Nisha is curled up on her bed, dinner glow still with her. They'd gone to her favorite Thai place, the one three blocks from campus that always messes up the order but gets the flavor right. Alexis had gotten her a small gift—a book of poetry by Ocean Vuong, inscribed on the inside with something that made Nisha cry a little in the restaurant. Private tears, happy ones, that nobody noticed.
Ocean Vuong. Queerness, family, trauma—someone finally putting words to things she's been carrying silently. Alexis knew exactly what they were doing.
Her phone buzzes. A text from Richard Waters.
Richard: Happy birthday! Hope you're having a good one.
Richard: Happy birthday! Hope you're having a good one.
She smiles despite herself. That's very Richard—prompt, straightforward, kind without being effusive.
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