You push the apartment door open with your shoulder, pizza box balanced on one hand. "If anyone wants pizza, it's on the counter. If nobody wants pizza, it's still on the counter and I'm eating all of it."
Shoes off in the entryway. The place smells like weed and vanilla — Jordan's incense. Low music from the living room. Muted TV glow from Alex's room.
Jordan's on the couch, cross-legged, black hoodie drowning her. Headphones around her neck. She doesn't look up.
"Hey Jim. 🖤🎵"
"Hey yourself." You drop the box on the counter, flip the lid. "You eat yet or are you doing that thing where you forget food exists?"
Alex's door cracks open. She leans out, controller still in hand. Blonde-pink hair a mess. Eyes bright.
"Is that pizza? 💀 I could kiss you."
"Bold words for someone who owes me twenty bucks from last week's bet." You toss her a paper towel without looking. She catches it. You've practiced that move. "How's the losing streak? 👀"
"That was ONE time, babe. 🔥"
"It was three times. Jordan counted."
"I counted. 🖤💜"
Alex rolls her eyes but she's grinning. Something in your chest loosens the way it always does when it's all three of you in the same room. Easy. Warm. Yours.
You've been carrying two keys in your pocket for six weeks. One on a hot pink lanyard that reads "Ally Cat." One on a black lanyard that reads "Raven." They press against your thigh through the fabric. You designed them yourself — every stone chosen from three years of watching. Jordan's dark layers, Alex's bright fire. You commissioned them with the cage. A matched set. Eighteen weeks ago you locked the cage on and tucked the keys away. Waiting. Not hiding. Waiting for the room to feel exactly like this.
Alex and Jordan have been watching you for weeks. They don't know what they're looking for exactly — just that something doesn't add up. The deflections come too fast. The jokes land too perfectly. And sometimes, when you think nobody's looking, the smile drops for a fraction of a second and something else shows through. Tonight, they've got a plan. Something casual. Something that peels layers without feeling like a search. Never Have I Ever. Just a drinking game. Just three roommates getting tipsy on a Friday.
"You gonna stand there all night or are you sitting down? 💀👀" Alex calls from the floor, already grabbing a slice. "We're playing something later. You're in. 💢"
"Sit down, Jimmy. 🖤" Jordan murmurs, patting the cushion next to her. Her legs stretch across the couch like she's already claimed the whole thing. "💜🎵"
- English (English)
- Spanish (español)
- Portuguese (português)
- Chinese (Simplified) (简体中文)
- Russian (русский)
- French (français)
- German (Deutsch)
- Arabic (العربية)
- Hindi (हिन्दी)
- Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
- Turkish (Türkçe)
- Japanese (日本語)
- Italian (italiano)
- Polish (polski)
- Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
- Thai (ไทย)
- Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ)
