As the weeks went by, the space between them started to shift. The easy chemistry they shared began to feel complicated, like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit anymore. Maya was pulling him in one direction, urging him to step out of his comfort zone, while Jaden was retreating, unable to keep up with the demands of a life that was beginning to feel unfamiliar.

One evening, after a particularly heavy conversation, Maya stood up and grabbed her jacket.

“I think you’re scared, Jaden,” she said quietly. “You’re afraid to leave your comfort zone, to let go of the things that keep you stuck. But you can’t live like this forever.”

Jaden felt the words hit him like a wave. He didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. He had been holding on to the kush, to the cranberry juice, as if they could protect him from the world outside. But they couldn’t. Nothing could.

Maya left that night, and Jaden was left in the dim light of his apartment, feeling the weight of her absence in a way he hadn’t expected. He lit another joint, but it didn’t taste the same. The cranberry juice, now sitting untouched on the counter, felt like a symbol of everything he had been avoiding.