new arrival

Daniel had never been good at processing things right away.

He needed time.

Space.

Distance.

But this time?

There was no escaping it.

Because Sophia had just said the one thing he'd spent years pretending not to hear.

"I broke up with Ethan."

"Because I wanted to stop loving you."

And now, standing on the porch steps under the dim glow of the evening light, Daniel felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

She looked at him like she expected something — an answer, a joke, anything.

But he couldn't speak.

Not yet.

Not when his mind was spinning too fast to catch up.

Inside, Nathan was watching TV, oblivious to what had just happened outside.

Lena, however, was waiting by the window.

She turned as they walked in.

"Everything okay?" she asked, eyes darting between them.

Sophia nodded. "Yeah."

Daniel didn't say anything.

He just dropped onto the couch beside Nathan, staring blankly at the screen even though the show wasn't playing anymore.

"You good?" Nathan asked.

Daniel blinked. "Huh?"

"You look weird."

"I'm fine."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You sure? You've been weird all week."

Daniel groaned. "I don't have a problem."

Lena smirked. "Sure you don't."

Sophia sat down across from him, arms crossed. "Maybe he's tired."

Daniel shot her a grateful look.

Then she added, "Or maybe he's thinking about what I said."

His head snapped toward her.

"What did you say?" Nathan asked, confused.

"Nothing," Sophia said quickly.

Lena leaned back, grinning. "Oh, nothing much. Just that she tried dating someone else… because of Daniel."

Daniel winced.

Nathan turned to stare at him. "What?"

"It's not like that!" Sophia yelped, face burning.

Daniel rubbed his temples. "Can we drop it?"

"Nope," Lena said cheerfully. "We're going full drama mode."

Nathan looked between them again. "Wait. Are you two finally gonna talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Daniel muttered.

Sophia frowned. "Exactly."

But the silence after that was thick.

Heavy.

Like the air knew there was something unsaid.

Later that night, Sophia found herself alone in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water.

The house was quiet.

Too quiet.

She heard footsteps behind her before she saw him.

Daniel stood in the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"You really meant it, huh?" he asked quietly.

She stiffened. "Meant what?"

"That you loved me."

Her stomach twisted.

She turned away. "It doesn't matter if I did."

He stepped closer.

"Why wouldn't it matter?"

She shook her head. "Because you still see me as 'Soph.' As Nathan's little sister."

Daniel hesitated.

Then he said, "That's not true."

She gave him a sad smile. "Yes, it is."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I just… I didn't know how to think of you any other way."

She looked at him then — really looked at him — and whispered, "Until now."

He swallowed hard.

"Is that why you dated Ethan?" he asked. "To forget me?"

She nodded. "I thought maybe if I tried hard enough, I could move on."

"And could you?"

She met his gaze.

"No."

The word came out barely above a breath.

But it hit him harder than anything ever had.

They stood in silence for a long moment.

Then Daniel said, "I didn't realize…"

Sophia tilted her head. "Realize what?"

"That I made you feel invisible."

Her chest tightened.

She hadn't expected that.

She'd expected denial.

Teasing.

Avoidance.

Not this.

Not honesty.

"I didn't mean to," he continued. "I swear. I just… I never thought of you like that."

She smiled faintly. "I know."

"But lately…" He trailed off.

She waited.

He looked at her — really looked — like he was trying to memorize her face.

"You've changed," he admitted. "You don't hide as much. You don't let me tease you without pushing back."

She raised an eyebrow. "Should I be offended?"

He chuckled softly. "No. I kind of like it."

She blushed.

He noticed.

And instead of teasing her, he just… watched.

Like he was seeing her for the first time.

And suddenly, the space between them felt smaller.

Tighter.

More dangerous.

The next morning, Sophia woke up to find Daniel already in the kitchen.

He was making coffee — shirtless, barefoot, looking like he belonged there forever.

She froze in the doorway.

He glanced over. "Morning."

She cleared her throat. "Hey."

He handed her a mug before she could ask.

She blinked. "How did you know I liked mine like this?"

He shrugged. "You always drink it the same way. With extra sugar and cinnamon."

She stared at him.

He caught her look and frowned. "What?"

"You remember that?"

He paused. "Of course I do."

She looked down at the mug, heart pounding.

Because somehow, without realizing it, he'd been paying attention all along.

Just… not in the way she wanted.

Yet.

Over the next few days, things shifted.

He started noticing her more.

Caught himself watching her longer than usual.

Laughed at things she said — not just because he was being nice, but because she was funny.

Smart.

Beautiful.

And every time he realized that thought, he pushed it away.

Because it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

He wasn't supposed to start seeing her differently.

Not now.

Not after everything.

One afternoon, while helping clean the garage, Sophia reached up to grab a box — and Daniel caught sight of the small tattoo peeking beneath her sleeve.

He stopped mid-lift.

"You got a tattoo?"

She blinked. "Yeah. A few months ago."

He stepped closer. "Can I see it?"

She hesitated — then rolled up her sleeve.

It was small — just a quote inked along her wrist.

"Some people are worth waiting for."

Daniel read it slowly.

Then looked up.

Her eyes were soft.

Waiting.

He swallowed.

"Was it for me?" he asked quietly.

She didn't lie.

"It was."

His chest tightened.

He looked away.

And for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say to her.

Because the girl who used to follow him around like a shadow?

She wasn't a child anymore.

She was someone who had loved him so deeply she had carved it into her skin.

And he had missed it.

All of it.

That night, Daniel sat outside on the porch, staring at the stars.

Nathan joined him a few minutes later, tossing him a soda.

"You've been weird since last night," Nathan said.

Daniel sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Nathan studied him. "Is it about Soph?"

Daniel stayed quiet.

Nathan exhaled. "Man, you're hopeless."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." Nathan leaned back. "I've known you my whole life. And I've never seen you act like this."

Daniel frowned. "Act like what?"

"Like you care more than you should."

Daniel looked away.

"I don't know what I'm feeling," he admitted.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You finally noticing her?"

Daniel didn't answer.

Because he didn't know what to say.

Back inside, Sophia sat on the edge of her bed, clutching her diary.

She opened it to a fresh page.

Wrote:

"He knows."

She stared at the words.

Then added:

"And I don't know if that makes things better or worse."