Some people enter your life like a storm—loud, sudden, and impossible to ignore.
Others arrive like a quiet breeze, shifting things gently, barely noticeable at first.
Kojo was the latter.
And before Akutu even realized it, he had become a part of her world.
Their friendship grew in unspoken moments as much as in conversations.
They never formally declared, We are friends now.
It just happened.
One day, she found herself saving a seat for him in the library.
Another day, he texted her randomly: Have you eaten today?
When he saw her struggling with an assignment, he sat beside her and went through the material—even though it had nothing to do with his course.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked one evening, genuinely curious.
Kojo shrugged. "Why not?"
And that was the thing about him.
He didn't do things with expectations. He wasn't trying to impress her.
He was just there.
And in a world where people always seemed to want something in return, that meant more than Akutu could explain.
Nathan noticed.
Of course, he did.
He wasn't jealous—at least, that's what he told himself.
But he couldn't deny that seeing Akutu and Kojo together stirred something inside him.
She laughed more these days.
She seemed lighter, freer.
And for the first time, Nathan wondered—had he ever made her feel that way?
Kojo never asked about Nathan.
He never pried into Akutu's past.
But one evening, as they sat outside the library, watching the sky darken, he turned to her and asked,
"Are you happy?"
The question caught her off guard.
She had spent so much time moving forward, trying new things, rediscovering herself.
But had she stopped to ask herself if she was happy?
She hesitated, then finally said, "I'm getting there."
Kojo nodded, as if that was enough.
Because sometimes, happiness isn't a destination.
Sometimes, it's a journey.
And in that moment, Akutu realized—she wasn't alone on this journey.
She had a friend.
A real one.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.