Isla:Goodnight.
I fall asleep with my phone in my hand, her words still on my screen, and for the first time in two years, I'm not haunted by the memory of her rejection.
I'm haunted by the possibility of her acceptance and that's infinitely more terrifying, but also infinitely more worth fighting for.
Chapter 9
Isla
I wakeup Saturday morning to seventeen missed texts and three voicemails.
All from Ivy and Lennox.
Ivy:YOU DIDN'T TEXT!
Ivy:WE WERE ABOUT TO CALL CAMPUS SECURITY!
Ivy:ISLA MONROE IF YOU'RE NOT DEAD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!
Lennox:She's not dead. Check Instagram. She posted at 1:30 AM.
Ivy:THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHE'S OKAY!
Lennox:It means she's alive enough to use her phone. Also that smile is suspicious.
Ivy:EMERGENCY MEETING. MY ROOM. NOW.
I check the time: 7:15 AM. My shift at the café starts in forty-five minutes. No time for an emergency meeting before work.
I text back:I'm alive. I'm fine. Emergency meeting at 11 when my shift ends?
The response is immediate from both of them:11. DON'T BE LATE.
I drag myself out of bed, everything from last night feeling like a dream. Did that actually happen? Did I actually kiss Sebastian Thornhill in his bedroom? Did I fall asleep on his couch watching noir films like we were a real couple?
My phone buzzes with a new text.
Sebastian:Morning. You forgot this.
An attached photo shows his couch with my scarf draped over the armrest. I don't even remember taking it off.
Me:Keep it hostage until date four?
Sebastian:Or I could bring it to you. Coffee delivery?
Me:I work at a coffee shop. I have access to unlimited coffee.
Sebastian:But do you have access to someone who'll bring you coffee and your forgotten scarf?
Me:That's a very specific service.
Sebastian:I'm a very specific person. See you in 20?
I shouldn't say yes. Shouldn't encourage this. Shouldn't let him into my workplace again, where Lennox will see and report back to Ivy with detailed observations.
Me:20 minutes. Don't be late.
I throw on my café uniform and try to make myself look less like someone who stayed up until one AM kissing a boy she's supposed to hate. It doesn't really work. My lips are still swollen, my eyes have that unfocused look of someone who's been thoroughly kissed.
