The morning light filtered through my blinds, but it didn't do much to clear my head. I couldn't stop replaying last night—the way Scarlet fell into me, the way our lips met, the way the world seemed to blur around us. I'd kissed girls before, but this... this was different. It felt like something I'd been waiting for without even knowing it.
A loud knock snapped me out of my thoughts. "Yo, lover boy! You alive in there?" Chris shouted from the hallway.
I opened the door to find Chris and Evan grinning like idiots. "What's with the face?" I grumbled.
"Oh, nothing," Evan smirked. "Just wondering why you're up so early after your romantic night with Scarlet."
I froze. "What are you talking about?"
Chris scoffed. "Dude, you've been walking around like you just saw a unicorn. Plus, we saw you drop her off. You two looked pretty close."
I avoided their eyes, trying to keep my face neutral. "We had a good time. That's all."
Evan leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah? Just a good time?"
Chris snickered. "Did you kiss her?"
I shot him a glare. "None of your business."
Evan raised his hands in surrender. "That's a yes."
"It's not that simple," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know... I didn't expect it to happen. It just did."
Chris elbowed me. "And? Did she pull away?"
"No," I admitted, my mind drifting back to the way she looked at me afterward. "She didn't."
Evan clapped my shoulder. "Then you're good, man. Girls don't stick around if they don't feel the same way. Trust me."
Chris grinned. "Scarlet's definitely into you. We all see it. You're just the last to realize."
I shoved him lightly. "Yeah, well... I just don't want to mess things up."
They both exchanged a look, one that told me they thought I was being ridiculous. Maybe I was.
Meanwhile, Scarlet sat cross-legged on her bed, the soft hum of her phone filling the room. Her roommate, Lily, peeked in, noticing Scarlet's dreamy expression.
"Spill. You're practically glowing," Lily teased, plopping down next to her.
Scarlet tried to play it cool. "It's nothing."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You didn't just kiss Max last night or anything?"
Scarlet's eyes widened. "How do you know?"
Lily laughed. "You're not exactly subtle. Plus, the way you two look at each other is like something out of a cheesy movie."
Scarlet bit her lip, the memory of the kiss still vivid. "It was... nice. Really nice. But now I don't know what to do. What if he didn't mean it like I did?"
Lily nudged her. "Girl, Max doesn't do casual. If he kissed you, he meant it. Guys like him don't just kiss someone without thinking it through."
Scarlet's fingers toyed with the edge of her blanket. "I just... I don't want to push him away. Things have been so easy between us. I'm scared if I make a big deal out of it, it'll change everything."
Lily smiled knowingly. "Sometimes things do change. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. You've both been dancing around this for weeks. Maybe it's time you see where it goes."
Scarlet couldn't help but smile, the nervous energy in her chest calming just a bit. "You think?"
"Absolutely. Now stop overthinking and just be honest with him. You two are way overdue for this."
Back at my place, Chris and Evan finally let up on their teasing and headed out. Alone again, I couldn't help but wonder how Scarlet was feeling. I wanted to text her, just to see if she was okay—or maybe just to hear her voice.
But something held me back. What if last night was a mistake? What if she regretted it? My phone buzzed, and I nearly dropped it. A message from Scarlet lit up the screen.
"Hey, are you free to hang out later?"
My pulse quickened. Maybe, just maybe, things hadn't changed as much as I feared.
I typed back. "Yeah, definitely. I'll come by around five?"
Her reply came almost immediately. "Sounds good :)"
For the first time that morning, I let myself smile. Maybe this was just the beginning