ANMELDENIt started with something small.Not a deep conversation. Not a big question.Just a moment that lingered a little longer than usual.Avery was watching him again.Not in that distracted, half-listening way she used to.This time, she was actually paying attention.The way he spoke when he was explaining something he cared about. The way he paused slightly before answering questions, like he was choosing his words instead of just saying them. The way everything about him felt… consistent.It made something click.Not loudly.Just enough.“You’re staring again,” Daniel said.Avery didn’t even try to deny it this time.“I know.”“Why?”She hesitated.Because this thoughtThis one felt different.Bigger than the others.Not scary.Just… unfamiliar.“I was just thinking,” she said slowly.“About?”Avery exhaled softly.“About what this looks like later.”Daniel went still for a second.Not tense.Just focused.“Later how?” he asked.Avery shrugged slightly.“I don’t know,” she admitted. “
Avery woke up expecting a shift.Not a big one. Nothing dramatic.Just… something.A different feeling in her chest. A new kind of awareness. Maybe even a little panic creeping in now that the words had been said out loud.But there was nothing.She lay there for a minute, staring at the ceiling, waiting for it.Waiting for the weight of it to settle in.Waiting for it to feel real in a way that would change everything.It didn’t.It just felt like… yesterday.Like everything had quietly continued without needing her to adjust.Her phone buzzed.You awake?She blinked, then reached for it.Yeah.Pause.Then:Did saying it scare you?Avery stared at the message for a second.Because it should have.That kind of thing usually did.But—No.She hit send before she could overthink it.Another pause.Then:Good.She let out a small breath, a smile tugging at her lips.You?A few seconds.No.Of course not.She shook her head slightly, amused.You’re very consistent.It works.Barely.She d
It didn’t come out the way she expected.No build-up. No rehearsed moment in her head. No perfect setting where everything lined up just right.It slipped out.Casual.Unplanned.And somehow, that made it feel more real than anything she could’ve prepared.They were in the middle of something ordinary.That’s what made it worse or better, depending on how she looked at it.Avery was talking, half-focused, explaining something that didn’t even matter anymore, her words running together the way they always did when she got comfortable.“And then I realized I actually like being there because”She stopped.Not dramatically.Just… stopped.Because her brain caught up with her mouth a second too late.Because she heard it.Felt it.And suddenly, everything in her chest tightened just enough to make her aware of it.Daniel noticed immediately.“Because?” he prompted.Avery blinked.Right.She had to finish the sentence.Or pretend she hadn’t almost said something else entirely.But now that
It didn’t break.That was the first thing Avery noticed.The thought came quietly, almost like a test.What if something actually goes wrong?And instead of feeling that usual tightness in her chest, that instinct to brace herself—There was nothing.Not fear.Not panic.Just… a pause.Like her mind was waiting for something that didn’t show up anymore.She was sitting across from Daniel, barely listening to whatever he was saying, watching the way his expression shifted as he talked.Normal.Everything was normal.And yetSomething felt different.Not between them.Inside her.“You’re doing it again,” Daniel said.Avery blinked. “What?”“Staring,” he replied.She smiled slightly. “Maybe I like looking at you.”“Doubt it.”“Wow.”But she didn’t argue.She just kept looking at him for another second before finally speaking.“I had a thought,” she said.“Should I be concerned?”“Probably not.”“Good.”Avery leaned back slightly, crossing her arms without thinking.“It didn’t scare me th
It came back.Not loud.Not overwhelming.Just… there.Avery didn’t notice it at first. The day had been normal—classes, small conversations, a quick laugh with Lila, a message from Daniel that made her smile without trying.Everything felt steady.Exactly the way it had been.And maybe that was the problem.Because later, when she was alone again, that quiet thought slipped in without asking.What if this is as good as it gets?She sat still for a second, her phone resting loosely in her hand.It wasn’t a negative thought.Not really.But it wasn’t entirely comfortable either.Because if this was it—if this was the peak, the best version of everything—then what came after?Did things stay like this?Or did they slowly fade without her noticing?Avery exhaled slowly, dropping her phone beside her.“Why am I thinking like this again?” she muttered.She wasn’t spiraling.She wasn’t panicking.But it was enough to make her feel… unsettled.Like she had stepped slightly outside of somethi
Avery didn’t expect it to feel awkward.Texting Lila had been easy.Fixing it in her head had been easy too.But actually showing up againThat was different.She spotted Lila at their usual table, laughing with someone else, completely normal, like nothing had happened.For a second, Avery almost turned around.Not because she didn’t want to go over.Just because it suddenly felt like she had missed something she couldn’t quite step back into the same way.Then Lila looked up.Their eyes met.And just like that, there wasn’t really a choice anymore.“Hey,” Avery said as she walked over.“Hey,” Lila replied, casual, but observant in that quiet way she had.Avery sat down.There was a small pause.Not heavy.Just noticeable.“I got your text,” Lila said.Avery nodded. “Yeah.”Another pause.Then Lila shrugged slightly.“It’s fine.”Avery let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.“Are you sure?”“Yeah,” Lila said. “I wasn’t mad. Just… noticing.”Avery smiled faintly.“You sai
It wasn’t about them.That’s what made it annoying.Everything between Avery and Daniel felt… fine. Easy, even. No weird tension, no overthinking spirals, no “are we okay?” moments.So when something finally felt off, it didn’t come from inside.It came from outside.“You’ve been disappearing a lot
It didn’t hit her when he said it.It didn’t hit her when she said it either.Not in the moment, not in the texts, not even when she saw him the next day.It hit her later.Randomly.Avery was walking home, earbuds in, not really listening to anything, just letting the noise fill the silence.And o
It stayed with her.That thought.The one she didn’t say out loud yesterday.It kept showing up at random times, like it was waiting for her to finally do something with it.Not in an annoying way.Just… there.Avery noticed it most when she was alone.When there was nothing else distracting her.N
I didn’t expect my summer to start with a slap in the face from reality—and definitely not in the form of Jace Carter, my brand-new stepbrother, standing shirtless in the kitchen like he owned the place.He turned as I walked in, a lazy smirk spreading across his face as he took in my crop top and







