Unscripted

chapter 5

I tossed and turned, tangled in blankets like they were trying to trap me. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was him—Malachi, leaning against the café wall, smirking as if he knew every thought I'd tried to hide.

My phone buzzed. Of course.

Malachi: Still awake?

I groaned into my pillow. Why did he have to text now?

Me: Shouldn't you be asleep?
Malachi: Shouldn't you?
Me: Touché.

The three little dots blinked. Pause. Blinked again. Then...

Malachi: Can't sleep. Thinking too much.
Me: About what?
Malachi: You.

I blinked. And blinked again.

Arianna and Sway's faces popped up on a FaceTime call just then. I answered, relieved for a distraction.

"You look guilty," Sway said, pointing at me immediately.
"I'm not guilty of anything," I replied quickly.
"Uh-huh," Arianna said, smirking knowingly. "Then why are you answering like that?"

I groaned. "It's nothing. I just... can't sleep."

Sway leaned closer to the camera. "It's Malachi, isn't it?"

I froze. Their eyes were like lasers. "Maybe," I whispered.

"Oh my gosh, you so have a crush on him!" Sway squealed.
"Not a crush!" I protested. "I just... maybe don't hate him as much as I thought."

Arianna leaned in, raising a brow. "Denial. That's stage one. You're basically textbook."

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed again. Malachi.

Malachi: Who are you talking to that's making you smile like that?

I groaned. "He knows. He knows."

Sway squealed. "Oh my gosh! That's so a soulmate thing!"
"Shut up!" I buried my face in my pillow, trying to disappear.

⸻

Then it rang. Malachi was calling.

My chest jumped. "He's calling," I whispered.
"Answer it!" Sway urged.
"I can't answer in front of you!"
"Yes, you can!" Arianna grinned. "Put him on speaker."

Against my better judgment, I pressed accept.

"Hello?" I said, my voice softer than I intended.

"Hey," he said, calm, smooth, low. "You sound tired."

"I am tired," I admitted, glaring at my friends behind me. "Some people won't let me sleep."

He chuckled, deep and teasing. "Guilty. But you sound... like you're thinking about me."

"I'm not," I lied, even though my stomach twisted.

"Uh-huh," he said, voice playful. "You totally are."

"Malachi Barton," I hissed, "you are unbelievable."

"Maybe," he said, "but you're still talking to me, aren't you?"

I groaned, hiding my face in the pillow again. "I—maybe."

"Good. That's progress," he murmured. "Besides, I like it when you can't stay mad at me."

"Can't. Stay. Mad." I whispered each word, feeling my heart speed up.

A pause. Then: "Freya... do you even know how frustrating it is when you do that thing with your eyebrows?"

I snorted into the pillow. "Do what thing?"

"That thing where you try to act like you don't notice me, but I can tell you're watching," he teased.

"I—watching? I am not watching!" I protested, though my cheeks were burning.

He laughed. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

I groaned. "Why do you have to be like this? Even on the phone."

"Because it's fun," he said simply. "And because you're fun to annoy."

I felt heat rising. "You're impossible."

"And yet," he whispered, "here you are, talking to me instead of sleeping."

My phone buzzed again with a text—him. I peeked at it:

Malachi: Text me when you're asleep. Or not. I don't care which. Just... don't stop thinking about me.

I groaned, face falling into the pillow. Arianna and Sway shrieked in the background.

Me: Go to sleep, Barton.
Malachi: Not until I know you're thinking about me.

I hate him, I whispered. And I also didn't.

⸻

After I finally hung up, Arianna and Sway continued teasing me.

"You like him," Sway said.
"Not like that!" I buried my face in the blankets.
"Yeah, right," Arianna said. "Then why is your face still red?"

I sighed. Maybe it was time to admit something I'd been trying to avoid.

I might actually like Malachi Barton.

⸻

The buzzing didn't stop. My phone lit up with a series of playful, teasing texts that kept me awake for what felt like hours:

Malachi: So... you're lying in bed thinking about me, right?
Me: No.
Malachi: Uh-huh. Sure.
Me: I'm thinking about literally anything else.
Malachi: Like what?
Me: The script... rehearsal... Sway and Arianna being insane.
Malachi: Mm, interesting... but I don't buy it. I bet your brain keeps flashing back to me smirking at you all day.
Me: Stop trying to psych me out.
Malachi: Not until you admit I'm right.
Me: Maybe you're... right.

A pause. Then:

Malachi: Bingo. Victory is mine. I'll take that small concession for now.
Me: You're exhausting.
Malachi: Exhausting, yes. But irresistible?

I buried my face in the pillow. Oh no. Stop it, Freya.

Malachi: Promise me something?
Me: What?
Malachi: Promise you won't fight how you feel. Even if it scares you.

I froze. Scared... yes. Confused... absolutely. But part of me wanted to believe him.

Me: I... I'll try.
Malachi: Good. That's all I ask. Night, Freya.
Me: Night, Malachi.

⸻

Lying in the dark after the phone went quiet, I finally admitted it to myself.

I liked him. I really liked him.

And for the first time, I didn't hate the thought.