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...
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After Connor disappeared down the hallway, I just stood there for a second, completely overwhelmed.
I finally tiptoed back into the living room, still holding my water, and found Yumi curled up under two blankets, her face half buried in a pillow.
I hesitated for like two seconds, then knelt beside her and whispered, “Move over.”
She cracked one eye open. “You okay?”
“No,” I muttered, crawling in next to her. “Absolutely not.”
“Connor?”
“Connor,” I confirmed, already snuggling into the warmth. “Remind me to tell you everything in the morning.”
“You better,” she mumbled. “If I let you steal my body heat for nothing, I swear to God—”
But I was already drifting off, my head pressed to her shoulder, her soft breathing next to mine, and the faint scent of Jäeger still lingering in my hair.
------------------------
The next morning — at school
I felt like I’d barely slept two hours. My head was pounding, my throat was dry, and the buzzing in my brain still hadn’t stopped since the kitchen talk.
Yumi and I made it to school with iced coffees in hand, because of course we were running late and dying inside. But somehow, the moment I saw Connor leaning against his locker, hoodie on, earbuds in - perked up a little.
“Hey,” I said, approaching him.
He pulled one earbud out. “Hey, you okay?”
I shrugged. “Tired. Emotionally unwell. Probably still slightly hungover.”
He chuckled under his breath. “Same.”
I leaned against the locker next to his, keeping my voice low. “Okay, but last night. In the kitchen. When we were talking… Did you hear something?”
He tilted his head. “You mean when we stepped back-?"
“Yes!” I laughed, covering my face for a second. “There was this noise.. like a door creaking or something. I thought someone saw us.”
Connor scratched the back of his neck, trying to suppress a smile. “Yeah. Someone did see us.”
My eyes went wide. “WHAT?! Who??”
He looked at me sideways. “Laura.”
I nearly choked. “Laura?! Again?"
“She got up to go to the bathroom or something and was walking past. I guess she heard us and peeked into the hallway.” He shrugged. “She told me this morning. Apparently she stood there for like a full minute before realizing what she was seeing and then backed off.”
