Aiden’s POV: The moment I got Ty’s text about the sleepover with Nova, I didn’t hesitate I jumped on my bike and sped off to the address he sent. I had to give it to him; he really came through setting up the perfect stage for me. I needed this ..needed to fix things. After storming off at school like an idiot, I realized if I wanted Nova to actually listen to me, especially when it came to Jordan, I needed to get back in her good books. Which meant apologizing. Yeah. That word. Apologizing for... well, everything, I guess. I had been a jerk in her eyes. And honestly? She wasn’t wrong. Okay, Aiden. You’ve got this. Swallow your ego—just this once. I pulled up in front of Eli’s place and rang the doorbell. No answer. Cool. Just stand here and suffer in silence. I was about to get annoyed when the door finally opened—and there she was. Nova. Shock written all over her face. “Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” I said, trying to sound cooler than I felt. She quickly masked
"Sleepover! Yay, sleepover!" Eli cheered as he threw open the door to his house."Parents aren't home, yay!" I echoed, skipping inside with my arms in the air like an idiot."When are Jace and Ty joining us?" I asked, dropping onto the couch while he bounded up the stairs."Probably by eight," he called down. "Also… how’d you get your parents to agree to this? They don’t even know me yet, so I’m kinda shocked."Fair point."I let Arnold handle it," I said, grabbing a throw pillow. "Told him I was hanging with you, and he was cool with it. He’ll find an excuse to tell our parents. Eventually.""Hmm. Still. You gotta drag me home sometime so I can charm them. Preferably when they're around," he added with a smirk, returning with a bag of chips."Now, enough questions. I’m here to unwind and forget about a certain high school boy, so let’s get to the unwinding part.""Have a little patience, girl. We just need to prep the sitting room, lay out snacks, pick a movie, and then vibe. It’s no
These past few days had been... normal. Just going to school, hanging out with Eli, and heading home. Occasionally I’d run into Jordan too, but even that felt routine. Simple. Manageable. What stood out—what was almost too normal—was the complete absence of him. No sarcastic banter. No smirks across the hallway. Just... nothing. At first, I thought I was the one avoiding him. But how had I not run into Aiden even once? Not that I wanted to see his sorry face or anything—but still. It was weird. Suspiciously peaceful. Honestly, my head had been clearer since I made the choice to stay away. If he didn’t know what he wanted from me, I sure as hell wasn’t wasting my time helping him figure it out. I had better things to do. Like, you know, education and not spiraling over boys with anger issues. Eli and I were walking down the hall he was mid-rant about how Jace looked at him like he was a snack at lunch yesterday. At this point, I could confidently say my best friend was delusional.
Aiden’s POVTwo days. Two fucking days without a single real conversation with Nova. I’d catch glimpses of her in the hallways—always with Eli or laughing with Jace and Ty. My own so-called friends. Traitors. But hey, I’d take that over watching her with Jordan. Every. Single. Day.Arnold kept asking me what I was going to do about her. I didn’t have an answer. Give me a damn break, man. I’m still trying to figure myself out.“What do you guys even talk about?” I asked as I walked into school beside Jace and Ty.“Definitely not about you,” Jace replied with a laugh. “Pretty sure she hates your guts, man. She avoids the topic like you’re contagious.”“Well, shit. Thanks for the confirmation,” I muttered, bitterness rising in my chest like bile.“Have you even apologized to her yet?” Ty asked, half-laughing.“What would I apologize for?” I shot back, completely serious.Ty stopped walking. “Seriously? You kissed her without her permission, dumbass. What did you think? That she’d just sw
Aiden’s POVI hadn’t planned on walking into that coffee shop.I was just thirsty on my way home and figured it wouldn’t hurt to grab a cup. But the moment I stepped inside, I wished I’d just driven straight home even if it meant dying of thirst.She was there. Nova. Laughing.Genuinely laughing with him. Jordan.And it made me feel like absolute shit.I don’t even know how my eyes found them, but they did. And before I could stop myself, I was walking straight toward their table like a damn idiot.She’d kept her word about staying away from me. We hadn’t crossed paths once since the kiss. And it had me on edge. I didn’t like how much that bothered me but it did.So yeah, since I’d already played the jerk, I figured I might as well keep the role going.“I see you guys are having fun ,” I said, trying for smug.Jordan, of course, decided to play the white knight and said something smart, but I didn’t care. I only cared about the reason I was there.Her.But her words hit harder than I
After Eli drove me home, I practically dragged myself into the house. I was drained—mentally, emotionally, just done. But thanks to Eli and his much-needed reality check, I’d finally reached some sort of clarity.I was going to stop thinking about Aiden. Whether that kiss meant something or not, I was done letting him live rent-free in my head.As I turned the doorknob and stepped inside, I was greeted by Arnold—sitting on the couch, watching TV as usual. The moment he saw me, he stood up and walked toward me."You dating Aiden now, Nova?" he asked, tone unreadable."I'm not," I replied, too tired to sugarcoat anything."Then why the hell is the school page plastered with pictures of you two kissing?""Why don’t you ask Aiden yourself?" I snapped. "He’s your friend, after all. So stop bothering me already."And with that, I climbed the stairs without waiting for a response, heading straight to my room.The moment I got inside, I threw myself onto the bed. Today had been way too eventf