CHAPTER SIX

I groaned, dragging my pillow over my face. Every time I shut my eyes, it replayed Jake’s hand on my waist, the way his breath hitched before he kissed me, the tension between us”

How was I supposed to act normal after that?

“Girl, are you alive in there?” Felicia’s voice echoed from the other side of the room, followed by the sound of her rummaging through my wardrobe. “Because if you’re still sleeping, I swear…”

“I’m up!” I yelled, voice muffled against the pillow. Then, lower, to myself, “how did you get in here?”

“Good, because we have a whole Monday to survive. Also, you sleep like an elephant, I knocked as long as I could yet no response, thank God for the spare key”

Anna turned from the closet, holding up two outfits, one a plaid skirt and cropped sweater combo, the other a sleek all black ensemble. “Which says ‘I’m here to slay, not to suffer through group projects’?”

I peeked out from the pillow. “Definitely the black, you look like you came to break hearts and submit essays.”

She grinned. “Perfect. Now, spill.”

I froze halfway out of bed. “Spill what?”

Anna gave me a look, the kind that could curdle milk. “Don’t play dumb, Anna. You went out last night with Jake and I am yet to get the gist of what happened, dont keep me waiting for long”

I bit my lip, trying not to smile. “It was… nice.”

Anna gasped dramatically, clutching at her chest. “Nice? That’s all I get? Girl, he drove you to a private hangout with his friends! That’s not a ‘nice.’ That’s a potential soft launch.”

I laughed, stumbling toward my dresser. “It wasn’t like that. They were all super friendly. His friend Mara kept teasing him about how he talks about me. It was actually really sweet.”

Anna turned sharply, her eyes wide. “Wait. They know about you?”

I nodded, opening my drawer. “Apparently, he’s mentioned me before.”

“Oh, baby,” she said, snapping her fingers like she’d just solved a crime. “You are in. That man is smitten. So tell me, did he kiss you?”

I froze with a shirt half-pulled from the drawer, heat rushing to my cheeks.

“Oh my God,” Anna shrieked, pointing at me. “He did! You’re blushing!”

“I’m not!” I protested weakly.

“Liar.” She crossed the room and grabbed my shoulders “How was it? Was it soft? Did he cup your face? Did he do that thing with his hand…”

“Anna!”

“What? I need details. You can’t drop a bomb like that and expect me to focus on class later.”

I gave up trying to hide it. A helpless smile took over my face. “It was… perfect,” I admitted. “Unexpected. He walked me to my dorm, and we were just talking and suddenly he was so close and I couldn’t think and he kissed me. It was really nice”

Anna squealed so loudly, someone knocked on our door in complaint. She covered her mouth, whisper-shouting, “I knew it! I told you he liked you!”

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. “You did not.”

“Oh, I absolutely did. The way he kept looking at you at tgat party, girlllllll”

“He’s just… nice,” I said, trying to sound casual.

Anna raised a brow. “Nice guys don’t look at you like they’re trying to memorize the way you smile. No, ma’am. That boy’s whipped.”

I threw a pillow at her, which she dodged successfully.

“Anyway,” she continued, fluffing her hair in the mirror, “since you’re clearly living your main character life, we need to make sure you look like it. You can’t go to class looking all love drunk and disheveled.”

I rolled my eyes, though she wasn’t wrong. My reflection in the mirror screamed I just got kissed and didn’t sleep because of it. Hair a mess, under eye circles, and an expression that couldn’t decide between panic and pure giddiness.

Anna grabbed my makeup bag. “Sit. Let me work my magic.”

“Ann, we have ten minutes…”

“And that’s enough for greatness.”

As she brushed foundation onto my cheeks, she kept pressing for more. “So, what’s the plan now? Did he text you?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “He sent a ‘Good morning, beautiful.’”

Anna froze mid stroke, her eyes wide in the mirror. “Oh. My. God. He called you beautiful? Not just ‘hey’ or ‘how are you’? Girl, he’s already gone. He’s done. He’s somewhere writing poetry about you right now.”

I laughed, swatting at her hand. “Stop it.”

“I will not stop it! You’re glowing, look at you!”

She leaned back to inspect her handiwork, then smiled triumphantly. “There. You look like you slept, hydrated, and didn’t spend the entire night overanalyzing a kiss.”

“Liar,” I said, but smiled anyway.

“Now for the outfit.” She rummaged through my closet like a personal stylist on caffeine. “You’re wearing the cream sweater. It’s cozy but hot and those jeans that make your butt look amazing.”

“Felicia…”

“No arguments. Jake’s probably on campus today, right? You’re gonna ‘accidentally’ bump into him looking like a daydream.”

I sighed, giving in. “You’re ridiculous.”

She tossed me the jeans. “And yet, always right. Where is that roommate of yours anyway, she’ll barely here. Might as well as move in”

“Said she had this family thing”

“Okay”

With that we grabbed our bags and headed to class, the campus was already buzzing when we got there. I tried to act normal, but my heart wouldn’t settle.

Anna caught me mid scan and smirked. “Looking for someone?”

“No,” I lied.

“Mhm.” She sipped her iced coffee. “You do realize he’s probably thinking about that kiss too, right? You don’t just kiss someone like that and forget it the next day.”

I bit my lip. “You think so?”

She bumped my shoulder. “I know so. But hey, play it cool. No desperate energy, you’re the catch.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay, focus. School mode.”

Felicia grinned, linking her arm through mine. “Fine, but after class, you’re showing me the text thread. I need to analyze tone, emoji usage, and punctuation.”

“You’re insane.”

“Certified,” she said proudly. “Now go sit pretty and pretend you’re not falling for the hottest guy on campus.”

We were in a combined lecture hall and anytime he mentions chemistry, Anna whispers ‘you and Jake’ while I try not to laugh.

When class finally ended, I checked my phone. One new message.

Jake: Hope class isn’t too boring. Lunch later? My treat.

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding. Anna leaned over, reading it before I could hide it. She grinned like the cat that got the cream. “Lunch. My treat. He’s in deep, babe.”

I shook my head, smiling despite myself. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible and always right,” she said again, looping her arm through mine as we headed out. “Now let’s get you ready for round two of your fairytale.”

I grinned and felt heat freak up my neck before my phone buzzed again.

Ian: i miss you, can we meet?

I shove my phone back into my pocket before Ann could get a glimpse and we headed out.