Aiden's heart was beating so fast he was surprised Mia couldn't hear it. For a few seconds, neither of them moved. The gym felt impossibly quiet. The question hung between them, waiting for an answer. For weeks, Aiden had imagined what this moment would be like. He'd imagined being confident. Smooth. Maybe even romantic. Instead, his mind was completely blank. All he could think about was Mia sitting beside him and the fact that she was looking at him like she already knew the answer.
"Aiden..."
"Yeah?"
"Say something."
He laughed nervously.
"That's harder than it sounds."
Mia smiled.
"I noticed."
Aiden looked down at his hands before taking a deep breath. There wasn't really a point pretending anymore. Not after everything that had happened. Not after the confession note. Not after the festival. Not after the way they'd spent the entire afternoon talking like nobody else existed. Slowly, he looked back up at her.
"The note wasn't mine."
For a split second, Mia's heart dropped.
Then he continued.
"But it could've been."
She blinked.
"What?"
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck.
"Everything in that note was true."
Neither of them looked away.
Neither wanted to.
"I've tried to tell someone how I feel a lot of times."
Mia's pulse quickened.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Another silence settled between them, but this one felt different. Softer. Warmer. Like they were finally standing on the edge of something they'd been avoiding for a very long time.
Mia looked down.
Then smiled to herself.
"The note wasn't mine either."
Aiden laughed softly.
"I figured."
"But it could've been."
Now it was his turn to stare.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
For a moment, all either of them could do was smile. It was ridiculous. They were basically having the same conversation from opposite sides. Yet somehow neither minded.
Aiden shook his head.
"We're really making this difficult."
"We really are."
"I think we're both saying the same thing."
"I think so too."
The words were right there. So close. One sentence. A few words. That was all it would take. Yet neither seemed brave enough to say them first.
Then Mia laughed quietly.
"What?"
"I can't believe Noah and Sophie were right."
Aiden groaned immediately.
"Please don't remind me."
"They're never going to let us live this down."
"They absolutely aren't."
Mia smiled.
The smile made Aiden's chest feel funny.
Again.
Everything always came back to that smile.
The late afternoon sunlight had turned golden now, filling the gym with a warm glow. It felt almost unreal. Like one of those moments people remembered years later. Neither seemed eager for it to end.
Finally, Mia looked at him.
Directly.
No hesitation.
No looking away.
Just her.
"Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
The nervousness was back. He could hear it in her voice. But this time, she didn't stop herself.
"The person I like..."
Aiden's heart nearly stopped.
"...is sitting right next to me."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then Aiden laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because he genuinely didn't know what else to do.
Mia immediately looked worried.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm not laughing at you."
"Then why are you laughing?"
"Because I've been waiting to hear that for weeks."
Mia stared at him.
Then her eyes widened.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
A huge smile slowly spread across her face.
The kind of smile that made it impossible not to smile back.
"So..."
"So..."
"You like me?"
Aiden pretended to think about it.
"Hm."
"Aiden."
"Maybe."
"Aiden."
"Okay, yes."
Mia laughed.
The happiest laugh he'd ever heard.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Good."
For the first time in weeks, maybe forever, everything felt easy. No misunderstandings. No interruptions. No almost-confessions. Just the truth.
Aiden looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Then smiled.
"You know, I liked you from the first day."
Mia's jaw dropped.
"No way."
"Way."
"You barely knew me."
"I know."
"That's ridiculous."
"I never claimed to be smart."
"That's true."
"Hey."
Mia laughed again.
Outside the gym doors, Noah and Sophie were still sitting on their bench. They had long since given up pretending they weren't waiting. Every few minutes one of them would glance toward the entrance.
"You think they've figured it out yet?" Noah asked.
"They better have."
"If not, I'm locking them in there again tomorrow."
"Fair."
Back inside, neither Aiden nor Mia had any idea how much their friends were suffering on their behalf. At that moment, they didn't care either. For the first time since meeting each other, there was nothing left unsaid. And somehow, after all the chaos it had taken to get here... It felt completely worth it.