The 18th Shade Of Summer (Fractured Script Series #1)

CHAPTER 09

I stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or be concerned. "You prefer being barefoot?"

"Yeah. It's more comfortable," he added, smiling again but this one felt a little sheepish.

I wonder if he's making excuses because he doesn't actually have slippers.

Still, I let it go. He lived here longer than I have. If he says it's fine, I guess I'll trust him.

We walked down the apartment stairs wrapped in a silence that wasn't cold, but wasn't quite warm yet either. Maybe we were still finding our rhythm.

When we reached the bottom, Hansel ran toward us, tail wagging, barking with that puppy-like excitement he never outgrew.

Akiro knelt down and gave him a scratch behind the ears.

"How've you been, huh? You're getting fat. Is Elaine feeding you too many biscuits?" Hansel barked, as if proudly confirming the accusation.

Akiro laughed, a soft, genuine sound that made my chest feel strangely lighter. I joined him and reached out to pet Hansel too, but the traitor ran off the second I did.

"I'm offended. Literally," I muttered under my breath, frowning.

He looked at me and grinned.

We walked side by side under the warming sun, a quiet breeze playing with the edge of my sleeves. I wasn't sure if I should start a conversation, or just enjoy this silence. Somehow, it didn't feel awkward anymore. Just... strange. Like something in the air was slightly off but not in a bad way.

He looked ahead, calm and steady with every step, like he's been here a thousand times before. The street wasn't too busy yet, just a few kids biking, a man sweeping his front yard, the world lazily stretching into the day.

When we finally turned the corner and the restaurant came into view, something flickered in his expression. Not fear, not hesitation but something unreadable.

"That's the one," I said, pointing toward the little place with the red awning and chalkboard menu outside.

He paused for half a second, eyes scanning the front of the building. Then he nodded.

"It looks nice," he said. "But..." He glanced down at his wrist—bare. "I actually forgot my wallet."

I blinked. "You—what?"

He laughed, a little too quickly. "I know. Rookie mistake. I left in such a rush this morning I didn't even double-check. I don't even have my phone."

I stared at him for a second, trying to decide if he was joking. He didn't look like he was.

"You're not pulling some kind of trick, right?"

He raised both hands. "No! I swear. If I was, I'd at least come up with a better excuse than that."

I let out a short laugh. "Well... good. Because that was a terrible excuse."

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "Guess I owe you lunch next time."

I looked back at the restaurant, then at him. "So... what now?"

He shrugged lightly. "Wanna just walk around a bit? There's a nice path behind the basketball court, I think. Unless you're really hungry."

I thought about it. I wasn't really hungry yet. And for some reason, I didn't feel like going in there alone.

"Walking sounds fine."

He nodded again, and we turned the other way, the restaurant growing smaller behind us. The breeze picked up, brushing gently past my shoulder.