"No, no! Don't explain, I'm not judging!" fredrick said, dramatically turning around and pretending to walk back out. "But next time? A little warning before I walk into rated 18 scenes!"
Pearl groaned, hiding her face in her palms. "You're so annoying."
Jason looked like he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
Frederick peeked back in, wiggling his brows. "You two look good together, though. The tension? Mwah! Cinematic. But please, keep it PG. There's a child in the house." He pointed to himself proudly.
Jason muttered under his breath, "I swear I'll throw you out the window."
Frederick bolted, laughing like a maniac.
Pearl stood there, flustered and frozen, trying to catch her breath.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "So… that happened."
She didn't say anything. Just turned back to the pot, stirring it like her life depended on it.
But even as the stew bubbled… so did something else.
Something she wasn't ready to name.
Not yet.
***
Jason had been oddly quiet lately.
That morning, as Pearl passed him in the hallway, their shoulders nearly brushed. He stepped back like she'd burned him, muttered a weird half "good morning," then disappeared into the kitchen like a ghost avoiding confrontation. Pearl raised an eyebrow. That was the third time this week.
She didn't have time to dwell on it. Amanda was already texting her to hurry. Today was the apartment visit.
After class, Emily practically dragged Pearl by the arm. "You're lucky I love real estate drama," she said, linking arms with Amanda too. "If there's no haunted painting or creepy old man landlord, I'll be disappointed."
Amanda laughed. "It's a student place, not a horror film."
"You never know," Emily replied with mock seriousness.
Kelly was missing from the trio today. When Pearl had asked her if she was coming, Kelly just sighed and muttered something about her dad "pulling one of his legacy stunts again."
"Just going to settle something important, she'd scoffed, eyes narrowed. "As if I care about freaking cheetahs and budget meetings."
Pearl had blinked. "Cheetahs?"
Kelly waved her off. "Long story. Rich dad, zoo drama. I'll catch up later."
That was all she said.
***
The apartment was better than Pearl expected. Two bedrooms, clean walls, a balcony that faced the street, and most importantly—peace. Amanda was already asking about light bills and Wi-Fi while Emily opened every cabinet like she was inspecting for cockroaches.
"I approve," Emily announced. "If you don't move in, I will. I need an escape plan from my roommates who think night reading means screaming on group calls till 2 a.m."
Pearl laughed. For once, the thought of having her own space away from Jason's mood swings felt like the right kind of fresh start.
Back home, as she was stirring rice in the kitchen, Jason walked in and paused at the door like she'd caught him stealing something.
"You're... cooking again," he said, voice weirdly neutral.
Pearl didn't look at him. "For Frederick," she said, flipping the rice.
A long pause. Then he cleared his throat. "Didn't mean what I said the other day. About this place not your apartment"
Pearl didn't respond. The silence made him shift awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You didn't even leave me stew this week. I thought you were mad."
Pearl turned, meeting his gaze. "Was that not what you wanted? For me to stay out of your space?"
Jason opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. Then looked at the pot. "Smells good."
"Good. It's not for you," she said, a little too sharply.
He nodded, backed up, and left.
Pearl didn't smile, but inside, she kind of did .