Maya was everything Jaden wasn’t. She was loud, unapologetic, and full of life. When she first walked into his apartment, her energy filled the room like a breath of fresh air. Jaden had never been one for company, but something about her drew him in.

She didn’t judge him when he offered her the kush. Instead, she accepted with a grin, sitting next to him on the couch and sipping from a bottle of cranberry juice he’d left on the counter.

“Not your typical combo,” she said, eyeing the juice. “But hey, whatever works.”

Jaden chuckled. “I guess it’s my thing.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m into it. What else do you have? I like your vibe.”

From that night on, Maya became a regular in Jaden’s life. Their connection wasn’t immediate or obvious, but it was there. They spent hours talking, laughing, and sharing their respective ways of navigating the world. For Jaden, Maya was an enigma, a person who lived loudly in a world he preferred to observe quietly.

They started spending more time together. She would show up with a new brand of cranberry juice, or sometimes she’d bring something else—books, music, strange stories of her adventures. And Jaden, in return, would offer his kush, rolling up quietly as they shared the silence between words. It was the first time in a long while he felt like someone else understood the rhythm of his days.