If I Stayed | Christian Yu

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR - WE KISSED

Aaliyah forced a smile. "I'm fine."

Her mom, Mrs. Morales, looked up from where she was scrolling through photos on her phone. "You haven't said a word since we walked in."

"I said I'm fine."

Kaylani sipped her coffee. "You said you were fine in that same exact tone last year before you accidentally bleached your eyebrows. So. Try again."

Mrs. Morales stood and walked over to Aaliyah, her voice softer now. "Mija. Talk to me."

Aaliyah met her mom's eyes in the mirror. The same eyes. The same sharp intuition.

For a second, she thought she could hold it in. Thought she could smile through it like she always did.

But then her lips trembled.

And she whispered, "I don't think I can marry him."

Kaylani straightened. "Wait- what?"

Mrs. Morales' expression didn't change. No shock. No judgment. Just... understanding.

Aaliyah stepped off the platform, the gown rustling as she moved. "I've been trying to convince myself. I keep thinking if I go through the motions, it'll start to feel real. Like it's the right thing."

She looked down at her hands. "But it's not."

Her mom walked over and took both her hands gently. "Is this about Christian?"

Aaliyah's throat closed. Her eyes welled up.

Kaylani didn't say a word.

Mrs. Morales reached up, brushing a curl behind her daughter's ear. "I've seen the way you look at him, Aaliyah. Since you were kids."

Aaliyah let the tears fall. Quiet and steady. "He kissed me last night. And I didn't stop him. I didn't even want to."

There was a silence in the room...

Her mom's voice was soft. "And how did it make you feel?"

"Like myself," Aaliyah whispered. "Like I could finally breathe."

Mrs. Morales nodded slowly. "You've always carried the weight of everyone else's expectations. Trying to be the 'good girl,' the 'stable one,' the one who never disappoints. But you deserve to be happy, baby. Not just... settled."

Aaliyah wiped at her cheeks. "Fabian's a good man."

"I know," her mom said. "But being a good man doesn't make him your man."

Kaylani stood and walked over, squeezing her cousin's hand. "Okay, but like... I kinda had a feeling. You've been weird lately."

Aaliyah laughed through a sniffle. "Thanks."

Her mom cupped her face. "Listen. I love Christian like he's my own. And yes, the timing's a mess, but if he's the one who makes you feel like home... you owe it to yourself to figure that out."

"What if I ruin everything?" Aaliyah asked.

"What if you don't?" Mrs. Morales replied.

And somehow, that was the scariest part of all.

~

[Christian.]

The boutique was quiet. Not fancy-quiet, but warm-quiet. Like old jazz playing low in the background, and the air smelling faintly of cedarwood and starch. The kind of place that made you stand up a little straighter without realizing it.

Ms. Yu's heels clicked softly as she trailed behind her son, eyes scanning the racks of tailored jackets and pressed trousers like she was picking outfits for an award show, not a wedding he didn't belong to.