SWEET SPOT

NylaI stared at the photo on my screen, unable to look away. Ezekiel stood there by the pool, shirtless and glistening, his wet hair slicked back, those perfectly carved abs catching the sunlight like some kind of god. My brother Garrett was next to him, laughing, but my eyes only saw Ezekiel. He looked so hot it almost hurt. I’d been invited to go with them today, but the usual shyness had crept in, and I’d said no. Now I was regretting it so badly my chest ached.“God, he’s so hot," I whispered, biting my bottom lip. A warm tingle spread through my body, racing downward. My hand started drifting lower on its own, chasing that feeling—A sudden knock on my door made my heart slam against my ribs. I yanked my hand away like I’d been burned.“Who is that?” I called, trying to sound normal.“It’s me, your big brother,” Garrett’s voice came through the door. “I need to talk to my little sister right now.”I grunted and rolled my eyes. I hated when he called me that, but I couldn’t exact

Nyla After the long hug with Susie, we decided to skip the bus and walk home together. It was one of those nights where neither of us wanted the conversation to end. The cool evening air felt nice on my skin after being stuck in the restaurant all day, and talking with my best friend always made everything feel lighter.We strolled side by side, holding hands, gossiping about everything and nothing. We laughed about the professor who always smelled like coffee and old books, roasted the girl in our literature class who kept trying to flirt with the TA, and I even told her how stressed I was about balancing school and that stupid job. Susie listened like she always did. She really listened and made me laugh until my cheeks hurt.Before I knew it, we were standing in front of her house.Well… 'house' was an understatement. Susie’s family mansion rose up in front of us, all sleek modern lines, warm lights glowing from huge windows, and a massive gate that probably cost more than my enti

NylaMy brain short-circuited. Heat rushed up my neck and flooded my face so fast I was sure I looked like a tomato. I could feel Susie trying not to laugh beside me, but I was too mortified to even glare at her.Ezekiel raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for an answer. He looked unfairly good this morning — fresh white shirt hugging his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to show those veined forearms I couldn’t stop staring at.“I… uh…” I stammered, completely lost for words.Susie finally saved me — sort of. “We were just talking about… uh… a book!” she said quickly, though her voice was way too cheerful to be believable.Ezekiel’s lips twitched like he was fighting a smile. “A book, huh?”I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.He lingered for another second, eyes still on me, before nodding slightly. “Alright. See you around, Nyla.”He walked away toward the back of the class, and I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.As soon as he was gone, my mind started s

NylaThat morning, everything felt heavy.I did my routine in slow motion — brushing my teeth, showering, getting dressed. Normally I’d be rushing around the house like a tornado, but today even lifting my arms felt exhausting. My eyes were still puffy from crying last night, and no amount of makeup could hide it completely.When I finally came downstairs, I sat at the dining table and ate my cereal so slowly it was almost cold by the time I finished half the bowl.“Nyla dear, are you okay?” Mom asked, watching me with concerned eyes.I forced a bright smile and looked up at her. “Don’t I look fine?” I even added a little chuckle, trying to sound normal.Mom tilted her head. “No, sweetheart. You don’t.”Oops. My smile faltered. “I’m okay, really,” I said quickly, laughing it off like it was nothing. “Just didn’t sleep well.”I stirred the cereal in my bowl for a moment before asking, “Where’s Garrett, by the way?”“Haven’t seen him yet. He’s probably still in his room sleeping.”“I sh

NylaI frowned at him, crossing my arms tighter over my chest. “Well, he told me you two had a fight because of me. Why would you even go and fight with him? I didn’t tell you he did anything to me.”Garrett sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “But you were crying yesterday. You threw away the necklace. It really seemed like he was at fault. So I wanted to know what happened.”I shook my head, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment and frustration. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”I paused, the words catching in my throat. Garrett waited, watching me closely.“He just…” I sighed softly and looked down at my shoes. “I have feelings for your friend.”His eyes widened. “What? What did you just say?”I swallowed hard and forced the words out again, clearer this time. “I said I have feelings for Ezekiel.”Garrett stared at me like I had grown a second head. “You like my best friend? Are you crazy?”“Yeah, call me crazy, whatever you want,” I snapped, my voice rising. “But I don’t like him a