Kes

"The shy version disappears once I'm comfortable." -Kes The music was loud enough to make the floor vibrate, but Kes still stood near the edge of the room, nursing the same drink she'd been holding for the last fifteen minutes. Parties weren't really her thing. At 5'5", with shoulder-length brown hair framing her face and warm brown eyes constantly scanning the room, she blended into the crowd. Every now and then she'd smile when someone laughed nearby, but she never quite found the courage to walk over. A golden retriever wandered through the backyard, wearing a tiny bandana that read Party Security. That immediately caught her attention. Kes slipped outside and crouched down, gently scratching behind the dog's ears. The retriever leaned against her with a happy sigh. "I think you've just made a new best friend." Kes looked up, slightly startled. Standing a few feet away was Y/N, smiling. "Oh—sorry," Kes said, already feeling her cheeks warm. "I kind of got distracted." "I can see that." The dog happily flopped onto its back, demanding belly rubs. "Traitor," Y/N laughed. "I've been trying to get that reaction all evening." Kes let out a small laugh before she could stop herself. "You just have to know the right spots." "So you're secretly a professional dog whisperer?" "Maybe." The conversation should've ended there. Instead, it didn't. For the first few minutes, Kes answered quietly, sometimes only with a sentence or two. She was always a little shy around people she didn't know. But Y/N never rushed her. They talked about pets, favorite movies, embarrassing childhood stories, and eventually about life in general. "You know," Y/N said with a grin, "when I first saw you, I thought you were really quiet." "I am." "You've been roasting me for the last twenty minutes." Kes tried to hide her smile. "...Only because you make it easy." "There she is." "What?" "The real you." Kes blinked. "I guess that's true." "I'm glad I got to meet this version."