Naya sank into her chair, quietly exhaling. The meeting with her boss had just ended, another long-winded session about strategy, projections, and deadlines. This time, she'd been handed a new project. One that could raise her profile at the firm if it went well. But she wasn't celebrating. She just felt… tired.
She leaned forward, elbows on the desk, and rubbed her forehead.
Her phone buzzed.
She didn't even need to check. The timing alone told her it was her mom.
Sure enough: Mom.
She answered with a cautious, "Hey."
"Hey," her mom said sharply, skipping any sort of greeting. "Did you only send two hundred dollars to your sister?"
Naya's stomach dropped. "Yeah… I had rent, groceries, and—"
"She needed help, Naya. You know that. Two hundred barely covers anything these days."
"I know, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll send more."
Her mom sighed, that long disappointed kind of silence that always left Naya feeling like she was back in high school, trying to explain herself after getting a B on a math test.
"You need to be more responsible than this," her mom said. "She looks up to you."
"I said I'll send more," Naya repeated, quieter.
"Okay," her mom said, then hung up. No goodbye. Just the click of disapproval.
Naya stared at her phone for a few seconds before opening her banking app. She transferred another $150, ignoring the sinking feeling that came with seeing her balance drop. It wasn't like she was rolling in cash, but saying no never really felt like an option.
She typed out a text:
I sent more. Sorry again.
She didn't wait for a reply.
Almost immediately, a sharp pain bloomed behind her right eye. She pressed two fingers to her temple. It wasn't just tension. It felt like something was twisting behind her eye socket.
She dug through her drawer for painkillers and swallowed two without water.
By the time she glanced at the clock again, it was almost five. The rest of the workday blurred by in a haze of emails and deadlines. Her thoughts felt heavy. Her body heavier.
When six rolled around, she packed her things and left. The sun had already dipped behind the buildings, leaving the sky streaked with faint orange and grey. She decided to walk to the grocery store, letting the cool air ease the pressure behind her eyes.
She moved through the aisles slowly. Picked up eggs, milk, frozen vegetables, a loaf of bread. She stood in front of the snack aisle longer than she should have, debating if she deserved a small treat, then tossed a bag of kettle chips into her cart. It wasn't in the budget, but screw it.
---
The paper bags in Naya's arms were starting to give, cutting into her skin with every step. She was halfway through the lot when she saw him.
Liam.
Her feet faltered. He was leaning against the hood of her car—again—arms crossed, like he was waiting for her. She hadn't seen or heard from him all day.
She approached slowly. "Where have you been?"
He didn't answer right away. Just looked at her, then down at the bags in her arms like she was inconveniencing him.
"I asked you a question."
Liam sighed, pushing off the car. "Why do you always start drama the moment I show up?"
"Drama?" she blinked. "I'm trying to talk to you, Liam. You disappeared all night. You didn't pick my calls—"
"Because I didn't feel like talking, Naya." His voice dropped, sharp. "I don't need to explain myself to you."
"That's not how a relationship works."
His jaw flexed. "You really wanna do this now?"
"I'm tired of walking on eggshells. I deserve answers."
That's when it happened.
The bags slipped from her arms, groceries spilling over the pavement, just as Liam's hand flew up and struck her across the face.
The sound cracked through the air. Her head whipped sideways, cheek burning. She stumbled, nearly losing her balance.
He didn't even look sorry.
"You don't talk to me like that," he snapped.
Naya raised a hand to her face, stunned. "Liam…"
When he moved toward her again, hand twitching at his side, she flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
But nothing came.
Instead, a strange silence.
Then… a scent.
Something clean. Warm. Faint cologne, mixed with something she couldn't place, but remembered from earlier that morning... something that made her turn.
She opened her eyes.
There was a man standing between them now.
Not touching Liam. Not even looking at him, yet somehow commanding all the attention.
Liam blinked, caught off guard. "Who the hell are you?"
The man didn't answer immediately. His eyes stayed on Naya, just long enough to make sure she was standing on her own.
"Back off," he finally said, quiet, but firm.
Liam stepped forward, all heat and aggression. "You must be out of your mind if you think you can just—"
The man stepped in front of Naya fully now, taller, calmer, unmoved.
"I said back off."
And that was it. Liam lost it.
He swung.
The man dodged, quick and smooth, and shoved Liam back hard enough that he stumbled into the car. Naya gasped.
"Stop!" she yelled, rushing between them. "Just—stop! Please."
She turned to the stranger. "I don't need your help. This isn't your business."
He didn't argue. Just nodded once, backing away with his hands up.
Liam grabbed her arm roughly. "Let's go."
She didn't fight it. She just let herself be pulled away, the heat of embarrassment and confusion rising in her chest.
But as they walked into the building, she could feel it.
That man, whoever he was___was still watching.
And for a fleeting second, Naya wished she could go back. Not to thank him. Not to ask questions.
Just… to stay in that space where someone had actually stepped in.
Even if only for a moment.