, packed and leaving tonight?" Mira’s voice is laced with disbelief.

"No shopping with us?" "Not even staying for the first few weeks of senior year?" She looks at me, hurt, settling into her expression.

"I’m sorry, Mira." It’s all I managed to say.

She stands abruptly. "Can we visit you?" "We should at least know where the hell you're going." Her frustration seeps into her words, tinged with anger.

"Nyx said over 100 miles, Mira." "You’re seriously going to drive that far?" Zev asks, surprised.

"YES!" Mira exclaims without hesitation.

I looked at her, sadness creeping into my expression. "I can’t." "I wish I could, but it’s… it’s in some secluded, upper-class place." I try to explain, but even to me, it sounds absurd.

"This is insane," Mira mutters, grabbing her phone and drink before storming off.

"Mira," I call after her, my voice catching as my eyes start to water.

Zev scratches her head before standing. "Let me go talk to her," she says, heading off toward Mira.

That leaves just Ren and me.

"You’re really leaving, Nyx?" "Is that why you were crying?" His voice is soft as he looks down at me.

I glance up at him, and suddenly, everything I’ve been holding in spills over. The weight of my new reality—the move, the fresh start, the uncertainty—rushes through me, and I break completely.

Ren pulls me into his chest, holding me gently as I sob, the overwhelming emotions shaking through me. I cry until his shirt is damp, and he strokes my back in quiet reassurance, his face resting against the top of my head.

We stay like that for a while, wrapped in the silence of the moment.

When I finally begin to calm, I pull away, wiping my face.

"Oh—sorry about your shirt, Ren," I murmur, guilt creeping into my voice.

He glances down briefly, then waves it off. "It’s nothing, Nyx. Hey… come on, you said you had to be home by eight, right? It’s already 7:30."

He reaches for my hand, threading his fingers through mine as we begin walking back.

I glance down, watching how his hand stays wrapped around mine.

Ren had never held my hand before.