CHAPTER 11: Just Us

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Chapter 11: Just Us

The city felt quieter on Saturday mornings. Less noise, less rush. Calvin waited outside the old art museum downtown, hands tucked in his coat pockets. The wind tugged at his sleeves, but he didn't mind. He hadn't seen Daisy off-campus before. This felt like a new chapter—unwritten.

She arrived in black jeans and a soft, oversized sweater, her hair loosely tied back. She looked… relaxed. Or trying to be.

"You came," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You invited me."

"Still," he said, "you had options."

"I chose this."

That made something tighten, gently, in his chest.

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Inside the Gallery

They wandered in silence through quiet halls of color and light. Paintings whispered things words couldn't hold. Daisy paused in front of a piece—bold strokes of red and blue tangled together.

"It's messy," she said. "But honest."

Calvin stood beside her. "Like people."

She glanced at him. "Like us?"

He nodded. "Exactly."

They moved on, side by side, sometimes speaking, sometimes just being. In the stillness of art, they didn't need to pretend. Didn't need to define.

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Coffee & Confessions

Afterward, they found a small coffee shop nearby. Two mugs. One table. And the gentle hush of low music.

"Do you always bring people to places like this?" Daisy asked.

Calvin shook his head. "Not people. Just you."

She sipped her drink slowly. "Why me? Ok"

"Because I don't feel like I need to impress you. I just want to know you."

Silence.

Then she said, "I'm scared that if I let someone in, they'll eventually leave."

"I'm scared that if I don't let someone in, I'll lose them before I even have the chance."

They sat with that—two people unlearning everything they were taught about love.

And outside, it began to rain lightly. But inside, they were warm.

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