They tinued walking in fortable silehe stars beginning to twinkle in the sky above. Both of them khe road ahead wouldn’t be easy. The rumors would persist, and they’d face obstacles, but at least for now, they could stand together—without fear, without hiding.

  And that was enough.

  Jiko flopped onto the rooftop with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples like he was trying to erase a bad dream. Man, he was *tired*. It felt like the weight of the world ressing down on him. There were the stant judging eyes of the adults, the fusing swirl of his own feelings, and now this whole weird Tito-Julie situation. It was all just… *too much*.

  He’d thought a little boldness wouldn't hurt. Just a couple of times, you know? But ever sihat cultural event, everything had ged. People looked at him and Julie differently. It wasn’t like they were doing anything wroly. It’s just that in this servative try, public dispys of affe between unmarried people—especially young people—were frowned upon. It ractically taboo. And now, he and Julie were the talk of the town.

  His best friend, Rizvan, had followed him up after hours, probably sensing something was off.

  Rizvan plopped dowo him, kig his legs over the edge of the building. The sun was setting in the distance, casting a warm glow over the city below. Silence huween them for a moment before Rizvan leaned back, chug to himself.

  —---

  “So let me get this straight,” Rizvan said, a mischievous grin f on his face. “The girl your brother was supposed to marry iure timeline, is now in love with you. And you... you’re in love with her.”

  Jiko groaned, burying his fa his hands. “Yeah, pretty much.”

  Rizvan burst into ughter, holding his sides as if Jiko had just told the fu joke ever. “Man, you’ve got the kind of drama people write books about! This is -level Shakespearean stuff.”

  Jiko shot him a side-eye. “Oh, ha ha, very funny. You’re oo talk. What about that love triangle you had ba seventh grade? You had three girls fighting over you!”

  Rizvan waved it off. “Hey, that’s entering early teenage for you. But this? This is on a whole other level. It’s like you stumbled into your own telenove.”

  Jiko shook his head, ughie himself. “Great, now everyone’s vinced I’m some kind of heartbreaker. Like, I meant to step into my brother’s life and steal his girl.”

  Rizvan’s tourned serious, pulling Jiko out of his thoughts. He leaned forward, perg on the edge of the rooftop. “Seriously though, man,” he said, his voice lower. “What are you going to *do*? This isn’t just some little fling, you know? It’s real. And Julie… well, she’s not the type to just give up. I *know* she’s head over heels for you. Even if you tried to break things off now, because you feel guilty or whatever, she wouldn’t let you go that easily.”

  Jiko sighed again, the sound heavy with worry. “I don’t know, man. It’s… plicated,” he repeated, the word feeling ie to describe the tangled mess in his head. “I mean, what if this whole thing isn’t even real? What if it’s just a dream? What if I’m just making everything worse? You know how it is in those time travel movies—you move a chair, and suddenly the whole future is different.”

  Rizvan leaned in closer, his brow furrowed in thought. “Okay, first of all—timeline? Seriously, bro, you sound like you’re straight out of a sci-fi movie. Look, no one’s asking you to fix the universe. You like her, right?”

  Jiko nodded slowly. “Yeah... I do.”

  Rizvan gave him a knowing look and smirked. “Then don’t let some imaginary timeliop you. Life’s too short to overthink every little thing. If you love her, you love her. End of story.”

  Jiko looked at Rizvan, an eyebrow raised. “Imaginary, huh? So, you don’t believe me?”

  Rizvan grihrowing an arm around Jiko’s shoulder. “Nah, it’s not about believing you or not. I’m just saying—a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Even if she was your brother’s ex-fian this timeline and you’re basically pulling a switcheroo... I’d support you. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

  Jiko blinked, staring at Rizvan in disbelief. “So you’re tellihat even if I cheated on my own brother, you’d still have my back?”

  Rizvan nodded. “Absolutely. I mean, look at it this way. We’re talking about love here. You’re not breaking any ws, bro—you’re just... rearrangiiny a little.”

  Jiko’s lips twitched, uo hold back a small ugh. “Rearrangiiny? You make it sound so casual.”

  Rizvan shrugged, clearly amused by his own words. “Hey, if she makes you happy, you’ve got to go for it. Love doesn’t follow rules—it just... happens.”

  Jiko sighed again, but this time, there was a bit more crity in his gaze. Rizvan’s words had given him a strange sense of permission—or at least, the nudge he o stop overthinking things. Maybe it wasn’t about fixing anything, but just... being ho with himself and Julie.

  “I guess you’re right,” Jiko murmured. “I don’t o worry about the rest. I’ve got her now. That’s what matters.”

  Rizvan patted him on the back. “That’s the spirit! Now go out there and show the world you’re not afraid of a little drama.”

  Jiko ughed, shaking his head. “Drama? You mean plete chaos.”

  Rizvan ughed too, the sound eg softly across the rooftop. “Exactly. But hey, chaos is where the fun happens, right?”

  For the first time in days, Jiko felt something like relief—fidence, even. He wasn’t just some pawn in some straimeline. He was living in the moment, with Julie. And if it meant taking a risk and making things a little messy? Well, he figured they could that up together.

  And —just maybe—that was exactly what he needed.

  When Jiko got home, the shift in his life hit him full force. He’d beeting back from track practice, and as he walked in the front door, he heard ughter ing from the dining room. He stopped short. His parents were at the table, and there, sitting with them as if she belonged, was Nadia—Tito’s new girlfriend.