Amanda dragged her suitcase across the compound, the wheels catching against uneven stones. Each step felt heavier than it should have, not because of the luggage, but because of the way Trahy's eyes followed her without saying much.
"Granny will be happy you're back," he said at last, pushing the gate shut behind them. His voice had changed—deeper, steadier. It wasn't the voice of the boy who used to whisper secrets with her under the mango tree. It belonged to someone else now, someone she wasn't sure she could read.
Amanda nodded, forcing a casual smile. "I missed her cooking more than anything."
Trahy smirked faintly, a rare expression that tugged at memories. "Still greedy, I see."
The playful jab should have felt harmless. But the way his gaze lingered on her made it dangerous. She dropped her eyes quickly, pretending to focus on the suitcases.
Inside the house, everything smelled the same—wood polish, dried herbs, the faint scent of Granny Ann's perfume clinging to the curtains. Amanda's chest tightened with nostalgia.
Granny herself appeared from the kitchen, her laughter filling the room as she hugged Amanda tightly. "My little girl is home! Two years is too long."
Amanda buried her face in Granny's shoulder, comforted by her warmth. But over Granny's shoulder, her eyes met Trahy's again. He stood a step back, watching, silent, unreadable.
Later, as the evening settled and Granny disappeared to prepare supper, Amanda found herself alone with him in the living room. The ticking clock echoed the rhythm of her pulse.
"You've changed," Trahy said suddenly, breaking the silence.
She looked up, startled. "So have you."
For a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them thickened, words unsaid pressing against their tongues. Amanda wanted to tell him how much she had missed him, how the thought of him had followed her through empty nights at school. But the word "cousin" still hung in the space like a chain she couldn't break.
So instead, she laughed softly, the sound brittle. "It's just time. Time changes everything."
Trahy's jaw tightened. "Not everything."
And in that instant, Amanda wasn't sure if he meant her—or the secret neither of them dared to speak."