If I Stayed | Christian Yu

CHAPTER TWELVE - THE SETUP

"I'm not dressed for a surprise reunion."

"You look hot."

"I look like I didn't plan to see my almost."

Kaylani reached over and gently squeezed her arm.

"You don't have to say anything. You don't have to feel anything. We're just stopping by. Chill vibes. Music. Boys being boys. And if you happen to exist in the same room as Christian for a couple hours... so what?"

Aaliyah didn't answer right away.

Then:

"He texted me this morning."

Kaylani smirked. "Of course he did."

"He said I'll look beautiful at the wedding."

Kaylani's smirk faded. "And did that make you feel better... or worse?"

Aaliyah looked out the window again.

Didn't answer.

Didn't have to.

~

[Christian.] - Live & Unfiltered

The apartment was bathed in soft, golden light - cityscape twinkling outside floor-to-ceiling windows, the faint bass of lo-fi beats humming in the background.

Christian sat on the rug in front of the camera, hair messy, tank top clinging to his frame, glasses slightly fogged from laughing too much.

The LED from his phone cast a soft glow on his face as comments poured in like a flood.

@dprian [LIVE]
Viewers: 68.4k
Time: 10:58 PM

"Okay okay - y'all really think pineapple belongs on pizza?" he said, grinning as he pushed his hair back. "I'm losing followers tonight."

"SHOW US YOUR TATTOOS AGAIN"
"sing smth rn i dare you"
"wait you're GLOWING stopppp"
"bro looks too good for a friday night in"
"are you DRUNK??"

"I'm not drunk. Just vibing."

Behind him, Malik was on the couch half-watching, half-texting. Kenji was grabbing drinks from the kitchen, tossing sarcastic comments from across the room.

"Tell them the Calvin Klein thing!" Malik called out.

Christian just smiled, shrugging.

"We'll see. Y'all might be seeing a little too much of me soon."

"pauseee"
"DROP THE CAMPAIGN"
"you better be joking i'm not ready"

He leaned forward, about to say something else-

Ding-dong.

He glanced back.

"One sec."

But Kenji was already at the door.

Christian turned back to the camera, chuckling. "Probably Malik's girl."

The screen kept flooding.

"nah who at the door tho"
"this live is about to get interesting i FEEL IT"
"wait imagine if-"

A shift in the room.

The kind you feel in your chest before you even understand why.

He heard it before he saw it. Kenji's voice, casual.

"Hey. Wassup."

Then silence.

Footsteps.

Two pairs.

He didn't turn yet.

Still talking to the camera.

"Y'all better chill with these edits, I swear-"

Then he heard her voice.

Soft. Unmistakable.

"Hey..."

His heart stopped mid-beat.

He looked up, slowly.

And there she was.

Aaliyah.

In his apartment.

Wearing that familiar softness in her eyes and that green sweater that clung to her just enough to make him forget what words were.

He froze.

The entire chat exploded.

"WAIT"
"IS THAT HER???"
"is that... AALIYAH???"
"he's not breathing rn help him"
"Y'ALL HE LOOKS LIKE HE SAW A GHOST"

Malik glanced up from his phone, looked at Aaliyah, then at Christian.

"Surprise?"

Christian blinked once.

Then twice.

And without a word...

He ended the live.

[LIVE ENDED]

~

The room felt different the second the screen went dark.

Christian set his phone down slowly, like it might break if he moved too fast.

Aaliyah.

Standing in his space.

Malik looked between them, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, wait-this is who Kaylani brought?" Malik acted fake-surprised like he didn't know.

Kaylani dropped her bag on the floor like she hadn't just triggered a plot twist.

"She needed a night out."

Kenji, who was already halfway into a cold beer, just leaned against the kitchen counter and whispered,

"Told you it wasn't 'just vibes.'"

Christian still hadn't said anything.

Aaliyah stood a few feet from the doorway, half out of her coat, eyes flicking around the apartment like she was searching for neutral ground.

He stood up finally, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh... hey."

"Hey," she echoed softly.

The silence that followed was so loud.

Malik, sensing the awkward tension spiking, clapped his hands once.

"Okay! Pizza's still hot. I got playlists. We're not about to let this get weird. Right?"

He looked around, daring someone to argue.

Kaylani smirked. "Speak for yourself."

Kenji raised a brow. "I give this night ten minutes before one of them ends up outside overthinking."

Christian cleared his throat, finally stepping forward.

"You want something to drink?"

Aaliyah gave a faint smile. "Sure."

He moved to the kitchen, heart pounding even though his hands stayed steady.

Behind him, the quiet buzz of conversation started again. Kaylani talking to Malik, Kenji trying to act like he wasn't watching Christian too closely.

Aaliyah walked further in.

Christian handed her a glass of wine.

Their fingers brushed.

And neither of them said a word about it.

To be continued...