Kara's life went on the same way it always did.
Quiet. Predictable. Small.
When she got home, the apartment greeted her with the familiar hum of the old fridge and the faint smell of dust and detergent that never quite went away. She kicked her boots off near the door, shrugged out of her thin jacket, and headed straight for the kitchenette.
Dinner was simple—microwaved frozen food and plain white rice. Cheap. Filling. All she could afford.
She carried her plate over to the low wooden table and sat on the floor like she always did, legs folded beneath her. The chair wobbled too much anyway. She ate in silence, plastic fork scraping softly against the plate as her mind wandered—uninvited—back to earlier that day.
To Adam's smile.
To his voice.
To the way his fingers had brushed hers.
He's not that bad… I guess.
The thought slipped in before she could stop it.
Her gaze drifted to her hand resting in her lap. The same hand he'd touched. A faint, lingering tingle pulsed through her fingers, subtle but undeniable.
Kara froze.
She stared at her hand like it had betrayed her.
Then—sharp gasp.
She slammed it down against her thigh and shook her head violently.
Stop it.
She shoveled another bite of food into her mouth and focused on chewing, grounding herself in the bland taste of rice until the feeling faded.
-
The next day passed slowly—until first period.
Science class.
Adam slid into the seat beside her with the same careless ease as before, backpack slung over one shoulder, hair still slightly damp from the snow outside.
They worked quietly for a while before Kara spoke, her voice hesitant, words scraped together like she wasn't used to using them socially.
"So… why do you wanna… walk… together… home?"
Adam looked at her, clearly amused.
"I just wanted to walk a lady home," he said smoothly. "But we gotta make a stop first."
Kara stiffened.
A stop?
Her mind immediately jumped to her apartment—the cracked walls, the flickering hallway lights, the neighbors who never spoke. She had never let anyone see where she lived.
"Y-you're gonna… walk me… home?" she asked carefully.
"Yup," Adam said. "But first—surprise."
"What is it?"
He laughed, leaning over his desk like he was about to tell a secret.
"Wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it, cara mia?"
There it was again.
Kara's lips pressed together as heat rushed to her face. She ducked her head and buried herself in the textbook, pretending the diagrams of chemical reactions were suddenly fascinating.
Her ears burned.
She could practically feel his smug smirk from beside her.
"Get back to work!" she squeaked.
Adam raised his hands in surrender. "Yes, ma'am."
After school, she met him out front like promised.
Snow fell softly but relentlessly, coating the ground and clinging to her hair until it looked dusted white. Adam stopped when he saw her and wordlessly pulled an umbrella from his bag, opening it above her head before she could react.
"I can hold it," Kara said, reaching up.
"Nope." He gently pushed her hand down. "Put your hand down. I'm carrying it."
"Wow. Defensive much."
"Chivalrous," he corrected.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, the snow crunching beneath their feet. The quiet started to feel… heavy.
Adam broke it.
"So… do you like cheese?"
Kara blinked.
"…What?"
"Cheese," he repeated seriously. "Important question."
She glanced at him, then let out the tiniest chuckle—soft, surprised. Something warm spread through her chest, shielding her from the cold better than her jacket ever could.
"Yeah," she said. "I like any. W-what about you?"
Adam grinned. "I love cheese."
He stopped suddenly.
"Oh. We're here."
She looked up to find them standing in front of a mall.
Confusion crossed her face. "What do you need from a mall?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he gently tapped her back—carefully to not make her panic like last time.
What followed felt like chaos.
Adam moved through the mall like a kid set loose in a candy store. Clothes. Accessories. Shoes. Kara scrambled after him, breathless, feeling like a tired mom chasing a sugar-high child.
"Adam—slow down!"
"Trust the process!"
By the time they left, her legs were wobbling and her soul felt empty.
Adam, meanwhile, looked radiant.
They finally reached her apartment building.
Adam stopped.
Stared.
The cracked concrete. The peeling paint. The broken buzzer.
He didn't comment.
He just turned to her and handed her the bags.
"These are for you," he said simply. "I noticed you don't have many outfit options—and your bag looks like it survived World War One and Two."
Kara stared.
"I—I can't—"
"Too bad," he cut in with a grin. "You're gonna have to, cara mia."
The cold couldn't touch her anymore.
Something unfamiliar filled the hollow space inside her chest—warm, steady, real.
"T-thank you," she whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
"No big deal," Adam said, stepping back. "See ya later, cara mia."
And then he was gone.
Disappearing into the snowy night.
Leaving Kara standing there dumbfounded.