Chapter 20 - Aftermath
577 Words
Lily spent the entire first period pretending she could still function like a normal human being.
Unfortunately—
She absolutely could not.
Because Noah Carter had held her hand in front of the entire school.
And defended her.
And looked at her like—
Nope.
Dangerous topic.
Avoid immediately.
“Miss Evans?”
Lily blinked violently.
Her math teacher stared at her expectantly from the front of the classroom.
“Would you like to answer the question?”
Oh no.
Around her, several students turned to look.
Lily glanced slowly toward the board.
There were numbers.
Many numbers.
Tragically, none of them made sense.
“…Respectfully,” Lily said carefully, “absolutely not.”
A few students laughed quietly.
Her teacher sighed the sigh of a man deeply exhausted by teenagers.
“Try paying attention.”
Lily nodded solemnly.
Which lasted approximately thirty seconds.
Because her phone buzzed quietly beneath her desk.
One new message.
Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
NOAH:
You survived Chloe Bennett. Proud of you.
Lily stared at the text way too long.
Then—
LILY:
Barely.
Three dots appeared immediately.
NOAH:
Jason says you looked emotionally constipated.
Lily nearly choked on air.
LILY:
Why are you texting me from three seats away???
She risked a glance across the classroom.
Noah sat near the windows, lazily leaning back in his chair while pretending to listen to the lecture.
The second she looked over—
He looked up too.
And smiled.
Small.
Automatic.
Like he didn’t even think about it anymore.
Lily’s stomach flipped violently.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Her phone buzzed again.
NOAH:
Because your overthinking face is distracting.
Lily immediately looked away from him.
Absolutely not.
LILY:
I hate you.
NOAH:
That seems unlikely.
Oh, he was unbearable today.
Completely unbearable.
Before Lily could respond, another message appeared.
NOAH:
You okay though?
And there it was again.
That softness.
That immediate concern hidden beneath the teasing.
Lily swallowed carefully before typing back.
LILY:
Honestly?
The reply came instantly.
NOAH:
Honestly.
Lily hesitated.
Then finally—
LILY:
I didn’t like what Chloe said.
The typing bubble appeared almost immediately this time.
Then stopped.
Then appeared again.
Finally—
NOAH:
Look at me.
Her pulse stumbled.
Slowly, Lily glanced across the classroom again.
Noah was already watching her.
His expression serious now.
Quiet.
Steady.
Then his phone buzzed in her hand.
NOAH:
I meant what I said.
Lily’s breath caught instantly.
NOAH:
I’m not playing games with you.
The warmth that spread through her chest felt genuinely unfair.
Because suddenly—
Everything Chloe said mattered a little less again.
Noah held her gaze for one long second across the classroom.
Then—
Jason loudly dropped his pencil.
The entire class jumped.
“MY BAD,” he announced dramatically.
Ryan looked seconds away from violence beside him.
“You did that on purpose.”
“I felt emotional tension.”
The teacher closed his eyes briefly.
“I’m begging you people to act normal for one hour.”
“No promises,” Jason replied honestly.
Lily laughed before she could stop herself.
And across the room—
Noah smiled again.
That same soft expression.
Like her laughter was his favorite sound in the world.
Oh no.
Oh, this was getting worse.
Much worse.
Because Lily was beginning to realize something terrifying.
Noah Carter wasn’t confusing anymore.
Not really.
He was trying.
Carefully.
Patiently.
But genuinely.
And somehow—
That scared her more than mixed signals ever could.
- Writer
