Chapter 35 - One Text Message
676 Words
Lily’s phone buzzed at exactly 9:42 PM.
Which normally wouldn’t have mattered.
Except—
Almost nobody texted her that late.
And for some deeply embarrassing reason, her heart immediately assumed it was Noah.
Which was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Still—
She grabbed her phone so fast she nearly dropped it.
Emily:
You alive?
Lily stared at the screen blankly.
Then immediately felt stupid.
Of course it wasn’t Noah.
Why would Noah text her?
It’s not like they texted regularly.
Or at all.
Which honestly felt safer for everyone involved.
Lily typed back slowly.
Lily:
Unfortunately yes.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Emily:
You’ve been thinking about him for three hours straight haven’t you
Lily:
I hate you.
Emily:
That’s not a no.
Lily threw her phone onto the bed dramatically.
Then picked it back up two seconds later because apparently she enjoyed suffering.
Before she could reply again—
Another notification appeared.
And this time—
Her entire brain stopped working.
Noah Carter.
Lily physically sat up in bed.
Noah:
Did you eat dinner?
Silence filled her room.
Complete.
Absolute.
Silence.
Lily stared at the message like it might explode.
Because honestly?
This somehow felt more dangerous than hallway conversations.
More dangerous than eye contact.
Because this was intentional.
No audience.
No teasing friends.
Just Noah texting her because he wanted to.
Lily reread the message four times before answering.
Lily:
Are you legally capable of talking about anything else?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Noah:
Probably not.
Lily pressed her face into her pillow briefly.
This was becoming a problem.
A serious one.
Her phone buzzed again.
Noah:
So did you?
Lily smiled before she could stop herself.
Which—
Absolutely not.
Dangerous behavior.
Lily:
Yes.
A pause.
Then—
Noah:
Good.
There it was again.
That one stupid word somehow carrying emotional significance it absolutely did not deserve.
Lily flopped backward dramatically onto her bed.
Her ceiling offered no emotional support whatsoever.
Another text appeared.
Noah:
Jason says you threatened violence again today.
Lily snorted out loud.
Lily:
Jason survives entirely by being annoying.
Noah:
That’s fair.
Another pause settled afterward.
Not awkward.
Just… waiting.
Like both of them were still there staring at the conversation.
Lily’s heartbeat felt weirdly loud in the quiet room.
Then Noah sent another message.
Noah:
You looked less tired today.
Lily stared at the words.
And suddenly—
The teasing disappeared from her chest entirely.
Because there it was again.
That soft attention.
That careful noticing.
Like Noah collected small details about her without even realizing it.
Lily typed slowly this time.
Lily:
You notice everything.
The typing bubble appeared immediately.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Which somehow made her more nervous.
Finally—
Noah:
Only you.
Lily forgot how oxygen worked.
Actually forgot.
Her entire body went still.
Because there was no joke attached to that message.
No teasing.
No easy escape route.
Just honesty.
Quiet and terrifying.
Her phone nearly slipped out of her hand.
Across the room, her brain started screaming incoherently.
Lily read the message again.
Then again.
Then one more time because apparently self-destruction was a hobby now.
Only you.
What was she even supposed to do with that?
Her heart felt dangerous suddenly.
Too full.
Too aware.
Too hopeful.
And hope—
Hope was terrifying.
Before she could think of a response—
Another message appeared.
Noah:
Sorry. That sounded weird.
Lily sat up immediately.
Because somehow the idea of Noah regretting it felt worse.
Much worse.
Lily:
No.
The reply came quickly.
Noah:
No?
Lily stared at the screen.
Then inhaled once.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Lily:
It didn’t sound weird.
Three dots appeared again.
Stayed.
Disappeared.
Then finally—
Noah:
Okay.
Just okay.
But Lily could somehow feel the relief in it anyway.
And that?
That might have been the most dangerous thing yet.
Because suddenly she realized something impossible to ignore anymore.
This wasn’t one-sided.
Not even close.
Noah cared.
Really cared.
And despite every attempt to deny it—
She cared too.
A lot more than she was ready to admit out loud.
- Writer
