Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 206: The Long Talk

The air was crisp that night, not biting cold, but just sharp enough to make each breath feel alive.

Behind them, Neo-Luminara’s Sector 3 buzzed with life: muted chatter floated through the air, electric buses zipped past like shooting stars, and holographic ads flickered with synthetic joy.

Yet out here, beyond the crowded main lanes, the world felt softer and more intimate.

Billy and Kaia strolled side by side under the warm glow of faulty streetlamps.

Their shift at YoruMart had wrapped up less than an hour ago. Kaia had insisted on walking instead of hopping on the skytram, a choice Billy hadn’t questioned.

Neither of them was in a rush to return to their cramped rented rooms; there was something about walking that made conversation flow more freely, like the rhythm of their footsteps released their thoughts into the night.

Kaia tightened her jacket around her waist and asked, "You still haven’t eaten, have you?"

Billy shook his head. "Not hungry."

"You’re always not hungry," she teased.

"I’m always broke," he replied with a weary smile.

Kaia shot him a sideways smirk. "Fair enough."

A gust of wind rustled discarded wrappers down the sidewalk as they turned onto a quieter street lined with shuttered cafés and locked-up repair shops.

A lone bus glided by, its passengers slumped inside like shadows.

Billy shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "Kaia..." he began hesitantly.

"Hmm?" she responded, glancing at him.

"If it were you... would you go back?"

She paused before answering, her gaze drifting to the flickering streetlight ahead and then down to the cracked pavement beneath their feet.

"You mean to your family?" she finally asked.

Billy nodded.

Kaia let out a slow breath through her nose. "That’s a loaded question."

"I know."

"It depends," she said thoughtfully. "Are they abusive? Manipulative? Do they hurt you or control you or make you feel small?"

"No." Billy shook his head firmly.

"Then yeah," she said softly, turning toward him with sincerity in her eyes. "I’d go back."

Billy looked away, lost in thought. "Even if they didn’t understand you?"

"Billy," she said firmly, stopping mid-step to meet his gaze directly. "Do you think anyone ever fully understands someone else?"

He faced her fully now as Kaia crossed her arms, no longer playful but serious and raw.

"My dad left when I was eleven," she shared quietly. "My mom worked double shifts for years. There were nights I fell asleep listening to her cry behind the bathroom door, but she never gave up on me, and I never stopped being hers."

Billy remained silent, his ears tuned in as Kaia spoke.

"I grew up thinking family was just about blood," she said, her voice softening with each word.

"But I learned it’s also about choices. You choose who to forgive. You choose who to walk away from. And sometimes... you even choose to go back, even when it hurts."

Billy swallowed hard, a knot forming in his throat. "But what if going back feels like giving up?"

"Giving up on what?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

"Freedom... self-respect," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kaia stepped closer, her gaze steady and reassuring. "You think working at YoruMart, sleeping in a hotel room that smells like mildew, skipping meals, and getting spat on by life every day is self-respect?"

He looked away, letting out a soft sigh that carried the weight of his struggles.

"You’re not weak for going home," she said gently but firmly. "You’re strong if you return on your own terms, with your voice, your pain, your truth."

Billy kicked at a pebble on the road, frustration bubbling inside him. "They’ll say I failed."

"Then let them," she shot back fiercely. "Walk in with your shoulders straight and your eyes clear. Show them you didn’t fail; you faced the real world without their safety net and you survived."

The silence between them stretched out but felt lighter now.

"They hurt you," Kaia continued softly. "And it’s okay to be angry about that. But listen. out here? The world isn’t fair. People will step on you, use you, forget you. Out here? You’re just a name. But inside your family? You’re history, memory, roots. That stuff matters."

A bitter laugh escaped Billy’s lips as he shook his head. "Tell that to my brother."

"I’m not defending him," Kaia replied thoughtfully. "He was harsh but maybe he panicked or is scared too? Leading a family that size comes with immense responsibility."

Billy turned to her with doubt lingering in his eyes. "Do you really think he still cares?"

"I believe he never stopped caring," she said earnestly.

As they walked on together in silence for a moment longer, Kaia broke it again: "Billy," she said slowly after some time had passed, "you’re not alone in this fight to make something of yourself."

She paused before continuing thoughtfully: "Everyone has their battles, even those clawing their way out of gutter jobs just for a sliver of what you’ve given up."

She took a breath before adding softly: "I get it; privilege can feel like a cage, but don’t pretend it wasn’t also a gift."

He didn’t respond right away; her words struck deeper than she realized.

A few moments later, she turned to him and said, "You keep talking about freedom like it’s some golden ticket. But real freedom? It’s all about choice.And you can’t have that without power, without a solid foundation or someone who believes in you."

He closed his eyes slowly, letting her words sink in as he took a deep breath.

"Maybe it’s not about proving them wrong anymore," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur.

"Maybe it never was," she replied softly, her gaze steady and unwavering.

They found themselves standing at a bus stop now, the lamplight casting a warm glow around them like a protective halo.

Kaia looked at him with sincerity in her eyes. "You’re allowed to want love, Billy. Security. Family. That doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human."

He inhaled deeply, the crisp night air filling his lungs like cold water, sharp and invigorating.

Kaia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a packet of mints, offering him one with a gentle smile.

He accepted it, returning her smile faintly but appreciatively. "I don’t know if I can face them," he admitted, vulnerability creeping into his voice.

She smiled back warmly. "Then start by facing yourself."

With that simple encouragement, he nodded at her with renewed determination.

The street remained dark and quiet around them, but somehow it no longer felt lonely; instead, there was an unspoken bond forming between them.

They didn’t say much after that; they just walked side by side in comfortable silence.

And maybe... just maybe... that was the most important conversation they’d ever had.

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