Heading back to his room, towel slung around his neck, Vince barely made it to the top of the stairs when he was intercepted by his sister, Sonia. She leaned against the hallway wall with a smug grin plastered across her face.
"Why are you smiling like that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Who knows..." she said, dragging out the words. "Maybe it's the fact I just walked into your room and saw Karina curled up on your bed like she lives here."
Vince groaned. "We're not dating."
"Didn't say you were. But you might want to clear that up with her before she starts decorating your closet."
He sighed. "It's not like that."
"Sure." Sonia smirked. "Anyways, I'm heading back. Just figured I'd let you know what it looks like from the outside."
She tossed him a mock salute and made her way down the stairs.
Vince stood there a moment, letting her words hang in the air.
Karina had always been around—like Dale, a default presence in his life. Their parents were friends, they grew up in the same circles. At first, they couldn't stand each other. Then, like gravity, they just... stayed in orbit. Somewhere along the line, that orbit pulled tighter.
But he never saw her like that. Not until the fallout with Darian—when things got messy.
He shook off the thought and opened his door quietly.
Karina was still asleep, breathing softly, arms folded under her head.
She looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
She'd always been around. But lately, with Vanessa filling his thoughts, the lines between old familiarity and new emotion had started to blur.
Then, suddenly—
"Hey..." a voice mumbled from the bed.
Karina.
Awake now, hair a mess, rubbing her eyes.
"You always write while girls sleep in your bed?"
Vince smirked. "Only the clingy ones."
She threw a pillow at his head. "Jerk."
"You drooled on my favorite one," he said, catching the pillow and tossing it back at her feet.
"Whatever. I was dreaming of Dale anyway."
"Liar."
"Maybe."
They both smiled.
"Now that you're awake, you can leave," Vince said, his voice flat but not unkind.
"Noooo, drag me out," Karina whined with a grin, stretching across the couch like a cat refusing to move.
Vince sighed and stood up. "Why are you like this?"
"Because you keep putting up with it," she shot back, raising an eyebrow. "You're enabling me."
He reached down. "You know I will literally drag you."
"Nope!" she yelped, rolling away just as he tried to grab her arm. But she misjudged the edge of the bed and tumbled off with a thud.
"Karina!" Vince crouched beside her. "You okay?"
She rubbed the back of her head, wincing slightly. "I'll live." Then, her tone shifted—still playful, but there was something underneath. "You're weird, you know that? How can you like another girl and still treat me like this?"
Vince froze for a second.
He cared about Karina—deeply. But not the way she wanted. He'd never led her on, never crossed any lines. They joked, they hung out, they fought like siblings. He protected her because she was important to him. But that was it.
And she knew. At least, part of her did.
But still, her eyes lingered too long. Still, she kept hoping he'd change his mind.
Vince didn't have the words, not ones that wouldn't sting. So he offered her a hand. "Come on. Let's get you up." Pulling her up.
"By the way, where were you? I thought you'd be home when I got here," Karina asked, settling back into his bed like nothing had just happened.
"The real question is, why are you here?" Vince shot back, raising an eyebrow.
"Mom wanted to stop by, so I tagged along." She shrugged. "Figured you wouldn't mind."
He didn't respond right away. Then, casually, almost like an afterthought:
"By the way... about Darin. Do you still talk to him?"
The air shifted.
Her smile faltered, just for a second. But Vince caught it.
She looked away.
"Why are you asking about him?" she said, guarded.
Vince turned toward the kitchen.
"Forget it. Doesn't matter."
"No—seriously. Why bring him up?" Her voice was firmer now, almost defensive.
He didn't answer, just opened a cabinet and started pulling out a bowl.
"Did you eat yet?"
"No. Are you going to feed me?" she asked, trying to flip the mood again. Her voice was light, teasing—but it was forced this time.
Vince narrowed his eyes.
"You know what? Get the hell out."
"Nope." She stretched again on his bed, grinning. "Make me."
"This girl!"