The world did not magically become simpler after the kiss. In fact, it became infinitely more complicated. The quiet, unspoken tension between Kofi and Nina was replaced by a new, equally unspoken, and far more terrifying reality. They were… a thing. A secret, undefined, and incredibly fragile thing.
They had not talked about it since that moment in his room. They had not defined what they were. They just… were. And the new, secret knowledge of it was a constant, buzzing energy between them.
At school on Monday, everything felt different. When she met him at their corner, her usual teasing greeting was accompanied by a quick, almost imperceptible glance at his lips, a silent acknowledgment of the new history they shared.
He felt his own face grow warm. 'Okay,' he thought. 'This is going to be… a challenge.'
Their friends, of course, noticed immediately. They were not stupid.
