Between Us

☆ part twenty three ☆

Larks pov

As soon as I stepped into the room, the door clicking softly behind me, I let out a long, shaky breath. The air in the room felt cooler, calmer—a sharp contrast to the way my heart was racing. The warmth of Sophie's hug, the quiet vulnerability in her voice as she said I don't regret it either, still lingered in my mind .A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it, soft and uncontrollable, like my chest couldn't quite contain everything I was feeling. I leaned against the door, staring at nothing in particular, just trying to make sense of the night. But my thoughts were cut short by Indi's voice. "You're smiling like an idiot."

I jumped, startled, my heart skipping a beat. My eyes snapped to where she was perched cross-legged on our bed, her phone in hand and a knowing smirk tugging at her lips. "What?" I asked, my voice coming out sharper than I'd intended.

Indi raised an eyebrow. "You heard me. You've got that goofy, head-over-heels look on your face, and I know exactly who it's about."

I froze, my stomach flipping uncomfortably. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I said quickly, too quickly, pushing off the door and moving further into the room.

Indi snorted. "Oh, please. Lark, you're not subtle. You sneak out for water at two in the morning, and then you come back looking like someone just handed you the moon. I'm not blind."

I rolled my eyes, walking over to our bed and sitting down on the edge. "I wasn't sneaking anywhere. I was thirsty, okay?"

"Right," she said, dragging out the word like she didn't believe me for a second. "So, did you just happen to run into Sophie while you were getting water?" My breath caught, and I knew my face had given me away before I could even respond. Indi's smirk widened. "Knew it," she said triumphantly. "So? What happened? Did you guys kiss? Did she finally admit she's crazy about you?"

I groaned, flopping backward onto the bed and covering my face with my hands. "Indi, drop it."

"Oh, no. We're not dropping this," she said, crawling across the bed and leaning over to get a better look at me. "Lark, come on. You like her. Like, like like her. Don't even try to deny it."

I peeked at her through my fingers, my voice muffled as I mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She let out a dramatic sigh, falling back onto the own bed and staring at the ceiling. "You're impossible. Fine, I'll just spell it out for you: you've been head-over-heels for Sophie since, like, forever, and it's so obvious that even a blind person could see it."

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I sat up, glaring at her. "That's not true," I said weakly.

Indi raised an eyebrow, giving me a pointed look. "Really? Because every time she so much as looks at you, you turn into a lovesick puppy. And don't think I didn't notice the way you were staring at her during the fire pit tonight. You're a goner, Lark."

I groaned again, burying my face in my hands. "Fine," I muttered. "You win. Are you happy now?"

Indi gasped dramatically, sitting up and clapping her hands. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. This is the best thing that's happened all weekend."

I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, even as I felt like my entire soul was on display. "You're ridiculous," I said, shaking my head.

"And you're in love," she shot back, grinning. "So? Spill. What's going on with you and Sophie? Did something happen?"

I hesitated, my chest tightening as I thought about how much to share. But the words were already bubbling up, desperate to escape, and before I could stop myself, I said, "We kissed."