The weekend should have been normal. After all, the rumors had finally started dying down, Noah had mostly recovered from discovering that Aiden lived in what he called "a billionaire starter pack," and Mia had successfully retrieved her notebook. Everything should have been peaceful. Unfortunately, peace never lasted very long around them. Especially not when Sophie was involved. It started Saturday afternoon when Mia was lying on her bed attempting to do homework. Attempting being the important word. She'd spent more time staring out the window than actually working. Her phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. Then again. By the fourth notification, she finally gave up and looked at the screen. It was Sophie. Naturally.
Sophie: I have a question.
Mia: That's dangerous.
Sophie: Be serious.
Mia: Never.
Sophie: Do you love him?
Mia froze.
Completely.
Absolutely.
Frozen.
She stared at the message for a solid ten seconds.
Then twenty.
Then thirty.
Before immediately locking her phone and throwing it across the bed.
Her heart was beating way too fast.
Because she knew exactly who Sophie meant.
And because she didn't have an answer.
At least not one she was ready to admit.
Her phone buzzed again.
Sophie: Mia.
Sophie: MIA.
Sophie: DON'T IGNORE ME.
Mia groaned and grabbed her phone.
Mia: Go away.
Sophie: That's not a no.
Mia: Sophie.
Sophie: That's REALLY not a no.
Mia buried her face in a pillow. This was why Sophie couldn't be trusted with anything. The girl was relentless. Eventually, after ten more minutes of harassment disguised as friendship, Mia gave up and changed the subject. Unfortunately, the question didn't leave her mind. It followed her through the rest of the afternoon. Through dinner. Through the evening. And somehow, by the time she went to bed, she was still thinking about it. Which was incredibly annoying. Because the more she thought about it, the harder it became to ignore the answer.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Aiden was having a much simpler problem. Or at least, he thought it was simpler. He was sitting in his room playing a game when Noah randomly called him. A decision Aiden immediately regretted answering.
"What?"
"Question."
"No."
"You haven't heard the question."
"I don't need to."
Noah ignored him.
"If Mia moved to another country tomorrow, what would you do?"
Aiden blinked.
"What kind of question is that?"
"Answer it."
"No."
"Answer it."
Aiden sighed.
Then thought about it.
And instantly wished he hadn't.
Because the answer came way too quickly.
"I'd be upset."
Noah went quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
"Aiden."
"What?"
"How upset?"
Aiden frowned.
"I don't know."
Noah laughed.
And that was somehow worse.
"What?"
"You've got it bad."
Aiden hung up.
Immediately.
The call lasted exactly thirty-four seconds.
Unfortunately, Noah texted him right afterward.
Noah: YOU DIDN'T DENY IT.
Aiden: Leave me alone.
Noah: NEVER.
Aiden tossed his phone onto his bed. Then stared at the ceiling. Then picked his phone back up. Because despite Noah being annoying, the question lingered in his head. What if Mia actually moved away? What if one day she wasn't there? What if he couldn't see her every morning? Couldn't text her? Couldn't hear her laugh at his terrible jokes? The thought made his chest feel strangely heavy. Which was a very inconvenient realization.
Monday arrived much faster than either of them wanted. The weekend disappeared in a blur, and before they knew it, they were back at school. By lunch, things felt normal again. Students crowded the cafeteria. Teachers assigned more work. Noah annoyed everyone within a ten-meter radius. The usual. Aiden was halfway through eating when Mia sat down across from him. For a few seconds, neither spoke. Not because anything was wrong. Just because they were comfortable enough not to fill every silence.
Then Mia smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"How was your weekend?"
"Boring."
"You played games for twelve hours."
"How do you know that?"
"You told me."
Aiden paused.
"Oh."
Mia laughed.
And just like that, the strange thoughts from the weekend returned.
For both of them.
At exactly the wrong time.
Because suddenly, neither could stop noticing the little things. The way he smiled when he was trying not to laugh. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was concentrating. The way conversations with each other always felt easier than conversations with anyone else. The way being together felt natural.
Dangerously natural.
Neither realized they were staring until Noah slammed his tray onto the table.
"Oh my God."
Both jumped.
"What?" Aiden asked.
"You two are disgusting."
"We literally weren't doing anything."
"Exactly."
Neither of them understood what that meant.
Noah looked exhausted.
"I am surrounded by idiots."
Mia laughed. Aiden rolled his eyes. And lunch continued normally. Mostly.
Later that afternoon, as students packed their bags and prepared to leave, something happened. Nothing dramatic. Nothing life-changing. Just a moment. The kind of moment that seemed small until later. Mia was gathering her books when one slipped from her hands. Before it hit the floor, Aiden caught it. A simple thing. A tiny thing. Yet when he handed it back, their fingers brushed. For half a second. Nothing more. But neither looked away immediately. And for a moment, the rest of the classroom seemed quieter. Smaller. Less important. Then someone shouted in the hallway. The moment disappeared. And everything returned to normal. Or at least it looked normal. Because as Mia walked home that evening, one sentence kept replaying in her mind.
Do you love him?
And as Aiden lay in bed later that night, one question kept replaying in his.
What if she wasn't there?
Neither had answers yet. But for the first time... Both were starting to ask the right questions.