It was beautiful, really.
Fall had always been her favorite time of year.
Kiana thought of Grandmother Ruby.
She had a gift for finding beauty in simple things—a cup of tea with honey, an old book with yellowed pages, the evening stillness on the back porch.
She used to say,
“Kiki, remember this. People come and go, but you stay with yourself. So take care of yourself and don’t let anyone stomp on what’s inside.”
Back then, Kiana nodded without truly understanding.
Now, she understood perfectly.
Darius returned late, around eleven.
He smelled of cigarettes and cold air, went to the bathroom, washed up, and went to bed silently.
Kiana lay down too, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.
Everything inside her was prepared, tight like a bowstring before release.
All she had to do was wait.
Wait for them to take the first step—the final step, the one after which there would be no turning back.
Kiana smiled faintly in the darkness.
She wondered what they would feel when they realized the truth.
Fear, anger, shame.
Probably anger.
Shame was for people with a conscience.
She turned onto her side and finally drifted into a light, restless sleep.
Kiana woke up to silence.
A strange, thick, almost ringing silence.
It was dark outside the window.
The clock on the nightstand showed half past midnight.
She lay motionless, listening to her own breathing and to what was happening right next to her.
Darius was awake.
She felt it with her whole body, every nerve.
He lay still, but his breathing was uneven, wary, not like he was sleeping.
The minutes stretched into something that felt like hours.
Kiana didn’t move, keeping her eyes closed.
Everything inside clenched in anticipation.
Now, she thought.
Now something is going to happen.
And it did.
Darius carefully, almost soundlessly, pushed the blanket aside.
The bed creaked slightly under his weight.
He froze, apparently checking if she had woken up.
Kiana breathed steadily, deeply, feigning sleep.
He got up, walked to the door, and quietly closed it behind him.
Footsteps in the hall.
The squeak of a floorboard.
The click of the bathroom lock.
Kiana opened her eyes.
