Kevin hadn’t expected her to smile. It wasn’t big or confident just shy, soft, like it surprised even her. For a second, it throws him off enough that he forgets how cold it is, forgets the noise of everyone else shifting around them. “Oh—yeah,” he says, rubbing his arm for a second. “Anytime.”
She takes the hoodie from him, fingers brushing the cuff as she pulls it toward herself. He doesn’t look away when she slips it on. It hangs loose on her frame, sleeves long enough to swallow her hands. For some reason, that gets him.
“I’m Kori…” she says. The name settles in his chest in a way he wasn’t prepared for. “Kevin,” he replies, easy but quieter than usual. His eyes crinkle with his own smile.
The alarm continues to blare behind them. People grumble. Someone laughs. But the space between them feels oddly insulated, like the rest of the world stepped back a bit.
He shifts his weight, shoving his hands into his empty pockets, more out of habit than anything else and offers her a small, crooked smile. “Fire alarms are brutal,” he says. “They always pick the worst timing.” He doesn’t move away. Doesn’t feel the need to. Instead, he glances around briefly, then back at her, like he’s checking to make sure she’s actually warm now.
“Better?” he asks. The question comes out simple, unguarded. Kevin has no idea that his phone is resting quietly in the pocket of the hoodie she’s wearing. He just knows he’s standing there, in the cold, talking to a girl he’s noticed before but never really met and for once, he’s in no rush to go anywhere.
@ChayChay05 • Kori • IDK WHAT TO DO FOR DIALOGUE 