Mr smirk

If anyone saw me right now, they’d probably

mistake me for a total lunatic. I was pacing my room, tugging at my curls like a madwoman. They probably looked like a bird’s nest by now, but that was the least of my worries. At the top of my list: How the hell was Aiden going to look at me now?

I’d spent the last ten minutes thinking through every possible scenario and finally landed on one conclusion — it didn’t matter how he got my contact. Arnold could’ve given it to him for all I knew. What did matter was coming up with a solid excuse for why I’d been staring. Unfortunately, my brain decided now was the perfect time to play hide and seek.

"Think, Nova! This isn’t the time to go blank!" I muttered, flopping onto my bed.

I picked up my phone and stared at his message again. That smirking emoji? Pure Aiden. I didn’t know anyone else smug enough to use it so confidently. My fingers hovered over the screen before I gave up and just sent a string of question marks. Playing dumb seemed like the safest route. The second I hit send, I threw the phone to the far end of the bed and buried my face in a pillow.

It didn’t even take a full minute before my phone started ringing — loud and shrill. I shot up, internally chanting please not Aiden, please not Aiden. When Eli’s name flashed across the screen, I practically hugged my phone.

“What took you so long?!” I yelled, answering immediately.

“Okay, calm down, Nova. I know you love me and all, but it’s only been like thirty minutes since we saw each other,” he teased.

“You don’t understand what happened in those thirty minutes!” I snapped, pacing again. “If only you’d replied when I texted, then I wouldn’t have opened the window. And if I hadn’t opened the window, I wouldn’t have seen Aiden. And if I hadn’t seen him—”

“Okay, whoa. Breathe,” Eli cut in. “Try explaining in a way humans can understand.”

I sat back down on my bed with a deep sigh. “Did you even read my message?”

“Of course I did, dummy. That’s why I called.”

“Alright. But don’t freak out. I know we’ve only known each other for a day, but I already know you’re the dramatic type.”

“Guilty,” he said with a laugh.

“Okay. So... Aiden is my next-door neighbor.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Yup. He lives in the house right beside mine.”

“You lucky bitch!” he shrieked. “How are you always getting mixed up with him and it’s only been one day?”

“That’s not all.” I hesitated. “I… I did something.”

“It hasn’t even been minutes, Nova. What could you have possibly done?”

“I saw him shirtless.”

“You what?”

“In my defense, his window was wide open! I didn’t know he could see me. I just happened to look, okay? Anyone would have!”

There was a long pause before Eli finally said, “Was he hot?”

“Oh my god.”

“No, like. Seriously. How were the abs? Was the V-line as defined as I imagined?”

“That’s not the point, Eli!”

He laughed. “Okay, okay, I’ll be serious. Did you reply to his message?”

“I did. I just sent some question marks. Figured it was better than some lame excuse.”

“Smart move. Keep it cool. Don’t let him know it flustered you.”

“It didn’t fluster me!”

“Sure it didn’t,” he said, clearly amused. “Then why are you freaking out like this? Thought you weren’t into him?”

“I’m not. And I never will be. Even if someone paid me, I’d reject the money.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it,” he said with mock seriousness. “Anyway, I gotta go. Let me know how this whole awkward neighbor situation turns out.”

“I will,” I replied, about to hang up when he added:

“But between us, Nova… did he look good?”

“He looked decent enough,” I muttered before ending the call.

Still, my thoughts drifted back to that stupid V-line. Get it together, Nova, I told myself, shaking my head. I picked up my phone again, heart thudding. Let’s see what Mr. Smirk has to say now.