Chapter 5: Walk and Talk

Sunday Flow

Sunday morning started like so many others. Soft sun, long shadows, the quiet hum of life rolling slowly down the block. Kids laughed somewhere a few houses over, a dog barked, and the scent of dew clung to the sidewalks.

Carla met me outside for our walk, already in athletic gear. Tight black joggers. Navy-blue tank top. Earbuds hanging loose around her neck like she forgot to care how good she looked.

“You look like you’re ready to spar, not stroll,” I said.

She smirked. “Same thing if you keep talking trash.”

Ay, no empieces, Eli... She didn’t say it out loud, but it flickered across her grin.

We took the usual route, weaving through sidewalks scuffed with chalk outlines and past front lawns trimmed too perfectly. The kind of place that hid everything exciting behind closed doors.