They returned to Kian's apartment, and just as Naya stepped inside, she saw Tami sitting cross-legged on the floor, her crayon-drawn picture spread across the coffee table.
Kian followed her gaze and chuckled. "She's been busy."
Tami, the ever-observant six-year-old, was looking up at her father with wide eyes. "Look, Daddy. I made Miss Naya!"
Naya froze. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the drawing—stick figures holding hands under a rainbow, both with exaggerated smiles. One of the figures was Naya, a crude but sweet attempt at her likeness, complete with the messy bun she wore when she came over.
Kian walked over to the table, picking up the drawing. He frowned, looking at Naya. "I didn't know you two had officially met."
"Uh, we didn't exactly," Naya replied, trying to mask the sudden rush of warmth in her chest. "She must've seen me around."
Tami beamed she had seen Naya's picture on her dad's phone. "I told Daddy you were my new stepmom!"
Naya's heart skipped. She wasn't prepared for that. Not now, not like this. But she smiled, crouching down beside Tami. "I'm not your stepmom, sweetie. Just your friend, for now."
Tami tilted her head, her brows furrowing. "But you're going to live here, right?"
Kian shot Naya a quick, unreadable glance.
"I'm not sure yet," Naya said softly, feeling a strange knot form in her chest. "But I'll be around."
Tami seemed satisfied with that answer. "Okay. I like you."
Naya gave a quiet laugh, her nerves settling a little. "I like you too, Tami."
As Naya stood and turned to leave for her room, Kian's voice stopped her.
"You okay?"
She nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. The drawing. Tami's innocent declaration. The weight of what she was walking into—it all felt more real than before.
---
Later that night, in the quiet of her room, Naya lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. Her phone buzzed again. She grabbed it, expecting more work emails, but it was a message from Kian.
"I didn't expect her to come out with that. I didn't know she'd show you that, she had drawn you earlier."
Naya stared at the message for a long moment, then typed back.
"I didn't either."
She set the phone down, her chest tight again. She hadn't signed up for this level of intimacy, this level of family. It wasn't part of the deal.
But as she lay there, she realized she hadn't exactly said no. To Kian. To this arrangement. To Tami.
And for some reason, that thought lingered far longer than she was comfortable with.