Chapter 36 - The Morning After
859 Words
Lily woke up already annoyed.
Not because she was tired.
Not because school started too early.
Not even because Jason existed.
No.
She was annoyed because the first thing her brain remembered upon waking up was:
Only you.
Which was deeply unfair.
Because now she had to attend school knowing Noah had voluntarily said something devastatingly sincere to her over text like it was completely normal behavior.
And worse?
She had replied.
Which meant there was documented evidence of her emotional instability.
Lily stared at her ceiling for a full minute.
Then grabbed her pillow and screamed directly into it.
Unfortunately, this did not solve anything.
—
By the time she arrived at school, her heartbeat was already acting suspicious.
Which became significantly worse the second Emily saw her face.
“Oh my God,” Emily whispered immediately. “Something happened.”
“Nothing happened.”
“That’s the face of a girl who experienced emotional events.”
Lily opened her locker aggressively.
“I’m transferring schools.”
Emily gasped dramatically.
“He texted you.”
Lily froze.
That traitor.
Emily pointed at her like she’d solved a criminal investigation.
“I KNEW IT.”
“It was one conversation.”
“One conversation?” Emily repeated. “Lily, your ears are red.”
Lily slammed her locker shut.
“Can you stop observing me.”
“No.”
Before Lily could recover—
Jason appeared beside them carrying enough energy to legally qualify as a public disturbance.
“Good morning to the future divorced couple.”
Lily sighed deeply.
“Why are you like this.”
Jason ignored her completely.
Then narrowed his eyes suddenly.
“Oh wait.”
His expression became horrified.
“You two texted.”
Lily blinked once.
Slowly.
Carefully.
“How did you immediately know that?”
Jason pointed dramatically at her entire existence.
“Your vibe changed.”
“That sentence means nothing.”
Ryan arrived moments later looking exhausted already.
“What happened now?”
Jason grabbed his shoulder emotionally.
“They entered the texting stage.”
Ryan closed his eyes briefly.
“Oh no.”
“It was one conversation,” Lily repeated weakly.
Emily looked sympathetic.
“That’s how it starts.”
Lily considered walking directly into traffic.
And then—
The hallway noise shifted slightly.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
Because someone had entered the hallway.
Someone Lily recognized immediately without even looking.
Which was concerning for multiple psychological reasons.
Her stomach betrayed her first.
Then her heartbeat.
Then finally—
Her eyes lifted.
Noah stood near the entrance talking to another student.
Black hoodie.
Slightly messy hair.
That same calm expression that somehow made Lily feel dramatically less calm every single time she saw it.
Like sensing it—
Noah looked up.
And immediately found her.
The conversation around him seemed to disappear from his attention almost instantly.
Lily’s breathing malfunctioned slightly.
Jason noticed.
“Oh this is disgusting,” he muttered.
Because Noah’s entire expression softened the second their eyes met.
Not dramatically.
Not enough for most people to notice.
But Lily noticed.
And apparently Jason did too.
Noah said something quickly to the student beside him before walking toward them.
Toward her.
Directly.
Lily suddenly became very aware of the fact that she was alive.
Emily grabbed her arm hard enough to cause emotional damage.
“He’s walking over here with purpose,” she whispered harshly.
“I can see that.”
“No, you don’t understand. He looks happy.”
That information did not help.
At all.
Noah stopped in front of them.
His eyes moved to Lily almost immediately.
“You’re here early.”
Lily stared at him.
Because somehow—
After last night—
His voice sounded different now.
Softer.
More familiar.
Dangerous.
“So are you,” she replied carefully.
A tiny pause followed.
Then Noah said quietly—
“You answered my messages fast.”
Lily’s soul left her body instantly.
Emily made a choking sound.
Jason physically grabbed Ryan’s arm.
“Oh my God,” Jason whispered. “He’s flirting now.”
Ryan looked ready to resign from life.
Lily glared at Noah weakly.
“You noticed that?”
Noah looked genuinely confused.
“Yes.”
Which—
Somehow made it worse.
Because he wasn’t teasing.
He was just honest.
Again.
Always honest with her in ways that made her heartbeat completely unmanageable.
Lily crossed her arms defensively.
“You’re impossible.”
Something warm flickered briefly across Noah’s face.
Not smugness.
Not amusement.
Something softer.
“You texted me back at 9:43,” he said.
Lily stopped functioning.
Entirely.
Emily actually sat down on the floor.
“He remembers timestamps,” she whispered emotionally.
Jason looked devastated.
“This man is DOWN HORRENDOUS.”
Noah finally seemed to realize everyone else could hear him.
A faint blush appeared near his ears immediately.
Lily’s heart reacted in the worst possible way.
Because suddenly he looked nervous too.
Just for a second.
Just enough to make her realize something terrifying—
Noah cared what she thought.
Maybe as much as she cared what he thought.
And honestly?
That realization might have ruined her permanently.
- Writer
