Aleah's POV
I pushed back the tears that threatened to spill, the ache inside me desperate for release. I was invisible—completely unseen. Standing there next to them, feeling like a ghost who had wandered into the wrong story.
Then, out of nowhere, a force pressed into my back, and I stumbled forward—right into Yasmin's arms.
The world tilted for a second. Someone had bumped into me, but I barely noticed. My heart pounded like a waterfall crashing over rocks—loud, unstoppable, overwhelming.
For a fleeting moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time: home.
Her arms around me were a refuge, a secret shelter against the storm of loneliness that always seemed to chase me—like coming inside from the cold, where everything felt safe and still.
But then, as quickly as it came, I pulled away, the moment slipping through my fingers like water.
As I stepped back, the warmth faded—and my eyes drifted to a boy disappearing into the crowd. The same one who'd bumped into me moments before. Something about him unsettled me, though I didn't know why yet.
So rude.