Ni’s eyes shifted pyfully betweewo of them. “Oh, I had a feeling you two would enjoy this. I mean, with the way you’re always looking at each other at school... it’s kind of obvious.” She winked.

  Jiko cleared his throat, shifting unfortably. “Uh, we’re just friends. There’s nothing—”

  Ni giggled. “Oh, e on. o py it cool now. I know everything.” She leaned in closer, l her voice slightly. “I heard you’ve got… really close.”

  Jiko shot Julie a quice, mentally begging for her to intervene. “It’s not like that,” he mumbled.

  Julie smiled but decided to py along, sensing Jiko’s unease. “We’re just friends,” she said softly, shooting Jiko a gnce. “Nothing more.”

  Ni’s grin widened, clearly unvinced. “Well, whatever you say. I just thought this would be the perfect pce for you two to, you know, have some quality time together.”

  Jiko’s face immediately soured. “Quality time?”

  Ni giggled. “Yeah! You know, without the prying eyes of school. No teachers, no cssmates, no distras. Just you and Julie, here... enjoying yourself.” She waved a hand around the crowded garden. “It’s the perfect setting, don’t you think?”

  Julie looked over at Jiko, amusement flickering in her eyes. “See? Ni knows what she’s talking about.”

  Jiko sighed, his disfrowing. “Right. Quality time.” He muttered under his breath, already dreading the evening ahead.

  As they made their way into the house, Julie leaned in close, l her voice to keep their versation more private. “Don’t let this get to you. Ni just wants us to have fun. Besides, it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.”

  Jiko grumbled in response, running a hand down his face. “You say that now. But we both know how this usually ends up.”

  Julie chuckled, nudging him gently. “e on, lighten up. It’s a party. It’s supposed to be fun. Rex a little.”

  Before Jiko could respond, a familiar voice rang out from across the room—one he hadn’t expected to hear.

  “Brother?”

  Jiko turned, his heart sinking slightly as he spotted Tito, standing across the room with a smug grin on his face.

  Tito walked over casually, his steps calm but filled with knowing fidence. His eyes locked onto Jiko, a hint of amusement behind his expression. “You see Ni’s elder sister, Nadia? She invited me.”

  Jiko’s jaw nearly dropped. “Nadia? Seriously?”

  Tito chuckled, clearly enjoying the situation far more than Jiko. “Oh yeah. Nadia is Ni’s older sister. And Nadia was the one who let me in on what’s been happening at school. She told me everything.”

  Jiko groaned inwardly. “Of course. It’s always someoalking.”

  Tito raised an eyebrow, leaning in slightly. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to stir up trouble. I’m just here for the party... and maybe a little bit of art,” he added with a wink.

  Julie, clearly puzzled, turo Jiko. “Art? What’s he talking about?”

  Jiko sighed, gng at Tito. “He’s beeing info from Nadia. Ni told her, and Nadia’s been passing it on to him.”

  Julie’s eyes widened. “So... Brother Tito knows?”

  Tito, sensing their rea, smirked. “Oh, I know plenty. You two don’t have to worry. I’ve got this handled.”

  Jiko narrowed his eyes. “Handled?”

  Tito smiled, all too smug. “Yeah, I’ve got everything under trol. After this party, we’ll fet about all this. You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours.” He held out his hand as if sealing a deal.

  Jiko stared at him, incredulous. “What? What ‘secret’?”

  Tito leaned in closer, voice dropping slightly. “Let’s just say... it involves someone you don’t want to know about.”

  Julie raised an eyebrow, fused. “What’s going on here?”

  Tited ily. “Nothing much. Just some personal stuff I’d rather keep quiet.”

  Jiko’s frustration boiled over. “This isn’t about you keeping something quiet. You’re just messing around.”

  Tito chuckled, eyes sparkling with amusement. “e on, little bro. It’s harmless. It’s all part of the fun. But hey, you and Julie seem pretty close. Maybe it’s time to loosen up and have some real fun.”

  Julie watched the iion, her curiosity piqued. “Why does it feel like we’re being dragged into some weird deal?”

  Tito grinned. “Oh, it’s simple. Secrets for secrets. I’ll keep quiet about whatever you two have going on, as long as you keep my... situation under s.”

  Jiko rubbed his temples, exasperated. “You make it sound like we’ve got some secret mission.”

  Julie tilted her head, amused. “So... what exactly is this missios for secrets?”

  Tito leaned back slightly, giving them both a sly look. “Exactly. But don’t worry. It’s harmless. Just two brothers—two people—w out a little agreement.”

  Jiko groaned. “This is ridiculous.”

  Julie couldn’t help but ugh, shaking her head. “Wow, Brother Tito really knows how to spice things up, doesn’t he?”

  Tito chuckled. “You’ve got to admit, it makes life iing.”

  As if on cue, someone else from the party called out Tito’s name. With a final wink in Jiko’s dire, he turned and strode off, leaving Jiko and Julie standing there, thhly bewildered.

  Jiko sighed heavily. “Unbelievable. Just when I thought tonight couldn’t get more plicated.”

  Julie shot him a sideways gnce, smirking. “At least Brother Tito’s eaining. Definitely adding fvor to this party.”

  Jiko sighed again, a relut smile f on his lips. “Fvor? If by fvor you mean stress and awkwardness, then sure.”

  Julie chuckled, looping her arm through his. “Hey, at least now you’ve got me to bahings out.”

  Jiko shot her a gnce, eyes softening. “Yeah... no more secrets between us.”

  Ae Tito’s meddling, for ohings felt a little lighter—less tehey walked deeper into the party, the music surrounding them, and for a fleeting moment, Jiko felt like maybe they could get through this together.

  Back at school, the tension had started to build. Whispers circuted through the hallways—i at first, just casual observations from students about how much time Jiko and Julie seemed to spend together. But soon, the talk turned into something more.

  “Did you see Jiko walking with Julie while holding hands, today?” a girl whispered, gng furtively toward the pair in the distance.

  “Yeah, they’re always together now like a married couple. They must be dating or something,” audent chimed in, giggling.

  Rizvan, a friend Jiko hadn’t spoken to much tely, suddenly approached him, his brows furrowed in .

  “Okay, spill. What’s going on with you and Julie?” Rizvan asked, arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve been ag weird around her for weeks.”

  Jiko shifted unfortably in his seat, avoiding Rizvan’s gaze. “There’s nothing going on.”