“Hey, what are you up to tonight?”
I nibble on my lip, trying to think of a response that doesn’t reveal how weird this whole situation is. “Just hanging out at home.”
“No hot plans?”
I shake my head, rolling my eyes slightly. “I’m not really in the mood to party all the time. Honestly, it’s just stressful to be social like that.”
Jared chuckles, the sound warm and easy. “Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out tonight, but it sounds like you’re already settled in.”
I look around my apartment, noting the half-eaten tub of rocky road on the coffee table and the fuzzy blanket wrapped around me. “Yeah, I’m pretty settled,” I admit with a small smile. “It’s just me, ice cream, and the TV tonight.”
“Mind if I join?”
“No hot plans?”
He shakes his head, and the tip of his lips lifts upwards. “Nah, I like to be a homebody too, you know?”
I roll my eyes, unable to stop the chuckle that slips out. “Sure, sure.”
“Sure, as in come over?”
I pause, glancing around the empty apartment again. The silence is almost too much. “Only if you bring snacks.”
Jared laughs, and I can’t hide the grin spreading across my face. “Deal. I’ll bring the best snacks in town.”
“Don’t disappoint me,” I warn.
“I won’t. I’ll be there soon,” Jared assures, his voice light, before ending the call.
I set my phone down and look around my apartment again, suddenly aware of the scattered textbooks and overallmesssurrounding me. Quickly, I start tidying up, stashing the textbooks on a shelf and fluffing the pillows on the couch. This is just a casual hangout, nothing more. But as I finish straightening up and hear the knock at the door, I can’t deny the cities of butterflies in my stomach.
Chapter 11
Jared
The door swings open, and I’m met with a neutral expression glazed on Alli’s face. “Hi, Jared.”
“Popcorn for your thoughts?” I say, holding two plastic bags filled with snacks and drinks.
Alli’s lips twitch into a reluctant smile. “You really came prepared.” She opens the door wider and lets me cross the threshold into her apartment. “Enter.”
“Enter? Why do you make it sound like this is a palace?”
“Because you’re in my kingdom, so enter,” she says with a mock regal wave.
She leads me into the living room, where the TV is paused. “I was thinking about watching a movie, but that feels too basic, like the stereotypical Netflix and chill vibe.”
“Nothing wrong with a little bit of Netflix minus the chill.” I say, setting the bags on her dining table. At first sight, I catch stacks on stacks of notebooks and assignments. I glance around her apartment and take in her cozy haven. It looks like all six libraries—at least—threw up in her dining room.
The walls are covered in posters and art prints, some of which scream Serena: bold quotes and vibrant colors that feel a little too “motivational” for my taste. Fairy lights zigzag across the window, the same ones she used to string up for at-home movie nights, glowing golden against the clutter. The coffee table, too, is a battlefield of open textbooks, highlighters, and amug that probably hasn’t been washed in days. Stubbornly alive succulents line the windowsill, adding a touch of green to the chaos.
“I like to get a head start on my assignments.” She argues like she knows I’m judging the tornado in her apartment
“Don’t we all?” I start digging into the bags and take things out. “So, snacks.”
“Yes, the whole reason I invited you over.”
“And not for my overwhelming charm?” I feign a broken heart with a hand over my chest. “Allison, I thought we were friends.”
