If I Stayed | Christian Yu

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - 아직도 이해할 수 있어?

Just heat.

Pull.

And then-

"Yo! Y'all dead in there or just making out?" Kaylani's voice cut through the door like a gunshot.

Aaliyah blinked, stepping back like she'd just touched something burning.

Christian exhaled hard through his nose, running a hand over his face.

"Saved by the voice of chaos," he muttered.

She didn't laugh.

Didn't say anything at all.

She just looked at him one more time - eyes glassy, throat tight - and turned for the door.

"We should go back."

"Yeah," he said. "We should."

But neither of them moved.

Not right away.

Because almost kissing her?

Hurt worse than not kissing her at all.

~

When Aaliyah and Christian re-entered the living room, the others barely looked up - but the energy shifted. Just a little.

Kaylani raised a brow behind her wine glass. Malik clocked the space between them. Kenji gave a knowing look but kept his mouth shut for once.

"Y'all good?" Kaylani asked, a little too casual.

"Yeah," Aaliyah said, voice steady. "He was just showing me a track he's working on."

Christian nodded. "Nothing serious."

But everything about it was.

They settled back in - Aaliyah back to her spot on the couch, Christian taking the floor again. Someone turned the volume up a notch. Kaylani passed a bottle of Casamigos to Malik, and the round of pouring began.

Shots clinked.

Laughter spilled.

Kenji started telling a ridiculous story from Tokyo - something about a fire alarm, a language barrier, and a robe that never made it back to the hotel room.

Aaliyah laughed hard.

Christian smiled without looking at her.

The distance softened.

The edges blurred.

Then Aaliyah's phone buzzed.

She glanced down.

Fabian.

She paused.

Everyone else kept talking.

She stood quietly and slipped into the hallway.

"Hey," she answered, voice soft.

"Hey you," Fabian replied. "You home?"

"Not yet. I stopped by Christian's place. Malik and the guys are here too."

A beat of silence.

"Oh," he said. Calm. Measured. "Didn't know you were hanging with them tonight."

"It wasn't planned. Kaylani wanted to come by and... she kind of kidnapped me."

"Sounds like her."

She smiled. "How's your night?"

"Boring without you."

Her heart tugged a little. Guilt bloomed - not for being where she was... but for how right it felt.