Chapter 4: Relationship ( Olivia Cassidy's POV )
903 Words
Being in a relationship with Seth Millers felt… unreal.
Like I’d been dropped into one of those cheesy romance dramas Claire and I used to binge-watch, except this time I was the female lead.
Except it wasn’t scripted. This was real.
I was eighteen, a senior in my final year of high school, and the boy I’d secretly admired for three years was now is my boyfriend.
The word still felt strange on my tongue. Boyfriend.
Even stranger, Seth didn’t seem fazed by the whole thing. At all.
The next morning, he walked into class with his usual sleepy-eyed calm, slid into his chair, and promptly rested his head on the desk like nothing had changed.
Meanwhile, I sat two rows away, my insides in chaos.
We were dating. He’d agreed to be my boyfriend. We’d walked home together. He’d napped on my lap.
And now here he was, acting like the world hadn’t shifted on its axis.
I pressed my hands against my burning cheeks. Get it together, Olivia.
Claire, of course, noticed immediately.
“Something happen yesterday?” she whispered, eyes glinting with suspicion.
I froze. “W-what makes you say that?”
“You’re glowing,” she said flatly. “Like, literally glowing. Spill.”
I bit my lip, torn between wanting to shout my news to the heavens and wanting to keep it safely locked in my chest a little longer. Finally, I leaned in close and whispered, “We’re… together.”
Claire’s jaw dropped. “No way. No. Way. You actually confessed?!”
I nodded, cheeks blazing.
“And he said yes?!”
I nodded again, gripping my pen like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to Earth.
Her squeal nearly broke the sound barrier. “Olivia Cassidy, you legend!”
“Shhh!” I hissed, panicked. “Do you want the whole class to hear?!”
Too late. A few heads turned. Thankfully, Seth didn’t even blink. He was already asleep, completely oblivious to the commotion his name could cause.
I buried my face in my notebook. How can someone be this calm while I’m falling apart?!
At lunch, I found Seth on the rooftop again, sprawled lazily against the wall.
“Hey,” I said, my voice wobbling despite my best efforts.
He opened one eye. “Cassidy?.”
The way he said my name, it was calm, casual, but with the faintest curve at the corner of his lips made my stomach flutter.
I sat down beside him, hugging my knees. “So… this is what couples do, right? Eat lunch together?”
“Mm.” He closed his eyes again. “That’s part of it.”
“And talking. Couples talk.”
“Talking’s optional.”
I gaped. “Optional?!”
He cracked one eye open again, smirking. “Kidding. You can talk. I’ll listen.”
I groaned, shoving his shoulder lightly. “You’re impossible.”
“Mm. And yet, you’re still here.”
My cheeks flamed. He had a point.
We sat in companionable silence for a while. I nibbled at my sandwich, sneaking glances at him. He looked so peaceful, legs stretched out, head tilted back, as if the rooftop was his personal bedroom.
Finally, he leaned sideways until his head rested gently on my shoulder.
My breath caught.
“Uh—Seth?”
“Comfortable,” he murmured, eyes still closed.
I went completely still, my face burning hotter than the sun.
Boyfriend privileges. This is what boyfriend privileges feel like.
I didn’t move until the bell rang.
After classes ended, I expected Seth to head straight home, but instead he turned to me at the gate.
“wanna Walk together?”
My heart nearly burst. “Y-yeah!”
The walk was quiet, the late afternoon breeze ruffling his hair. I kept sneaking glances at his profile, the way the sunlight softened his sharp features.
Halfway down the block, he stopped suddenly.
“What is it?” I asked.
He plopped down onto the grass under a tree, dropped his bag, and patted his thigh. “Sit.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Sit,” he repeated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Your lap’s better than the ground.”
My entire face went crimson. “Y-you mean… you want to nap again? On my lap?!”
He gave a small shrug. “It was comfortable yesterday.”
My heart screamed.
I sat down slowly, trying to calm the chaos inside me. Seth stretched out, laid his head gently on my lap, and closed his eyes like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Perfect,” he murmured.
Meanwhile, I was trying very hard not to combust.
Up close, I could see every detail of his face, the curve of his lashes, the slope of his nose, the faint parting of his lips. He looked softer like this, vulnerable in a way he never did when awake.
My hand hovered uncertainly before brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.
He didn’t stir. Instead, he sighed softly, his lips curving into the faintest smile.
I melted.
This was dangerous. Too dangerous.
Because if this kept up, I was going to fall so deep there’d be no way back.
But then his fingers brushed lightly against mine, a silent, lazy kind of intertwining.
And I knew—
I already had.
- Writer
