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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Everyone arrived at the Sharpe house right around 9 a.m. — Jake, Laura, Yumi, and me. We had planned this sleepover ages ago ( literally yesterday ) and today was the big day to hang out all day and all night. The Sharpe family’s place felt like the perfect spot: big, comfy, and with tons of space for whatever we’d end up causing.
As soon as we stepped inside, the atmosphere was already buzzing. The Sharpe family had this yearly tradition of playing hide and seek.. like, seriously, every year without fail. And today was no exception.
Ron, their dad, was chosen as “it”- the seeker. He was already pacing, trying to psych himself up. You could tell he was taking this way more seriously than anyone else, which made us all laugh.
“Alright,” Ron said, rubbing his hands together, “Get ready. I’m gonna find every last one of you.”
Laura rolled her eyes but grinned. “Yeah, yeah, old man. Let’s see you try.”
Yumi grabbed my arm, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “This is gonna be so much fun. I haven’t played hide and seek in forever.”
Jake just smirked. “I’m gonna win, no doubt.”
The rules were simple: everyone had to hide somewhere inside the house, and Ron would count to one hundred before coming after us. If he found you, you were out. Last one hiding wins.
We all scattered as soon as Ron started counting loudly from the hallway. “One... two... three...”
I darted upstairs, heart pounding with excitement. The house was huge, rooms, closets, secret nooks. I needed to find a spot that was just right.
Yumi was probably doing the same, but I wasn’t about to team up with her.
As I slipped into a shadowed corner behind the big, old bookshelf in the study, I heard Laura giggling down the hall, probably hiding in the pantry.
Ron’s voice got louder as he neared the end of his count, and I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t check here first.
“... ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred! Ready or not, here I come!”
I was crouched behind the bookshelf, heart pounding in my chest, when I suddenly heard a noise, a soft shuffle, like someone creeping up behind me. My breath hitched. “Oh no, Ron’s found me,” I thought, panic rising.
But when I peeked out just a little, it wasn’t Ron at all. It was Connor. He slipped quietly beside me, trying (and failing) not to laugh.
“Gotcha,” he whispered, grinning.
I blinked, my cheeks heating up. “You scared me,” I mumbled.
He shrugged, still smiling. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
For a second, everything felt like it slowed down. The hide and seek, the running around, it all melted away.
And I just blurted out, “I actually like you… like, a lot.”
