I didn't expect much when Connor Sharpe followed me back.
Just some random notification while hanging out with my best friend.
But one simple "hi" turns into something neither of us saw coming.
A couple of years apart, different grades, and a millio...
I tried to sleep in the living room but couldn’t. My thoughts kept spinning in every direction.
Eventually, I got up to grab a glass of water. The kitchen was dark except for the faint blue hue of the fridge light.
And standing there, leaning against the counter?
Connor.
His hoodie was half zipped, messy hair falling over his eyes as he sipped from a water bottle and stared out the window.
When he noticed me, his eyes flicked toward mine, unreadable.
“You’re up,” I said softly.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Yeah… me neither.”
An awkward pause. Long. Heavy.
I stepped further into the kitchen, fingers tapping the side of the glass I was holding. “Listen about earlier—”
“You don’t have to explain,” he interrupted, voice low. “I saw it.”
My heart squeezed. “Connor…”
“It’s fine,” he said with a tight shrug. “You and Aidan… it’s cool.”
I blinked. “No. No, it’s not like that. I didn’t even know he was gonna sit there, he just kind of... parked himself.”
He looked at me, expression unreadable. “Didn’t look like you minded.”
Ouch.
“Seriously?” I asked, my voice a whisper now. “I thought we were past the passive aggressive thing.”
He let out a sharp breath. “I’m not mad. Just—confused, I guess. One second, I think maybe we’re... I don’t know. Something. And then the next, my brother’s basically using you as a chair and you’re letting him.”
“I didn’t let him!” I hissed. “I didn’t even know what to do! I was frozen, Connor!”
He looked at me then, really looked at me and behind all that tension was something a little more raw. Hurt, maybe. Insecurity.
“He likes you,” Connor said finally. “He talks about you.”
My heart stopped. “Wait—what?”
Connor nodded slowly. “Aidan mentioned you before. Said Jake talked about this girl who was funny and pretty and maybe liked their YouTube videos. Said he was curious.”
I felt like I was spiraling. “You think... Aidan likes me?”
“I know he likes you.”
The words hit me like a punch. But not because I wanted Aidan, I didn’t. I knew who I liked. I just didn’t know if that person still wanted me.
“Connor,” I whispered. “I don’t like your brother.”
He blinked. “You don’t?”
I took a breath. “No. I like you. I liked you since that first message. And when we were about to kiss earlier, I wasn’t confused. I wanted that.”
He stood there, staring at me like I’d just told him the world was flat.
Finally, slowly he stepped toward me.
“Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he murmured.
“Because I didn’t trust my voice,” I whispered back. “Because I was scared that maybe... you’d changed your mind.”
He stopped just a breath away from me now, the kitchen dim, the only sound our shaky breathing.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” he said. “Not even a little.”
And that’s when we heard a door creak open down the hall.
Of course. Someone was up.
We stepped back instantly, and I turned to grab my water as if I’d just casually wandered into the kitchen.
Connor sighed under his breath. “Perfect timing.”
“Story of our lives,” I muttered.
He leaned in before walking away and said softly, “Don’t disappear on me, okay?”
“I won’t.”
And just like that, he disappeared down the hallway.
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