Chapter Three – Crossing Lines
Nayah told herself not to reply. It was too late, and Rina was just playing games. But her fingers betrayed her.
Nayah: And what makes you so sure I've been thinking about you?
The reply came almost instantly.
Rina: Because I have. And you don't strike me as the type to let that go unanswered.
Nayah stared at the screen, chewing her lip. She should've turned off her phone, gone to bed. Instead, she found herself lying on her side, grinning like an idiot at the glowing messages.
The texts went on—casual at first, then edging into something more. Rina was bold, her words sharp but playful, pushing past the usual boundaries of small talk.
Rina: What are you wearing right now?
Nayah blinked at the message, heat rushing to her face. She typed, erased, and finally settled on:
Nayah: Sweatpants. Oversized shirt. Very unsexy.
Rina: Liar. I bet you look good in anything.
Nayah groaned, burying her face in her pillow. This girl is impossible.
By the time the clock crept toward midnight, Rina sent another message.
Rina: Come with me tomorrow. Not the gym. Somewhere else.
Nayah hesitated. Somewhere else?
Rina: Smoothie bar across from the park. 6pm. Unless you're scared of me.
Nayah's lips curved into a smile she didn't mean to make. She typed back one word:
Nayah: Fine.
---
The next evening, Nayah almost turned around twice before she walked into the smoothie bar. It was buzzing with people—students hunched over laptops, couples leaning in close, friends laughing too loudly. She spotted Rina instantly, leaning against the counter in ripped jeans and a cropped hoodie, her hair tumbling loose around her shoulders.
If the gym had made her look powerful, this setting made her look dangerous. Relaxed, confident, magnetic.
"You showed," Rina said, smirking as Nayah approached.
"You asked," Nayah shot back, trying to sound casual, but her pulse betrayed her.
They found a table in the corner. Conversation flowed too easily—teasing, laughter, glances that lingered too long. Rina leaned in across the table more than once, her knee brushing against Nayah's under the small wooden surface.
At one point, Rina sucked the last bit of smoothie through her straw, her eyes locked on Nayah the entire time. It was a simple motion, casual to anyone else, but it made Nayah's stomach twist. She looked away quickly, cheeks warming.
"You're blushing," Rina teased, voice low.
"Am not," Nayah muttered, staring at her cup.
"Don't worry," Rina whispered, leaning so close Nayah could smell the faint sweetness of her drink on her breath. "I like it."
The rest of the café faded away. The hum of conversation, the clink of cups—all of it disappeared under the weight of Rina's gaze.
For the first time, Nayah realized just how thin the line was between playful banter and something far more dangerous.