Nate leaned forward across the elegant restaurant table, his eyes bright with genuine excitement as he updated Kyle on everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The soft clink of silverware and low murmur of other diners created a comfortable backdrop to their conversation.
"Man, you won't believe how fast things moved," Nate said, grinning as he took a sip of his drink. "After everything that happened, I actually started taking classes seriously again. No more scraping by. And… I got a new girlfriend. Her name's Sophia. She's in my business ethics class. Smart as hell, funny, and she actually likes that I'm not some broke college kid stressing about every dollar anymore."
Kyle's lips curved into a warm, genuine smile. He could see the change in Nate — the confidence, the relaxed shoulders, the way success looked good on the younger man. "Sophia, huh? Sounds like she's keeping you on your toes. I'm happy for you, Nate. Really."
