He must’ve caught on. “Miles. Miles Miller.” He flashed me a perfect smile. “You?”
Aurora.
“Like the princess.” He chuckled, but he didn’t realise how much my heart was beating right now; it’s going to break my rib cage in a second. I quickly turned away, placing his jacket over my head again. “Dry your hair properly tonight, Miss Genius,” he added, voice softer now. Not teasing or joking anymore.
I quickly hopped out of his car, shutting it behind me before running up the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t see me smiling.
I lowered the jacket and turned around. He was still there, leaned down, checking to see if I got in safely. Seeing that I was fine, he smiled, waved, then drove off.
God… is this what it feels like to like someone?
—
I collapsed onto my bed the second I reached my room, Miles’s jacket pressed against me like it was some sacred artefact. It still smelled faintly of rain and laundry detergent, and maybe… him. My fingers curled tighter into the fabric, dragging it closer until my nose was buried in it.
And then I rolled.
Once to the left, once to the right, then back again, like I couldn’t get comfortable, except I wasn’t uncomfortable at all. I was… buzzing. I couldn’t stop the smile that kept spreading across my face, no matter how many times I buried it in the pillow to hide it.
I never smiled like this. Not for people. Not for boys. Not for anyone. Not even to myself.
But he called meMiss Genius.He gave me his jacket. He even told me to dry my hair properly, so I wouldn’t get sick.
I rolled again, laughing quietly into the dark, my cheeks hot in a way they’d never been before. It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I’d known him for less than an hour. I didn’t even know his middle name, or if he liked coffee, or if he hated spiders.
But I knew his smile. I knew the way he waited patiently, never rushing me. And I knew the way my heart wouldn’t stopbeatingwhenever I thought of him.
Was this really what it felt like to like someone? Because if it were, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted it to stop.
I sat up; the jacket slipping into my lap, my smile faltering just enough for reality to catch up with me. My feet dangled off the side of the bed, brushing against the floor, grounding me.
It was nothing. It had to benothing.
Miles admitted he owneda few palaces.A few. Who even says that casually unless it’s true? He wasn’t just rich; he was born into something I couldn’t even imagine.
He probably had a family name, a future already carved out for him, money stacked so high he’d never have to think about rent or groceries or holding onto an apartment just because it carried a ghost of someone you loved. Someone like me didn’t deserve someone like him. I didn’t deserve to even like him.
I traced the seam of the jacket with my fingertips, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
He wasn’t for me, and I knew it. No amount of kindness could change the fact that he belonged to a world I would never set foot in.
But still…
It felt nice. For once, a boy didn’t look at me like I was dirt, didn’t belittle me, didn’t twist my silence into something ugly. For once, I didn’t feel like prey.
I didn’t expect anything. I wouldn’t dare.
But I couldn’t stop the quiet hope curling in my chest, the tiny, stubborn want that whispered through me like a secret.
I wanted to see him again.
Chapter Ten
Joshua
I leaned back on the bench, headphones on, blasting whatever this song is. I shared the same playlist as Alex, and he listened to whatever Jennie listened to since they used his phone to play music whenever they painted together. I listened anyway, even if it was a love song or some girly music, anything to not hear the annoying chatter of people around me.
I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back, feeling the breeze that blew in my face as I imagined the only thing that never seems to leave my mind.
