The next morning, I woke up to my phone buzzing nonstop beside my pillow.
For a second, I panicked.
Then I saw the name.
Aaron.
I blinked sleep from my eyes and opened the messages.
Wow.
You'd really be my girlfriend?
Then another one.
A date.
An official one. Saturday.
Pick you up at 4?
I stared at the screen, and for the first time in days, my lips curved into a real smile.
Saturday.
Something about that felt symbolic. Clean. New. A reset button.
I typed back slowly.
Yes. Saturday sounds perfect.
Three dots appeared almost instantly.
Wear something beautiful.
I want to show you off.
Heat crept into my cheeks.
Show me off.
No secrecy.
No shadows.
No hiding.
Just… being chosen openly.
I sat up in bed, hugging my phone to my chest like a teenager.
Maybe this was what normal felt like.
By afternoon, I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my reflection.
