Chapter 13

Later that week, on Wednesday evening, Heidi sat on her bed, her lamp casting a soft glow across her room. Her phone was in her hand, the screen already pulled up to Jalen’s Instagram page. She stared at it for the tenth time, thumb hovering over the “Message” button.

“Don’t do it,” she thought to herself.

She tapped it anyway. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard.

“Just ask something simple. Casual. You’re not flirting. You’re being polite. Friendly. Curious,” she thought.

She typed: “Hey! Hope this isn’t weird ... I was just thinking about that guest house project and was wondering how long something like that usually takes?”

She stared at it. Read it again. It sounded neutral. Innocent. Informational. Totally normal. She hit send. Immediately regretted it. Then put her phone down like it was radioactive and flopped back against her pillows.

“God. What am I doing?”

A second later, her phone buzzed. She sat up so fast she nearly pulled a muscle.

Jalen Moss replied to your message. He wrote: “Hey. Not weird. Timeline depends on how many surprises we run into, but best case? Around 10-12 weeks. Why? Thinking about moving in?”

Her heart skipped a beat. She bit her lip and typed slowly, deliberately: “Haha nooo, just curious. It’s definitely looking more like a guest house than a shed now. You guys are fast.”

Another buzz: “We don’t play around. Gotta impress your dad, right?”

She smirked. Then hesitated. Then typed: “My dad isn’t the one who needs impressing.”

Delete. Re-type. “Lol well you’ve definitely impressed me so far.”

That’s better. Still flirty, but vague enough to deny later if she had to. She hit send. And now she was in it.

A minute later, Jalen responded: “You trying to get me in trouble, Heidi?”

Heidi stared at the message and felt her stomach do an involuntary flip. God, why did that sound so good coming from him? She smirked and tapped out her reply: “Only if you deserve it ... and maybe a little.”

She hit send before she could talk herself out of it. She immediately pulled her knees to her chest, phone clutched between her fingers, adrenaline spiking. It was playful, maybe a little bold, but she wanted to see how he’d respond. Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then came back. Then stayed.

Jalen: “I definitely don’t deserve it ... but I’m starting to think you’re trouble.”

Heidi bit her lip, hard. Her fingers hovered again. Her head said log off. Her heart said lean in.

Heidi: “And what if I am?”

Send. Silence. A full minute passed. Then Jalen texted: “Then I need to stay the hell away from you. Because trouble with you sounds really tempting.”

Heidi stared at the screen, pulse pounding. Shit. What the hell was she getting herself into? But damn did it feel good.

A minute later, Heidi had barely set her phone down, still catching her breath from the DM exchange with Jalen, when she heard the familiar knock-twist-open combo at her door.

“Sweetheart?” her mother’s voice chirped as the door opened.

Heidi quickly flipped her phone face down on the bed, sitting up straighter. “Hey, Mama.”

Sylvia Horner stepped inside with a soft smile and a freshly pressed blouse, looking like she had just stepped out of a Southern Living magazine shoot. She sat on the edge of the bed and patted Heidi’s leg like she used to when Heidi was little.

“I wanted to talk to you about Sunday,” Sylvia said. “Church is doing a singles luncheon after service for the young adults, and I thought it might be nice for you to meet someone.”

Heidi blinked. “Meet someone?”

“Yes.” Her mother’s eyes lit up. “Hunter. He’s the son of my friend Linda. Remember her? Blonde, sings in the choir. Anyway, Hunter just got his MBA, and he’s working with his father’s company now. Drives a nice truck, loves dogs, goes hunting. A very nice young man.”

Heidi smiled politely, but her stomach sank. Hunter. MBA. Truck. Hunting. He was everything her mother wanted for her. And perhaps a few weeks ago, he would have been. But now all she could think about was the rough timber of Jalen’s voice in those DMs. The way he looked at her like he wasn’t afraid of her sharp edges. The tension under the surface of every one of their interactions.

“Heidi?” Sylvia tilted her head. “Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Heidi forced a smile. “Yeah ... he sounds great.”

But in her mind, all she could picture was Jalen, sweat on his brow, sun hitting his skin as he worked out back, eyes locking with hers like he saw through every layer of her upbringing and expected her to still rise.

Sylvia patted her leg again, satisfied. “I’ll let Linda know. I think you two would really hit it off.”

Heidi nodded absently. But her heart was already somewhere else. After her mom left the room, Heidi sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at her phone. The screen was dark, but her mind was racing, “Should I do it?”

She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Jalen all day. Not Hunter, not church, not law school. Just him. Something about him got under her skin—his confidence, his calmness, the way he said exactly what he meant. And God help her, the way he looked at her like he wasn’t intimidated one bit. But what was she even doing? Asking him to “hang out”? Was she insane? She could already hear her father losing his mind. Could already see the headlines if this ever got out. Still ... the idea of talking to Jalen without everyone else watching, without the weight of her last name or his job hanging over them, felt right. She wanted to hear what he had to say without the filter. Without the pressure. She wanted truth. She picked up her phone and opened his Instagram DM thread again. Her finger hovered over the keyboard.

She typed: “Hey ... random thought. Would you ever be open to grabbing a coffee sometime? Just to talk. I feel like there’s stuff I can’t say around here.”

She stared at it. Then deleted the whole thing.

Typed again: “Do you ever take a break from building things to just chill?”

Nope. Weak.

She sighed and tossed the phone on the bed, flopping back against her pillows. “This is so stupid,” she muttered aloud.

But her heart was still beating a little too fast. She wanted to send something. She just didn’t know how to ask without sounding obvious. Or reckless. Or like some girl with a crush. But maybe that’s exactly what she was. And deep down, she didn’t want to fight it.

A few minutes later, Heidi’s phone buzzed. She blinked, reaching over, assuming it was another text from her mom or some reminder about church or Hunter. But when she saw the name on the screen, her breath caught.

Jalen Moss. She tapped the notification with hesitant fingers, her pulse already rising.

“Hey, would you be down to roll with me to a pizza joint? Just you and me? It’s a low key spot about 20 minutes from your house. Maybe we can finally talk without too many eyes on us.”

Heidi sat up in bed, heart thudding. For a second, all she could do was stare at the message. He messaged her first. And it’s like he read her damn mind. She bit her bottom lip, rereading it. He wasn’t asking for anything inappropriate. He wasn’t trying to cross a line. He just wanted to talk. And the fact that he asked her first to talk outside the walls of his job, away from the tension at her house, meant more than she expected. She took a breath, thumb hovering over her screen.

Then she typed: “Yeah ... I’d like that.”

She hesitated, then added: “When?”

The second it was sent, she exhaled. God, what was she doing? But for once, she didn’t want to overthink it.

Heidi saw the response pop up immediately.

Jalen: “You free this Friday? Around 8?”

Her stomach did a little somersault. She hadn’t even figured out how she was going to sneak away yet, but her fingers moved on their own.

Heidi: “I can make that work.”

She stared at the message after sending it. No emojis. No overthinking. Just ... clear. But inside she was spiraling. Friday. 8 p.m. Dinner. With Jalen.

Not “contractor Jalen,” not “man my father’s paying to build a guest house,” but Jalen. The man who made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.

Now all she had to do was come up with a damn excuse. Something believable. Something that didn’t scream “I’m going to meet a man my father would absolutely lose his mind over.”

Because it was game over if her parents found out.

On Friday at 6:37 PM, Heidi stood in front of her mirror for what had to be the fiftieth time, a pile of rejected outfits scattered across her bed like casualties of war.

A black bodycon dress? Too obvious. The floral sundress she wore to brunch last week? Too sweet. Jeans and a tank top? Too casual. God, why was this so hard? It wasn’t just about what to wear. It was about what it meant. She wanted Jalen to think she looked good. Hell, she wanted him to want her, but she didn’t want to show up looking like she was auditioning for a music video. She still had her pride and class. And more than that? She had to live with herself after this. And yet ... she pulled a soft olive-green wrap top from her closet and held it up. It hugged her waist, showed a tasteful amount of cleavage, and complimented her skin and hair without screaming “thirsty”. She paired it with high-waisted jeans that showed off her curves and nude wedges that gave her height without looking like she was trying to seduce him in stilettos. Subtle. Sexy. Safe enough to tell herself it wasn’t a date. She double-checked her makeup, clean, glowing skin, a soft nude lip, lashes full but not overdone. Her signature wavy hair was parted to the side, falling effortlessly over one shoulder. Still ... she felt the nerves bubbling. This wasn’t just dinner. This was her stepping into a world her parents would never understand. A world she barely understood herself. With a man who made her think..., about everything. About herself. About the bubble she’d always lived in. About what else might be out there. About him. She checked her phone. 7:13 PM. His message from earlier still sat there.

“You free this Friday? Around 8?” “I can make that work.”

Heidi took one last look in the mirror and whispered to her reflection, “Don’t screw this up.”

Then she grabbed her bag, her keys, and her courage, and walked out the door.

The low-key pizza joint sat at the edge of a quiet strip center, just off the main road—a place you’d only find if someone told you about it. Heidi pulled into the parking lot at 7:50 on the dot, nerves simmering just beneath the surface. She took a deep breath and turned off the engine, staring at the entrance for a second. You’re just meeting someone to talk. That’s all. You’re not doing anything wrong. That’s what she told herself, anyway. She’d told her mom she was grabbing dinner with some law school friends. Sylvia bought it easily. Why wouldn’t she? Heidi had played the good daughter for years. The obedient student. The devout churchgoer. The future lawyer with the perfect record. But tonight wasn’t about being perfect. Tonight was about him.

At 7:55, Jalen’s truck pulled in. Heidi watched as he climbed out, black T-shirt hugging his chest, dark jeans, clean sneakers, and a quiet confidence that made her stomach twist. He hadn’t even spotted her yet, and she was already warm in the face. Jalen glanced around, then caught sight of her sitting in the car. He smirked, just a little, and started walking toward her. Heidi quickly grabbed her bag and stepped out before he could reach her door.

“Right on time,” he said, eyes scanning her once. Not in a crude way—just enough to make her feel seen.

“You too,” she replied, adjusting her bag strap, hoping he didn’t notice how fast her heart was beating.

“You look nice.”

She raised a brow, playing it cool. “Thanks. You clean up alright yourself.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

They walked inside together, close, but not too close, like two people pretending this was just dinner. Like they didn’t both feel the electric current humming quietly between them. The door shut behind them, and for the first time in weeks, Heidi felt like she was exactly where she wasn’t supposed to be. And exactly where she wanted to be. They found a booth near the back, dim lighting, brick walls, and a jukebox in the corner playing faint 90s R&B. Jalen let Heidi slide in first, then sat across from her. A waitress took their order, two custom pies, a couple of drinks, and once she walked off, there was a beat of silence. Jalen leaned back slightly, arms stretched out along the back of the booth. He studied Heidi for a second. Not in a flirtatious way. Just ... curious.

“So,” he said, voice low and relaxed. “Tell me about your family.”

Heidi blinked. “You want the polite version or the real one?”

Jalen smirked. “I want your version.”

She exhaled, looking down at her napkin for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “It’s ... structured. Very structured. My dad’s a big personality. Commands every room. Mom plays support, she’s a church volunteer, fundraiser, plays piano during service ... that kind of thing.”

“And you?” he asked. “Were you always the golden child?”

Heidi laughed softly, rolling her eyes. “Pretty much. Straight A’s. Sunday school star. Debated for the conservative youth council. My dad loves telling people I’m in law school at Emory. Says it like it’s a badge of honor.”

Jalen nodded slowly. “Bet he’s got your whole life planned out.”

“From the college I’d go to, to the kind of man I’m supposed to marry.” She paused. “You met the house. The flags. That’s not just decor. It’s identity.”

Jalen raised an eyebrow. “And how much of that identity actually fits you?”

That question landed harder than she expected. Heidi looked away for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip.

“Less and less as of late,” she said quietly.

Jalen didn’t push. He just nodded like he understood. Because he did.

“Be honest. What would your dad do if he knew about this little meetup?” Jalen asked.

Heidi let out a dry laugh and leaned back in the booth, eyes drifting toward the window like she could see her father’s disapproval materializing in the parking lot.

“Oh, he’d lose his mind,” she said flatly. “Like, full-on meltdown. Bible verses. Gun-cleaning. Talking about how I was raised better. The whole Southern dad starter pack.”

Jalen smirked, but there was a sharpness in his gaze. “Because I’m Black?”

Heidi didn’t flinch. “Because you’re you,” she said carefully. “You’re everything he can’t control or predict. You’re from a world he doesn’t respect. And yeah, being honest, being Black definitely makes it worse in this case.”

She let the words hang there. No sugar-coating. No retreating behind a polite smile.

Jalen’s eyes didn’t leave hers. “And yet ... here you are.”

Heidi’s lips curled just slightly. “Yeah. Here I am.”

“You always this rebellious?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “But I think I’m starting to like it.”

The waitress returned with their drinks, giving them both a brief reprieve from the tension that had started crackling between them.

“You sure you’re ready for what comes with this?” Jalen asked once they were alone again. “Because I’m not about to be your little secret forever.”

Heidi looked at him, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she said, “I don’t want you to be.”

“How much time have you spent around black people?” Jalen asks.

Heidi blinked, caught off guard. She set down her drink and tilted her head slightly, considering the question.

“Honestly? Not much,” she admitted. “A couple of classmates at Berry. A professor. Some group projects. But ... not like this. Not one-on-one. Not in a setting where I’m not keeping a safe distance.”

Jalen raised an eyebrow. “Keeping a distance?”

“I don’t mean physically,” she said quickly. “I mean ... emotionally. Culturally. I grew up in a bubble, Jalen. A big, white, conservative, Jesus-and-guns bubble. My dad’s the kind of man who hears ‘Black Lives Matter’ and immediately starts talking about Chicago crime stats.”

Jalen nodded slowly, sipping his drink. “So what changed?”

Heidi’s eyes flicked up to meet his, and for a second, the noise of the restaurant disappeared. “You showed up.”

A beat passed. Jalen didn’t break eye contact.

“And what do you see now that I’ve shown up?” he asked, his voice low and calm.

Heidi exhaled, her voice softer now. “Someone who challenges me. Makes me question what I thought I knew. And someone I’m starting to want to know more about.”

Jalen leaned back, folding his arms. “Careful, Heidi. That sounds dangerously close to growth.”

She smirked. “Yeah. Scary stuff.”

Jalen chuckles before asking, “So what did you think I’d be like before you first spoke to me? A gangsta?”

Heidi’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “No! God, no—I didn’t mean it like that.”

Jalen gave a low chuckle, taking a slow sip of his beer. “Relax. I’m messing with you ... kinda.”

Heidi looked at him, then let out a nervous laugh, shaking her head. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect. My world’s just ... small. Everyone I grew up around is the same, same church, same schools, same politics, same everything. You’re the first person I’ve talked to who really lives outside of that.”

Jalen raised an eyebrow, still watching her. “And how’s that going for you so far?”

Heidi smirked, her voice quieter. “Surprisingly well. A little uncomfortable ... but kinda freeing.”

Jalen nodded, letting the silence settle for a beat before saying, “Good. Discomfort’s where the truth lives.”

“For the record, I like you Heidi. But you need to understand who I am and where I come from if you and I are going to keep having conversations.” Jalen said.

Heidi’s expression softened, but there was a flicker of nervous energy behind her eyes. “I want to,” she said. “That’s why I’m here.”

Jalen nodded, steady. “I’m not from your world. I didn’t grow up with country clubs, private schools, or politicians in the family. I grew up in apartments where we had to sleep with a box fan to drown out the sirens outside. I’ve seen friends get profiled, harassed, locked up for bullshit. I’ve seen Black women be everything to everyone and still get overlooked.”

Heidi swallowed hard, not out of discomfort, but out of realization.

“I’m not asking you to agree with everything I believe,” Jalen continued. “But if this”—he gestured between them—”is going to keep happening, I need to know you’re not just curious about me like I’m some social experiment.”

Heidi met his gaze head-on, her voice quiet but firm. “You’re not. I swear you’re not. And I don’t just like you, Jalen. I respect you. Even if I still have to ... rethink a lot of shit to fully understand you.”

That earned a small nod from Jalen. “Then keep showing up like this. Keep asking questions. But don’t fake it, and don’t run when it gets uncomfortable.”

“I won’t,” she said. “I promise.”

The silence between them wasn’t awkward. It was thick with truth. And tension.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, are you a Christian?” Heidi asks, breaking the silence.

Jalen leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing, thoughtfully. He respected the question because he could tell it wasn’t coming from judgment. Heidi genuinely wanted to know.

“I was raised one,” he said slowly. “Church every Sunday, Wednesday night Bible study, vacation Bible school in the summer ... all of it.”

Heidi nodded, waiting.

“But somewhere along the line,” he continued, “it started to feel more like performance than faith. Like I was just going through the motions. After my dad passed, I had a lot of questions, about God, about justice, about why the hell the world looks the way it does. And the answers I got? They didn’t always sit right with me.”

Heidi’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t interrupt.

“I still believe in God,” Jalen said. “Still pray sometimes. Still try to live with purpose, treat people with compassion, protect those who can’t protect themselves. But I don’t go to church much anymore. And I’m not big on religious rituals for the sake of appearances.”

Heidi stared at him for a long moment, her lips slightly parted.

“That’s honest,” she said softly.

“You expected something different?” Jalen asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I thought ... maybe you’d be defensive or dismissive.”

“I’m not ashamed of how I see the world,” Jalen replied. “And I don’t think faith should be a weapon.”

Heidi looked down at her glass, swirling the ice with her straw. “I admire that,” she said. “Even if I’m not in the same place spiritually, I admire how you carry your beliefs. With depth.”

Jalen gave a slight smile. “That’s probably the nicest way someone’s ever said ‘we don’t believe the same things.’”

Heidi laughed, shaking her head. “Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

They both grinned, and the tension softened. The check came and Jalen took it and paid for everything.

“You ready to get outta here?” Jalen asked when he finished adding the tip.

Heidi tilted her head. “And go where?”

“That depends,” he said. “You still feel like talking?”

Heidi paused for a second before saying, “Yeah I do.”

“Then follow me.”

Later, Heidi followed Jalen’s truck as he led her away from the busy lights of town and into a quieter, more rural stretch of back roads. When he finally turned into a gravel lot tucked behind some dense trees, she parked beside him and stepped out, glancing around curiously.

“This is the spot?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll see,” Jalen said, grabbing something out the bed of his truck—a folded blanket and a mid-sized cooler. “C’mon.”

They walked a short trail through the trees, the sound of their footsteps crunching lightly on the dirt path. The trees opened up into a wide clearing with a grassy hill that sloped down toward a quiet lake. There were no other people in sight.

“You’ve been holding out,” Heidi said, impressed.

Jalen dropped the blanket in a good spot and unfolded it with one hand while setting the cooler down beside it. “I come here when I need to get away. Nobody bothers you out here. Cell service is trash, but that’s kinda the point.”

Heidi sat down beside him, smoothing her dress over her thighs as Jalen popped open the cooler. He pulled out two cans of beer, cracking one open and handing it to her.

“I figured you for a wine girl,” he teased.

Heidi took the can with a smirk. “Don’t let the church-girl reputation fool you.”

They clinked cans and drank in a silence that felt surprisingly comfortable. The night air was cool, the sounds of crickets and distant water lapping against the shore filling the space between them.

“This is ... nice,” Heidi said after a while. “Unexpected, but nice.”

“That’s the point,” Jalen said. “I figured if we were really gonna talk, it needed to be somewhere nobody could interrupt.”

Heidi nodded, sipping again. “So what do you usually think about when you come out here?”

“Everything,” Jalen said. “Sometimes I just need to get quiet. Think about my dad. Think about my business. Lately ... it’s been a lot of thinking about what the hell I’ve gotten myself into when it comes to a situation I’m currently in.”

Heidi took another sip of her beer and looked out over the park, the soft orange glow of the streetlamps starting to flicker on in the distance.

“So,” she said softly, her eyes still on the horizon, “this ... thing in your life you’re dealing with. Do you ever regret it?”

Jalen glanced at her, caught slightly off guard by how perceptive she was. “What makes you ask that?”

She shrugged. “I can tell something weighs on you. You carry it around in your shoulders. In your eyes. Like your mind’s always working overtime.”

Jalen exhaled slowly, running a hand over his jaw. “Yeah ... life’s been heavy lately.”

“You want to talk about it?” Heidi asked, her voice gentle but curious.

Jalen looked at her for a moment. Then he shook his head. “Not tonight.”

Heidi nodded, not pressing. “Okay.”

They sat in silence for a while longer, just sipping their beers, the night settling around them like a soft blanket.

“You’ve never been with a non-white guy, have you?” Jalen asked.

Heidi let out a small, breathy laugh and looked down at her beer.

“No,” she said honestly. “I haven’t.”

Jalen raised an eyebrow, watching her reaction. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

She glanced back up at him, biting the inside of her cheek. “But ... I’ve definitely thought about it. Especially lately.”

Jalen leaned back slightly on the blanket, his expression unreadable. “Why now?”

Heidi hesitated, then shrugged, her voice soft. “Because you’re not what I expected. You challenge me. You make me think. And you don’t take my crap.”

Jalen smirked. “You like being challenged?”

“I didn’t think I did,” she said. “But with you ... yeah. I do.”

There was a pause. The air between them charged now. Heavier. Warmer.

Jalen’s voice was low. “So what now, Heidi?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes locked on his, the beer bottle resting forgotten in her hand. “I don’t know,” she said. “But I’m not ready to walk away from this.”

Jalen nodded slowly, eyes never leaving hers. “Neither am I.”

Jalen looked up at the sky for moment as he took a sip of his beer. Heidi watched him carefully. He was so handsome. Honestly she suppressing the urge to go over and lay on him. Jalen exhaled before saying,

“Heidi ... I’m pretty sure you and I are on opposites sides of the spectrum when it comes to politics and social issues. Can we be friends? Yes, but more than that? I just don’t know.”

Jalen was in the middle of taking measurements for the guest house’s flooring when he heard the distinct sound of heels clicking against the pavement behind him. He didn’t even have to turn around to know it was Heidi.

Heidi looked down for a moment before looking back up at him, locking her eyes with his, the flicker of tension sparking instantly. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Jalen exhaled, eyes narrowing slightly, not in judgment, but in measured caution. “You come from a world where I’m not supposed to fit. Hell, I’m not even supposed to be sitting here with you right now.”

“I know that too,” Heidi replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I also know I’ve never connected with anyone like this. Not in a real way.”

Jalen looked at her for a long moment. “You’re attracted to me. I can feel it. But attraction’s not enough.”

“I’m not just attracted to you, Jalen,” Heidi said, her jaw tightening a little. “I’m intrigued by you. I want to know how your mind works, why you see the world the way you do. Even when it challenges everything I was raised to believe.”

That hit different. Jalen studied her for a beat before replying, “That’s a dangerous road, Heidi.”

She smirked softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “So maybe I’m finally ready for some danger.”

The silence between them was heavy again, but not uncomfortable. Charged. Loaded with everything unsaid.

“Look,” Jalen said, voice low, steady, “If you want to keep talking, keep hanging out, I’m cool with that. But I’m not gonna lie to you. This ain’t simple. It never will be.”

Heidi nodded slowly. “I’m not asking for simple.”

A beat passed.

“You’re asking for something though,” Jalen said, eyes narrowing again.

Heidi met his gaze head-on. “Yeah. I’m asking for a chance to see where this could go ... even if it scares the hell out of me.”

“How about I take you on a little excursion tomorrow?” Jalen suggested.

“An excursion? To where?” Heidi replied asking.

“To my side of town. To my world.” Jalen said looking right into her eyes.

Heidi’s breath caught in her chest. The way he said it ... my world ... hit her in a place she didn’t fully understand yet. She looked at him, really looked, and saw that he wasn’t playing. This wasn’t just a casual offer. This was a challenge. A door cracked open.

“You mean, like ... where you grew up?” she asked, cautiously.

Jalen nodded slowly. “Where I grew up. Where I live. Where I eat, shop, laugh, argue, work. I want you to see it for yourself. Not through the filter your family gave you. Not through the news. Through me.”

Heidi swallowed, her pulse quickening. She wasn’t afraid—at least not in the way her parents would expect her to be. But there was fear. The fear of being changed. Of stepping across a line she couldn’t uncross.

“I don’t want to be a tourist in your life, Jalen,” she said quietly.

His eyes didn’t waver. “Then don’t act like one. Come as you are. Let me show you what made me who I am. And then you can decide if we’re really on opposite sides ... or if maybe, we’re just standing in different places looking at the same sky.”