Mal wandered through the halls of the campus, scanning the crowds for any sign of Nezami. He’d been trying to catch up with her all morning, but she’d been elusive. Finally, after asking a couple of classmates, he got a tip—she was up in the atrium in the ISH building, working on some kind of project.
He made his way to the familiar space, the natural light flooding the room in a soft, golden hue. As he approached, he spotted her near the back, standing in front of one of the leftover art isles with a decent-sized canvas in front of her. Her lavender hair was tied up, and she was fully focused, her brush gliding across the surface of a large painting.
For a moment, Mal hesitated. The energy around her seemed distant, almost guarded. But he’d come this far.
"Hey," he called, stepping closer. “Fancy meeting you here… I’ve been looking for you."
Nezami barely glanced at him, her brush still moving smoothly across the canvas. "Yeah? Thought you might have been too busy being a ladies’ man to remember me."
Mal blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"
She sighed, finally pausing to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You and that... hot teacher or whatever. Cascadia? I didn’t want to interrupt her fawning all over you earlier."
"Wait, Cascadia? No, no, she’s not... it’s not like that. She’s just a childhood friend. Kind of a pseudo-guardian…or an Aunt. She looks out for me."
Nezami crossed her arms, giving him a skeptical look.
"So let me get this straight—besides your five sisters, you’ve also got a guardian? What in the harem manga is going on here?"
Mal couldn’t help but laugh at that, even though he felt a little flustered.
"It’s not like that, I swear. It’s four sisters, not five… Harper isn’t my sister, just a family friend. And Cascadia’s... she’s basically like family. She’s just protective."
Nezami narrowed her eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"Uh-huh. So, four sisters, a Harper, and a Hot Guardian? Sure sounds like a harem situation to me."
"You’re making this way weirder than it is… Cas will be jazzed you said she was hot that many times in one chat… but besides aren’t you cozy with a couple of guys too?? Mine is family so…” he trailed off giving an open hand and shoulder shrug.
"Am I?" Nezami teased, stepping away from the canvas and crossing her arms. "Seems like I hit a nerve… maybe a little peak at Mal’s jealous side? Hmmm?”
"Not at all," Mal said quickly. "I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea."
Nezami looked at him for a long moment, the teasing smile fading slightly. She sighed, finally relenting.
"Alright, alright. I believe you, ladies' man." She turned back to her painting, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "I’m just giving you crap. Relax."
Mal chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, well… um… you’re not making it easy."
"Good," she shot back, dabbing more paint on the canvas. "Wouldn’t want to make things too easy for you, now, would I?"
Mal shook his head, finally feeling the tension between them start to ease. "Guess not."
"Listen, I want to thank you," she began, her voice quieter than before. "With everything that happened during the art exhibition—all the chaos, the stress of trying to get through it—I was really glad you stayed home. In a kind of selfish way."
Mal looked at her, slightly puzzled. "Why didn’t you want me to take any credit or something?"
Nezami shook her head. "I don’t care about that… I wanted to make sure that I could actually stop for a second and tell you how deeply thankful I am. It came out amazing because of what you did."
Mal was quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. He wasn't used to such genuine praise, and for the first time in a while, it felt like he’d done something that truly mattered. He felt his face flush slightly, caught off guard by her sincerity.
Nezami smiled softly, sensing his embarrassment. "You have real talent, Mal. I’m sorry I misunderstood you before. I get it now. I guess that’s why I was glad you weren’t there—because I wanted this moment, just you and me, not consumed by the craziness of the exhibition. I wanted to give you more than just a passing 'thank you.'"
Mal smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, so I get an Epic Edition Thanks? Like, maybe that noodle date?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're relentless. Maybe. We’ll see how this the rest of this week goes."
Mal raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "This week?"
Nezami smirked playfully. "You’ll see."
She wiped her hands clean of paint and walked over to him, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Close your eyes."
Mal hesitated, grinning. "You're not going to hit me, are you?"
Nezami chuckled. "No, but should I be concerned that all these women are beating you? Are you in some kind of abusive situation?”
He laughed, shaking his head. "They don’t beat me, but they do some pretty messed up things…”
"Can you shut up for a second?" she said, exasperated but amused.
Mal mimed zipping his lips and stood perfectly still, his eyes closed as she approached him. He felt the soft brush of her lips against the corner of his mouth, just enough to send a wave of warmth through his body. Every nerve felt electrified as her touch penetrated him for a brief moment.
When he opened his eyes, she was already pulling away, her gaze meeting his for a long, intense moment before she shyly looked down, a hint of a pink creeping across her cheeks.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"That," she said with a playful smile, "is my thanks for now." Turning back to her work.
Mal’s heart was racing, but all he could do was grin. “Well… that might be my favorite thanks of all time.”
He stood there for a moment holding onto his cheek, making sure the cheek/corner lip kiss was permanently embedded into his skin.
He watched her paint for a moment, "So, what are you working on?"
“Do you really wanna know?”
"Yeah," Mal said, stepping a little closer. "I do."
For the first time, he saw Nezami smile—genuinely. "Alright then, I’ll show you."
PG.14A
Mal sat in his SUV, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited for Momo to get out of class. He leaned back in his seat, staring out the windshield, a faint crooked smile his mind drifted to earlier in the day.
The passenger door suddenly swung open, and Momo slid into the seat with a grin already plastered across his face.
"I haven’t seen you smile from that far away in a really long time," Momo said, eyeing him with curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Momo laughed, "I saw you like 100 yards away, just sitting here in your truck, cheesing like a maniac. I thought you were listening to some stand-up comedy or something."
Mal shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I had a good day, I guess."
"Oh, a good day, huh? Does that good day have anything to do with the fact that Cascadia showed up, and now everyone thinks you're some dude surrounded by hot ladies all the time?"
"Yeah, I’ve heard I have some kind of harem."
Momo burst out laughing. "Hey, that's not a bad thing, bro! But for real, did you catch up with Nez today? You two talk?"
The second Momo said her name, Mal felt his cheeks burn, and he cursed his body for betraying him.
"Oh shit!" Momo yelled, clapping his hands together in glee. "I knew it! Look at you blushing! My man!"
Momo rolled down his window, leaning out as some random students walked by. "Yo! My boy’s back!" he shouted, causing a few people to glance over, confused.
Mal couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. "You idiot. It’s not like that."
"Whatever you say, bro," Momo teased, closing the window. "But the way you're acting says otherwise. Come on, give me the details. What happened with Nez?"
Mal exhaled, trying to figure out what to say. "We talked, okay? Just... talked. It was good. She thanked me for the whole exhibition thing."
"Ahhh, so that's why you’re floating on cloud nine! See? Told you she’d come around."
Mal shook his head, but couldn’t fight the grin creeping back onto his face. "Yeah, well... maybe you're right."
"You wanna come by the crib? Or do you have to work?"
"Nah, I'm off today. I’d love to come kick it. Plus, I haven’t had a chance to see Harper yet, either."
Mal nodded, relieved. He liked the idea of Momo coming over, not just because it was always good to have his best friend around, but because he knew that once Momo was there, the day might stay good a little longer.
There was a part of him, buried deep, that never let him fully relax—a constant, nagging unease that always had him bracing for the worst. Even on days like today, when everything seemed to go smoothly, that feeling hovered on the edges of his mind. He couldn’t shake the sense that at any moment, something would hit him with some unexpected news, some new crisis or complication he’d have to face. Cascadia, Nova, Harper all coming back it was like his situation was magnetic.
How are all these things connected with this he wondered while driving.
It was like living in the calm before a storm, always waiting for the next bombshell to drop.
He’d had enough of that for now.
Sure, his life was filled with things most people couldn’t even dream of but shadows, towers, and battles seemed to constantly remind him of the stakes. But today? Today felt... different. Nezami had thanked him. He'd had this moment where he felt like, for once, he had done something undeniably right. It wasn’t about towers or orbs or destiny—it was just him, being good enough.
But he knew how quickly things could flip. His sisters meant well, but they didn’t exactly have a knack for subtlety when it came to dropping life-altering news. And lately, it felt like every good moment was followed by some earth-shattering revelation.
Mal’s mind wandered for a second. He’d heard something once—about how you have to take each day as if it’s the only one that matters. Infinity isn’t in the past or the future. Yesterday doesn’t matter, and neither does tomorrow.
You only exist right now.
And right now? He wanted this feeling to stretch out just a little longer. If today could stay just like this for a while longer, that’d be enough.
PG.14B
Mal and Momo stepped into the penthouse, the kitchen was alive with soft conversation and the rustle of papers scattered across the counter. Harper, Elara, and Riko were huddled around the island, coffee mugs in hand, deep in some kind of planning session. The sight of it made Mal pause for a second—he hadn’t expected them to be here, let alone looking so… busy.
Harper was the first to spot them, a wide smile breaking across her face as she set her coffee down and stood up.
“Well, well, well,” she called out, walking toward Momo with her arms outstretched. “Look who finally decided to show up! I was starting to get offended. I’ve been back for weeks and not even a quick visit from you. What the hell, Momo? What’s up with that my dude?”
Momo chuckled as Harper pulled him into a tight hug. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, Harper,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender when she released him. “Between classes, working, and sharing a car with my sister, it’s been a lot. But this is my first day off in forever, so here I am.”
Harper crossed her arms, pretending to pout. “Mm-hmm. Excuses, excuses.”
Elara and Riko laughed, both waving to Momo from the kitchen. “It’s about time!” Riko teased. “We were wondering if we’d have to come to campus just to see you.”
Momo shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve been working part-time at the convenience store, and I’ve also been running orders for Torah back to the school staff and cafes. Coffee and stuff. So yeah, it’s been a bit chaotic.”
“Bro, I didn’t even know that,” Mal said surprised Inside, he felt a little embarrassed—he hadn’t even realized his best friend was juggling so much.
He ran a hand through his hair, looking a little bummed out at himself. “I’m sorry, man. I’ve been so caught up in my head and all this nonsense. I should’ve known.”
Momo shook his head, offering Mal a reassuring smile. “Nah, bro. You’re good. You’ve got a lot going on yourself. Honestly, I just started last week when you were out so not too long ago, and I hadn’t mentioned it because I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to stick with it.”
“Still it’s not like we don’t have phones fool…”
“Blah blah blah… you ain’t my momma” Momo jested.
“Whatevs… I’m gonna go change into something more comfortable. Be right back," he said, turning to head upstairs.
"Alright, Mr. Rogers, we’ll be waiting." Momo poked as he sat down with the ladies.
Mal shot him a grin and shook his head, making his way to his room. Once there, he swapped his jeans for his cutoff sweats and threw on a hoodie—the perfect comfort clothes. He paused for a moment, letting out a breath as he looked at himself in the mirror. This was his space, his moment to unwind, and it felt good to finally have a day that wasn’t a complete disaster.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Riko waved Momo over to the mess of papers spread across the table. “Alright, so these are the plans for the party,” she said, tapping one of the papers. “We’re thinking an 80s theme.”
“More like early hip-hop,” Harper chimed in, taking a sip of her coffee.
Momo laughed, his eyes lighting up. “Now that’s my jam! Mal is gonna lose it. I’m telling you, this is exactly what he needs right now.”
“Why do you say that?” Elara asked.
Momo hesitated for a second, glancing between the three women. “You know when you’ve known someone so long, and you can tell they’re carrying something? Like, they’ve got a secret, but not the good kind. Something is going on in Mal’s head, and it’s... well, it’s got me a little worried.”
Harper’s expression softened as she looked at Momo. “You have no idea what a blessing you are to him. He’s lucky to have a friend like you who actually sees him, who’s there for him.”
Momo, never one to accept praise easily, rubbed his hands together and quickly changed the subject. “Well, that’s what homies are for, right?” He gave a sheepish grin. “So, what can I bring to this party?”
Riko laughed, shaking her head. “Just bring your energy. You’re gonna need it.”
As Mal came back downstairs, now in his hoodie and sweats, he felt a strange comfort in the warmth of the scene—the laughter, the girl, and Momo being his usual self.
Maybe, just maybe, today would end as solidly as it began.