"So wait — you saw her? Jonah's soulmate?"

Kaylee nodded.

"What did she look like?"

Kaylee sat by the bay window, with her head bent down and the strands of her hair falling and shielding her away from Delilah's gaze. She barely spoke a word since Delilah came and kept playing with the hem of her dress.

Kaylee remembered how she looked. Straight red hair, a mess of freckles, and thick rimmed glasses. Kaylee remembered the sternness of her features, the edge in her tone, and the confidence her posture. Kaylee remembered how she regarded them as nothing more than foolish teenagers — someone whom she might come across and forget the next day. Kaylee remembered how she just stood there by their table and managed to break the few remains of Kaylee's heart and remind her that everything that she's built up with Jonah is starting to crash down. That only Kaylee will standby when it happens, at the bottom of the cliff as she feels the weight of her world to come bearing down on her.

"She was pretty," Kaylee whispered. Her train of thought drifted to Jonah and how he smiles and how his curls stick out in random places. She chuckled, in a way that could break your heart. "Definitely Jonah's type."

Then there was silence. The kind that stung and bit as the unsaid words sat beside them and taunted them — demanding to be seen. Demanding to be real.

"Kaylee," Delilah said. "End it with Jonah."

Kaylee nodded, still not looking up. "I will."

But not now.

—

"Kaylee, could you carry these boxes out for me, please?" Before she could even respond, Mr. McLaughlin handed Kaylee a pile of boxes, which was taller than her average height. "They go in the trunk. And my car's the red Toyota, thanks."

Kaylee nodded, though it was pointless because he couldn't see her. "Okay. Where?"

"Right in the middle of the parking lot."

Sensing that Mr. McLaughlin was out of the way, Kaylee slowly moved forward, making sure that her pace was steady enough to balance all the boxes. However, somewhere in between, she miscalculated and the boxes at the top of the pile began to tumble.

But they never reached the ground. Because a lanky boy caught them right as they fell, standing face to face with Kaylee, who stared at him wide-eyed and was, momentarily, at loss of words.

Jonah smiled at her. "Where do these go?"

"Oh, um —" Kaylee blinked, then she directed to the car at the centre of the parking lot. "Over there. In the red Toyota."

Jonah nodded, and before she knew it, he turned around and walked away. It took Kaylee a second to collect herself and catch up with Jonah, aligning her steps along with his.

"You know, you didn't have to do that," Kaylee said, her eyes roaming everywhere. "Help me, I mean. I could manage on my own."

"I know, but you would've done the same for me," Jonah said, meeting his eyes with Kaylee's. And, slowly, his smile grew a bit wider. "Help me, I mean."

Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, with true sincerity painted in his hazel eyes and gentleness all over his smile. Or maybe it was how the world stopped for a second and how it seemed like it was just her, Kaylee Oh, and Jonah Geller and nothing in between. Because somehow Kaylee found herself tipping her toes, leaning forward, and kissing Jonah Geller.

It was brief and it was nice, and regardless of how dangerous it was, a small part of Kaylee didn't mind. And so, as she pulled away, Kaylee smiled and whispered, "Thanks."

Because, for once, the world was silent. Even though Kaylee knew that this moment would only last a second and that, soon, she would have to face the consequences. Of how everything would collapse and how her heart would break in the end. Of how Kaylee would be the only one left in the midst of the ruins, picking up the pieces.

Soon she would have to face it all. All the heartbreak and all the tragedy.

Soon.

But not now.