PARTY
422 Words
AIDEN
I burst into my dorm room, slamming the door shut behind me.
Liam looked up from his book. One glance at my face and his easy expression vanished.
“Hey, dude—what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I muttered, dropping onto my bed and staring up at the ceiling.
He crossed the room and sat beside me. “Aiden, you look like you just saw a ghost.” His voice softened. “What happened?”
I shook my head, emotions tangling in my chest. “It’s nothing.”
He waited. When I still didn’t answer, he sighed.
I turned my face toward the wall. “…It’s Kaito.”
That got his attention. “Kaito?” His brows shot up. “As in that Kaito?”
I hesitated, replaying the sharp edge of Kaito’s gaze, the way his words had felt like both a warning and a challenge. I didn’t even know how to explain it—how someone could get under my skin without really doing anything at all.
Liam nudged my shoulder. “Come on. What’d he do?”
“He’s just—” I exhaled hard. “Infuriating.”
Liam snorted. “Wow. That bad, huh?” Then his grin turned sly. “Sounds like a crush to me.”
Heat rushed to my face. I groaned and buried it in my pillow. “Shut up.”
He laughed, but not cruelly. When he spoke again, his tone was gentler. “I’m serious, Aiden. If something’s going on, you don’t have to deal with it alone.”
“I know,” I mumbled, still face-down. “I just… don’t want to think about it right now.”
“Fair.” He gave my back a light pat. “Temporary truce.”
There was a pause. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
“So,” he said, voice brightening, “how do you feel about going to a party tonight?”
I lifted my head, sceptical. “A party? You’re joking.”
“Nope.” He grinned. “It’ll be loud, messy, and distracting. Exactly what you need.”
I hesitated. The thought of crowds and noise made my head ache—but staying here alone with my thoughts sounded worse. And maybe, just maybe, a night out would stop me from replaying Kaito’s voice in my head.
“…I’ll think about it,” I said.
Liam’s grin widened. “That’s a yes in denial.”
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t argue.
- Writer
