The kitchen smelled of butter and toast, simple and warm. Sarah had set everything down: golden slices of bread, fluffy scrambled eggs, strawberries sliced into neat fans. Bharath slid into a chair, moving gingerly, one hand pressing lightly to his side where the bandage hid his stitches. Marisol followed, her borrowed sweatshirt hanging loose off one shoulder, hair still tousled from sleep.

  They ate in comfortable quiet at first. Forks scraped ptes. Toast crunched. Sarah kept her eyes on her food, but her mind kept drifting upstairs. The sounds, the sight, the wink. Her cheeks stayed warm. She didn't meet Marisol's eyes after she gave her the same wink from upstairs again. Marisol smirked.

  Bharath broke the silence first, voice gentle. “This is really good. Thank you, Sarah.”

  She looked up, fork pausing. “No… I should be the one to thank you. For st night. For… everything.” Her voice cracked on the st word. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t...”

  Bharath waved it off immediately, almost embarrassed. “Hey. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

  Sarah shook her head. “No. They wouldn’t.”

  Marisol reached over and squeezed Bharath’s hand. “She’s right, mi amor. Take the compliment. You deserve it. Not everyone runs into an alley without even worrying about themselves.” She turned to Sarah, eyes soft. “He’s modest. But I’m proud of him. Isn't he the greatest?”

  Sarah’s throat tightened as she looked at Bharath again. Really looked. The quiet way he sat there, still wincing from the stitches, still checking on her first. “He is,” she said softly. “He’s… amazing. Gentle. Caring. He builds people up instead of tearing them down.”

  Bharath ducked his head, cheeks darkening. “I’m just… me.”

  Marisol smiled, proud. “Exactly. That's the best part about you.”

  Sarah swallowed. “My ex… Derek… he was the opposite. Started sweet. Then he changed. Became cruel. Controlling. He’d make me feel small, worthless. I kept thinking if I just tried harder, he’d go back to being the guy I met. But he never did.”

  Bharath’s fork stilled. Marisol’s hand tightened on his.

  Sarah kept going, voice low. “Last night was the first time I stood up to him. He just… dumped me on the side of the road. In the middle of nowhere. I had no phone, no money. I walked for hours. I was… I was thinking about ending it. I didn’t see a way out.”

  The kitchen went quiet.

  Marisol stood first. She rounded the table and wrapped her arms around Sarah from behind in gentle, warm embrace. Sarah stiffened for half a second, then leaned back into the embrace, eyes stinging.

  Bharath reached across the table. His hand covered Sarah’s. “I’m gd you’re here,” he said quietly. “And I’m happy to get stabbed again if it means saving someone as wonderful as you.”

  Sarah’s breath hitched. She turned her hand palm-up, cing her fingers with his. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Both of you.”

  Marisol pressed a kiss to Sarah’s temple before letting go. “You’re safe now. And you’re not alone. We'll always be there with you. If you want us.”

  Sarah wiped her eyes quickly, ughing through the tears. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

  “Don’t apologize,” Marisol said firmly. “You’re allowed to feel things.”

  Bharath squeezed her hand once more before letting go. “Yeah. We’re here.”

  The mood shifted slowly once Sarah became calmer. The conversation became lighter and warmer. Marisol sat back down, stealing a strawberry from Sarah’s pte with a wink. Sarah ughed again, real this time.

  “So,” Bharath said, leaning back carefully, “This house. You rent it by yourself?”

  Sarah nodded. “Yeah. I’ve lived here since st year.”

  Marisol raised an eyebrow. “Alone? How? Tech’s expensive.”

  Sarah shrugged, modest. “I have a Schorship. Full ride. Plus I get paid well as a TA. And my professor is generous with his grant money.”

  Bharath blinked. “What?”

  “I’m a junior. Turned nineteen st week.”

  Marisol’s fork froze. “Wait. You're just nineteen? And a junior?”

  Sarah nodded, a little sheepish. “I got in at seventeen. Full schorship. I'm a Chem E major.”

  Bharath stared. “Chem E? That’s… intense. And you’re a TA and you do research?”

  “Yeah. I TA for Intro to Thermo. I like teaching. Helps me understand it better. And the research is just for fun.”

  "You do research ... just for fun?" asked Bharath disbelievingly.

  Marisol let out a low whistle. “You’re a genius. And you look like that? How are you real?”

  Sarah ughed surprised. “I’m not. I just… worked hard. Had to. Grew up in foster care after my parents died when I was nine. I had no safety net. So I made one.”

  Bharath’s expression softened. “That’s incredible. You built all this yourself.”

  Sarah looked down at her pte. “I had good foster parents for a while. Patrice. She taught me how to survive. Bance a checkbook. I owe her everything.”

  Marisol reached over and squeezed Sarah’s wrist. “You’re not just surviving. You’re thriving. And you’re humble about it. That’s rare.”

  Sarah blushed. “I don’t feel rare. I just… didn’t have a choice.”

  Bharath shook his head. “You had choices. You chose hard ones. That’s strength.”

  Sarah met his eyes. Warm. Sincere. She could see that there was no pity in his eyes, just respect. Her chest loosened. She liked him. Not just the hero from st night. The quiet way he listened. The way he saw her. Not as a damsel, but as someone who’d fought her way here. He believed in her as a person. No one had ever done that to her before. Her heart fluttered a little.

  Marisol watched them both. Her foot brushed Sarah’s. Sarah pressed back without thinking.

  Sarah hesitated, then spoke again, voice quieter. “I… I have to say something. About upstairs.”

  Bharath and Marisol looked at her.

  “I saw you two. This morning. I didn’t mean to, but I heard sounds and… I watched. For a bit.”

  Bharath’s eyes widened. Marisol’s lips curved.

  Sarah rushed on. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have. But it was… beautiful. The way he touched you. The way you sounded. So gentle. So hot. I’ve never seen anything like that. I couldn’t look away.”

  Marisol’s smile deepened. “You liked it.”

  Sarah nodded, face fming. “Yeah. I did.”

  Bharath sat frozen, tea mug halfway to his mouth.

  Marisol leaned forward. “I knew you were there. I was loud on purpose.”

  Sarah’s breath caught. “You… did?”

  Marisol nodded. “And I liked that you watched.”

  Bharath finally found his voice. “Marisol…”

  Sarah looked at him with her eyes wide, honest. “It was the first time I’ve ever seen… that. Someone caring. Making it about pleasure. Not pain.”

  Bharath’s expression softened. He reached across the table again, hand open. Sarah took it.

  Marisol watched them, eyes bright. She didn’t look jealous. She looked… intrigued. Satisfied.

  The rest of breakfast passed in softer tones. Lighter questions, shared ughs. Bharath asked about Sarah’s favorite b experiment. Marisol teased him about his own freshman struggles. Sarah felt the weight lift, bit by bit.

  Bharath cleared his throat. “I should probably head back to the dorm. I have csses today.”

  Marisol shook her head. “Ay no, se?or! No csses for us today. My hero needs rest. You go to the dorm but you need to spend the full day in bed. No arguments. Entiendes?”

  He opened his mouth to protest.

  Marisol raised an eyebrow. “You want me to tie you down?”

  Bharath’s face went scarlet. “Mari!”

  Sarah snorted. "You're so bad Marisol."

  Marisol grinned. “I’ll stay with Sarah. We need to do some girl talk. You go sleep. Ok, mi amor?”

  Bharath looked between them, hesitant, but smiling. “Okay. But call if you need anything. Either of you.”

  Sarah nodded. “We will. But first finish your coffee and breakfast mister.”

  "Yes ma'am," said Bharath, with a mock salute.

  Sarah giggled. "I don't remember the st time I ughed so much."

  "Well. We're just getting started. Wait till you meet the gang. They are going to love you!" stated Bharath. "Just... be prepared for some attention."

  Marisol smirked when he said that, "Well, that depends on what Sarah's looking for..." Marisol's eyes held hers for a beat too long. "Right, Sarah?"

  Sarah just blushed as Bharath continued eating, oblivious.