Chapter Three
1949 Words
I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on my bedroom door.
I ignored it.
The knocking came again.
I pulled the duvet over my head.
“Millie.”
I knew that voice.
“Go away, Adrian.”
“Get up.”
“No.”
“You have plans.”
“I have a bed.”
There was a pause.
Then the door opened.
I immediately sat up. “Did you just come into my room without permission?”
Adrian leaned against the doorframe. “Mum said you're going shopping with Ava.”
I stared at him.
“And?”
“And you're already late.”
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. Eleven twenty-three.
“Oh, shit.”
Adrian laughed. “Exactly.”
I jumped out of bed and nearly tripped over my slippers.
“Why didn't you wake me up earlier?”
“I did.”
“When?”
“About fifteen minutes ago.”
“You knocked twice!”
“I thought you were awake.”
“I was sleeping!”
“Clearly.”
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
He caught it.
“Violence before breakfast,” he said.
“Get out.”
He grinned. “Duke's in the kitchen, by the way.”
I froze for half a second.
Adrian noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His grin widened.
“Why did you stop moving?”
“I didn't.”
“You did.”
“I was thinking.”
“About Duke?”
“No.”
He laughed. “You're terrible at lying.”
“I genuinely hate you.”
“Love you too.”
He disappeared before I could throw anything else at him.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the door.
Duke was downstairs.
Great.
Exactly what I needed at eleven in the morning.
I got dressed quickly, brushed my hair, grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs.
Duke was sitting at the kitchen island with a mug in his hand, talking to Mum.
He looked up when I walked in.
And smiled.
Not the annoying little smirk I'd grown up with.
An actual smile.
“Morning.”
I stopped.
“Morning.”
His eyes moved over me briefly before returning to my face.
“You look nice.”
I blinked.
Adrian, who was sitting across from him, immediately looked up.
I could practically hear the alarm bells going off in his head.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks.”
Duke took another sip of his drink.
“You're going shopping?”
“Yeah.”
“With Ava?”
I nodded.
“Have fun.”
There was something about the way he said it that made me suspicious.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You're smiling.”
“Am I not allowed to smile?”
“Not when you're being weird.”
He laughed quietly.
Adrian looked between us.
“I'm leaving before whatever this is gets any more uncomfortable.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nobody asked you to stay.”
He stood up. “Exactly why I'm leaving.”
Duke laughed.
I looked at him.
He was still smiling.
And for some stupid reason, I smiled too.
Then I remembered who he was.
The same boy who had once hidden my shoes and watched me search the whole house for them.
Absolutely not.
I grabbed my bag.
“I'm going.”
Duke nodded. “See you later, Millie.”
I turned towards the door.
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I made it outside before I realised I was smiling again.
I immediately stopped.
No.
Absolutely not.
---
Ava was waiting outside the shopping centre when I arrived.
The second she saw me, she grabbed my arm.
“You're late.”
“I know.”
“You look suspicious.”
“I've been awake for approximately twenty minutes.”
“That is not what I meant.”
I laughed. “What do you mean?”
“You've got that face.”
“What face?”
“The face you get when something has happened.”
“Nothing happened.”
Ava stared at me.
I stared back.
She narrowed her eyes.
I sighed.
“Fine.”
She grabbed my hand. “COME.”
We walked into the shopping centre.
“Start talking.”
“There is nothing to talk about.”
“Millie.”
“Ava.”
“You called me at eleven last night and said, and I quote, ‘Duke is actually annoying.’ Then you disappeared.”
“Because I was tired.”
“You're lying.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
We walked into the first clothing shop.
I picked up a top.
Ava took it from me and put it back.
“No shopping until you give me the gist.”
I frowned. “You're holding my top hostage?”
“Yes.”
“You're insane.”
“Talk.”
I sighed.
“Fine. He came back with Adrian.”
“I know.”
“He's staying at ours.”
Ava's mouth dropped open.
“SHUT UP.”
“Keep your voice down!”
“You mean Duke Hayes is living in your house?”
“For now.”
“Like, sleeping there?”
“No, Ava. He's camping in the garden.”
She stared at me.
I burst out laughing.
“Obviously he's sleeping there!”
“Okay, okay.” She grabbed my arm. “So what happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Millie.”
“He was just... nice.”
Ava stopped walking.
“Nice?”
“Yes.”
“To you?”
“Yes.”
“The same Duke who used to terrorise you?”
“Apparently he grew up.”
“That's disappointing.”
I laughed.
“And yesterday he told me I looked nice.”
Ava's eyes widened.
“HE FLIRTED?”
“He didn't flirt.”
“He told you that you looked nice.”
“That's a compliment.”
“From a man you have history with.”
“We don't have history.”
“You've known him since you were a child.”
“Exactly. That's not romantic history.”
Ava gave me a look.
I picked up another top.
“He was just being nice.”
“Did you smile?”
“No.”
“You're lying again.”
I looked away.
She gasped.
“You smiled!”
“Shut up.”
“You actually smiled at him.”
“I smile at people.”
“You don't smile at men.”
“I do.”
“When?”
“Sometimes.”
“When?”
I couldn't think of an answer.
Ava started laughing.
“Oh my God.”
“Stop.”
“You like him.”
“I do not.”
“You definitely do.”
“I don't!”
She leaned closer.
“Okay, then why are your ears red?”
I immediately covered them.
Ava screamed with laughter.
“OH MY GOD!”
“Can you please behave?”
“No.”
She linked her arm through mine as we continued walking.
“So,” she said, “while we're talking about men...”
I already knew that tone.
“What?”
“I have an announcement.”
“What have you done?”
“Nothing bad.”
“That doesn't answer the question.”
She smiled proudly.
“I have increased my body count.”
I stopped walking.
“What?”
“By two percent.”
I stared at her.
“Two percent of what?”
“Six.”
There was silence.
I blinked.
Ava looked extremely pleased with herself.
I slowly said, “Two percent of six is zero point one two.”
She frowned.
“No, it isn't.”
“It literally is.”
“Wait.”
She pulled out her phone.
I watched her open the calculator.
She typed something.
Then stared at the screen.
“Oh.”
I folded my arms.
“So your body count increased by 0.12 people?”
She looked offended.
“Don't make it sound weird.”
“It is weird.”
“I meant two.”
“Then say two!”
“I was trying to make it sound mathematical.”
“You've made it sound illegal.”
She burst out laughing.
“Fine! Two people.”
I shook my head.
“You're genuinely terrible at maths.”
“I never claimed to be good at it.”
“You just claimed two people was two percent of six.”
“I was excited.”
“Clearly.”
She grabbed my hand again.
“Anyway, that's not the point.”
“It definitely is.”
“The point is that I'm growing.”
“Congratulations, I suppose.”
“Thank you.”
I laughed.
We spent the next hour going through clothes, shoes and accessories, with Ava giving me completely unnecessary opinions on everything I picked up.
Eventually, we sat down with drinks and food.
Ava leaned across the table.
“So.”
I sighed.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“What now?”
“Duke.”
I groaned.
“You're obsessed.”
“You're the one living with him.”
“He's staying with us. There's a difference.”
“Do you think he'll stay long?”
“I don't know.”
“And what do you think about that?”
I looked down at my drink.
“I don't know.”
That was the problem.
I genuinely didn't know.
Duke had always been part of my life in some way. But seeing him now was different.
He wasn't the irritating boy who used to steal my snacks anymore.
He was older.
Calmer.
And annoyingly good-looking.
I hated that last part.
Ava watched my face.
“You're thinking about him.”
“No.”
“You literally are.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
“Fine.”
She took a sip of her drink.
“Do you think I'd look good with bangs?”
I stared at her.
“That was sudden.”
“Answer me.”
“No.”
She gasped.
“Why?”
“Because you'd cry after cutting them.”
She thought about it.
“You're probably right.”
I laughed.
My phone buzzed on the table.
I picked it up.
A message.
Duke: Adrian said you two are shopping.
I stared at the screen.
Another message appeared.
Duke: Did you find anything nice?
I looked at Ava.
She immediately knew.
“Who?”
I turned my phone towards her.
She read the messages.
Then slowly looked up at me.
“Girl.”
“Don't.”
“He's texting you.”
“He asked about clothes.”
“That's flirting.”
“It isn't.”
“He wants to know if you found anything nice.”
“He's being friendly.”
Ava leaned back.
“Sure.”
I typed a reply.
Me: Yeah. Found a few things.
His reply came almost immediately.
Duke: Good.
Then another.
Duke: Bet you'll look good in whatever you bought.
I stared at the screen.
Ava's mouth fell open.
I slowly locked my phone.
“No.”
She grabbed my arm.
“WHAT DID HE SAY?”
“Nothing.”
“Millie!”
I started laughing.
“I'm not telling you.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Oh, I'm getting the full gist whether you like it or not.”
I shook my head, still smiling.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was in trouble.
Because for the first time, Duke wasn't just Adrian's best friend.
And I wasn't entirely sure I hated that.
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