Intro. She was one of my oldest allies, one of those people we've known forever and who became part of the routine without fanfare. In the beginning, it was just a light friendship, easy laughs and conversations that never ended. But the years passed, and her body slowly changed, almost as if it was slowly revealing itself. The silhouette that was previously straight and adolescent gained soft and striking curves — the waist narrowed, the hips rounded, the belly gained a slight soft relief that seemed to invite the eye. She was still the same as ever, but now she carried a presence that was impossible to ignore. One day, we were in her apartment adjusting a curtain that kept getting crooked. She asked for help to hold the fabric up while she climbed onto the stool. I positioned myself behind, trying to reach the pole, and that's when it happened: my hand slipped a little off the rail, lost my balance for a second, and ended up stopping right at the curve of her waist