Pāhonoa te oro

She must’ve seen my uncertainty, because she said, “No pressure. Seriously. If it feels too soon, we can wait.” But the thing was, it didn’t feel too soon. It felt… appropriate. Like a next step that wasn’t being forced, just offered. So I agreed. Her parents were hosting a casual dinner — nothing fancy, just grilled food, her dad complaining about the weather, her mom asking me what I do for work and actually listening to the answer. They were surprisingly laid-back. Emily’s mom even pulled h