Chapter 1
Amanda was sunlight in human form.
She laughed like nothing in the world could ever hurt her—soft, bright, and a little too loud when she got excited. Her wardrobe was filled with pastel dresses, ribbons, and tiny details most people didn’t even notice. Pink was her favorite color, of course. It always had been.
People called her “too girly.”
Amanda just smiled and twirled anyway.
And then there was Alexandera.
Where Amanda shined, Alexandera stayed in the background. Oversized hoodies, neutral colors, eyes that avoided mirrors whenever possible. Conversations were short. Smiles were rare.
But the silence around her wasn’t empty—it was heavy.
Because Alexandera didn’t just feel different from others.
She felt wrong in her own skin.
Every reflection felt unfamiliar. Every word people used for her felt like it didn’t belong. It wasn’t something she could easily explain, and maybe that was the worst part—feeling something so deeply and not having the language to describe it.
Except… Amanda never asked her to explain.
And that was why she stayed.
They had been best friends for years. The kind of friendship people envied without understanding. Late-night calls that lasted until sunrise. Inside jokes that made no sense to anyone else. Comfortable silence that didn’t need to be filled.
Amanda was home.
And somewhere along the way… home turned into something more.
Alexandera fell in love.
Quietly. Slowly. Completely.
It wasn’t obvious. It wasn’t something anyone would notice. It lived in the smallest moments—
the way her heartbeat changed when Amanda sat too close,
the way she memorized her smile without meaning to,
the way “goodnight” always felt like it carried something unfinished.
But love, for Alexandera, wasn’t simple.
Because how do you confess something like that…
when you don’t even feel right being yourself?
How do you ask someone to love you…
when you’re still trying to understand who you are?
So she stayed silent.
And Amanda—
Amanda never noticed.
To her, Alexandera was just her best friend. Her safe place. The one person who never left, no matter what.
She didn’t see the lingering glances.
Didn’t hear the hidden meaning in soft words.
Didn’t feel the weight behind every almost-confession.
Or maybe…
She just never thought to look.
