“Oh! I almost forgot. Our fresher’s night gala is next week Wednesday. It’s a pretty big deal. I want you to come with me. Like… be my date.
His eyes lit up a little, and he opened his mouth to respond, but then a phone dinged loudly on the table.
I looked at it instinctively, thinking it was mine, but then I noticed it was Ryan’s. The screen lit up with a message clear as day, and I read it before I could stop myself.
“Hey babe, I’m bacccckkkkkkkkkkk! Wanna meet up?”
The name was Sophie. With a red heart emoji.
My heart dropped. I stared at it for a second, the words dancing in my head, not making sense, not fitting into the image of him I had built in the last few days. Ryan picked up his phone quickly, saw the message, and without saying anything, he locked it and flipped it face down on the table like it didn’t mean anything.
He cleared his throat and asked, “So when’s the gala happening?”
I looked at him, my mouth dry, my brain racing. He was clearly trying to change the subject, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that message, about the name, about the heart emoji, about the fact that someone out there called him babe and felt comfortable enough to send that.
Still, I smiled. Just like that, forced the corners of my lips up and said, “Next week Wednesday.”
He nodded, barely making eye contact now. I could see how his mind had drifted elsewhere, how the lightness from earlier had disappeared. I tried to keep the smile on my face, but the silence between us started to feel thick, heavy, awkward.
So I asked.
“Who’s Sophie?”
His eyes snapped up to mine. He blinked, froze for a moment, and then the color drained from his face just enough for me to notice. He rubbed the back of his neck, looked anywhere but at me, and said, “It doesn’t matter.”
And that was it.
He didn’t explain. Didn’t lie. Didn’t offer anything else.
And I didn’t push.
I just nodded slowly, kept eating my food even though I couldn’t taste it anymore, even though I could feel this dull ache starting to build in my chest.
After we were done eating, he stood up and said, “I’ll be heading out. Got a few things to handle.”
He leaned down, tried to kiss me, but I tilted my head slightly at the last second, and his lips landed on my ear instead. He paused, clearly noticing, and I saw the frown tug at his brow. But he didn’t say anything. Just straightened, grabbed his phone, and left.
And I was left sitting there, alone at the table, my untouched tea going cold, and my head spinning.
Who the hell was Sophie?
ANNA’S POV
Just a few minutes after I finished eating, my phone buzzed beside me. It was a message from Ryan. He said, “Go to my room. Check the drawer beside my bed. You’ll find my card holder there. Take the block card and replace your friend’s dress. The pin is 0000,”
I stared at the message for a while, frowning a bit. That was all? Just like that? He didn’t even say anything else? Maybe an explanation about who Sophie was?
And come to think of it, doesn’t he always lock his room door?
I sighed, slipped my phone into my pocket, and headed to his room. The knob turned easily when I twisted it, and just like that, the door swung open. I stepped inside slowly, glancing around. It smelled like him. My eyes immediately landed on the bed, and I swallowed hard, pausing for a second as my mind suddenly flooded with the images of everything that happened on that very bed. I took in a deep breath, shook the thoughts out of my head, and walked to the bedside drawer.
I opened the first drawer and, just like he said, the cardholder was sitting right there. I picked it up, opened it, and saw the black card tucked inside neatly. I took it, but just as I was about to close the drawer, curiosity got the better of me and I opened the second one. There were files, nothing too interesting, but then I saw a small remote tucked in the corner. I picked it up and faced it towards the TV, thinking maybe it was some fancy remote for that, but when I pressed the button, nothing happened. I frowned, tried again, but still nothing. I placed it back where I found it, still wondering what it controlled.
I left the room, went back to mine, changed into something simple, grabbed my bag, and took a ride to the boutique. I found Sasha’s exact dress without much stress. The moment I saw it, I realized it was the fake version she had, and beside it was the original. I didn’t think twice. I picked the original and paid for it with Ryan’s card, then headed straight to Sasha’s dorm.
She was already waiting outside, after I’d called her I’d be coming over.
“You bro brought it already? I told you you could give me on Monday. It’s just Saturday,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“I just wanted to get it over with,” I replied, smiling a little.
She took the bog and didn’t suspect anything until we got inside her dorm room. It was a single room, neat and filled with scented candles and throw pillows. Typical Sasha. She pulled out the dress, looked at the tag, and her brows knitted.
“Wait… did you buy me a new one?” she asked.
I nodded, trying not to look at her directly.
“What happened to the old one?” she asked, tilting her head. I didn’t say anything. I just blushed, the memory flashing in my mind.
“Oh my God…” Sasha’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth, grinning. “Don’t tell me it was ruined while you were… you know…” She wiggled her brows.
“Shut up!” I groaned, laughing into my palms.
“So what happened? I saw you with a guy making out at the club’s lot. You guys looked hot together outside a car. I didn’t want to disturb you so I left. That guy was hot as hell, though. You lucky bitch. So tell me was it good?”
“Sasha!” I covered my face again.
“Oh my God! It was good! I freaking knew it!” Sasha squealed, practically bouncing on the spot. “Wait… who is he? Don’t tell me it was just some random guy from the club.”
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head before she got the wrong idea.
“So what then? A friend?”
I shoook my head again.
“An old schoolmate?”
Another head shake.
“Ughhh, then who is he?!” she whined, drogging the word with exaggerated frustration.
I looked down and mumbled, “My childhood crush.”
“What?! Anna!” she gasped, grabbing my arm like I’d just told her I kissed a celebrity.
I didn’t even know how to explain it, or if I even should, especially the port where he wasn’t just my crush, but also my ‘supposed’ big brother.
“I didn’t even expect to see him at the club,” I muttered, half-laughing, half-embarrassed.
“Hold on, hold on,” she said, sitting up straighter, eyes wide. “So let me get this right-you ran into your childhood crush at the club, and somehow, you guys ended up making out… and he’s hot? Like hot hot? And you, obviously, were looking like sin in that dress… and it got ruined, which means…”
“Sasha!” 1 groaned, face heating up.
“What?” she laughed, grinning. “That’s literally the plot of every steamy romance book I’ve ever read. You gave your first time to the guy you’ve loved since you were little? That’s insane in the most romantic way! You should be on cloud nine right now!”
I paused, and her smile foded just a bit.
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