The next morning, I woke up with a strange feeling in my chest.
Not the bad kind of strange.
More like the kind that makes you stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, replaying things in your mind.
Unfortunately… the thing my brain decided to replay was last night.
"Or do you want me to kiss another girl?"
My eyes flew open.
"Oh my gosh," I groaned, pulling the blanket over my face. "Why did I say no like that?!"
I could still hear Ethan laughing in my head.
And the worst part?
The way he looked at me afterward.
That teasing smile.
That calm voice.
"Interesting… that you care."
I sat up quickly, shaking my head as if that would magically erase the memory.
"Nope," I muttered to myself. "We are not thinking about him today."
Just then, my phone buzzed on the bedside table.
I glanced at it lazily.
Then froze.
Ethan:
Good morning, tomato face.
I gasped.
"HE DID NOT."
Another message popped up.
Ethan:
Did you sleep well after clinging to my best friend like a koala?
I buried my face into my pillow and screamed silently.
This was exactly what I was afraid of.
My phone buzzed again.
Ethan:
Also, he says good morning.
My heart skipped.
"Wait… what?"
I sat up and quickly typed.
Me:
You're lying.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Ethan:
Am I?
Then another message came.
Ethan:
He's sitting right next to me.
I froze.
Then my phone buzzed again.
But this time… the name was different.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
Austin
My fingers hovered over the screen for a second before opening the message.
Austin:
Ignore Ethan.
I blinked.
Another message appeared.
Austin:
Good morning.
My face immediately felt warm again, I don't know why I'm feeling like this, I usually hang out with Austin, so why am I feeling like this.
Why did two simple words feel like such a big deal?
I stared at the message for a full ten seconds before replying.
Me:
Morning.
Almost immediately, Ethan texted again.
Ethan:
Wow. That was dry.
I rolled my eyes.
Me:
Why are you even texting me this early? Don't you have a life?
He replied instantly.
Ethan:
No. Teasing you is my life.
Austin sent another message.
Austin:
Ignore him.
I smiled a little without meaning to.
Then Ethan sent one more message.
Ethan:
Anyway, we're coming over.
My eyes widened.
Me:
WHAT??
Ethan:
Relax. We're picking you up.
Me:
For what??
A few seconds passed.
Then Austin replied.
Austin:
We're going to the park.
I blinked at the screen.
The park?
Ethan:
Also Austin says if you're cold again he brought a jacket this time.
I threw my pillow across the room.
Thirty minutes later, I was standing in front of my mirror, trying to decide if my outfit looked normal.
Or like I tried too hard.
Which was ridiculous.
Because I definitely did not try too hard.
Right?
I changed shirts again.
Then again.
Then groaned.
"Why am I doing this?!"
Before I could answer myself, my phone buzzed again.
Austin:
We're outside.
My heart jumped.
"That was fast."
I grabbed my bag and rushed downstairs.
The moment I stepped outside, I saw them leaning against Ethan's car.
Ethan spotted me first.
"Oh look," he said loudly. "The tomato has arrived."
"Shut up," I said immediately.
Austin laughed softly.
And just like that, my heart did the annoying flip again.
Why did his laugh do that to me?, it's not the first time I've heard him laugh.
Ethan opened the back door dramatically.
"Your carriage awaits."
I rolled my eyes but got in anyway.
Austin sat beside me.
Which was a terrible idea for my heart.
The car started moving, and Ethan glanced at us through the rearview mirror.
"So," he said casually.
I knew that tone.
"No," I said immediately.
"I didn't even say anything yet."
"You're about to."
He grinned.
"So… did you two text all night?"
My face heated instantly.
"No!"
Austin leaned back calmly.
"We exchanged two messages."
Ethan gasped dramatically.
"Two whole messages?! Wow. Things are getting serious."
I groaned.
"Ethan, please stop talking."
He laughed.
"Fine, fine."
For about thirty seconds.
Then he spoke again.
"You know what I realized last night?"
I closed my eyes.
"I regret asking, but what?"
Ethan grinned.
"You two have tension."
Austin sighed.
"Ethan."
"What? I'm just stating facts."
"There are no facts," I said quickly.
Ethan looked at Austin.
"See? Denial."
Austin shook his head, but he was smiling.
Which somehow made everything worse.
The car finally pulled up to the park, and I got out quickly before Ethan could say anything else.
The park was quiet in the morning. The grass was still slightly wet with dew, and a cool breeze moved through the trees.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Until Ethan spoke again.
"So when are you two going to admit it?"
I turned around.
"Admit what?!"
"That you like each other."
I nearly choked.
"I do not like him!", I did but I won't admit it,
Ethan looked at Austin,
"Your turn."
Austin shrugged.
"I didn't say anything."
"That's suspicious," Ethan said.
I groaned and started walking ahead.
Behind me, I could hear them laughing again.
Why did they always do this to me?
After a few minutes, Austin caught up to me.
"Hey," he said.
"What?"
"You're walking like you're trying to escape."
"Maybe I am."
He chuckled.
"You know Ethan likes annoying people."
"I noticed."
We walked in silence for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
"You really don't like me?"
My brain froze.
"What?"
"You said you didn't"
I panicked.
"I meant— I didn't mean it like that, we're going to date eventually"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Then how did you mean it?"
"I meant… Ethan was exaggerating."
Austin looked thoughtful.
"Hmm."
"What does that mean?", I asked
"It means," he said calmly, "you didn't answer the question."
My face felt warm again.
"Why do you keep asking questions like that?"
"Because your reactions are interesting."
I stared at him.
"You're enjoying this."
"A little."
I sighed dramatically.
"You're just as bad as Ethan."
"No," he said. "I'm nicer."
"Barely."
He smiled again.
And for some reason… I smiled back.
Up ahead, Ethan suddenly shouted.
"Hey love birds!"
We both groaned.
"What now?" I asked.
Ethan pointed toward the small lake in the park.
"Let's race."
Austin raised an eyebrow.
"Race?"
"Yep," Ethan said. "Loser buys snacks."
I crossed my arms.
"And why should I participate?"
Ethan grinned.
"Because if you lose, Austin has to buy you snacks."
I paused.
"Wait…"
Austin laughed.
"You're evil."
Ethan shrugged.
"Motivation."
I thought about it for a second.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
Ethan pointed to a tree across the field.
"First one there wins."
Austin looked at me.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
Ethan raised his hand dramatically.
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
"GO!"
We all ran.
The grass slipped slightly under my shoes, but I kept going.
Ethan ran ahead like a maniac.
Austin was right beside me.
"You're fast," he said between breaths.
"So are you!"
We were almost at the tree when Ethan suddenly slowed down.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Austin noticed too.
"Why did he stop?"
I had a terrible feeling.
Right as we reached the tree, Ethan turned around with the biggest grin ever.
"Congratulations," he said.
"For what?" I asked.
"For winning."
Austin blinked.
"What?"
Ethan pointed at us.
"You two crossed the finish line at the exact same time."
I frowned.
"So?"
Ethan clasped his hands dramatically.
"So now you both have to buy snacks."
Austin sighed.
"You planned this."
"Of course."
I glared at him.
"You're the worst."
He grinned proudly.
"Thank you."
Austin shook his head.
"Let's just go get the snacks."
As we started walking toward the small café near the park, Ethan walked ahead, whistling happily.
I glanced at Austin
"This is your friend."
He shrugged.
"I apologize on his behalf."
I laughed softly.
And for a moment… everything felt easy again.
But as we walked side by side, Austin suddenly looked at me and said quietly,
"You never answered my question earlier."
My heart skipped.
"What question?"
He smiled slightly.
"Do you like me?"
My brain stopped working again.
And somehow…
I had a feeling Ethan was definitely listening from ahead.
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To Be Continued