Elena didn't expect to fall asleep.
She had every intention of staying up and staring at the ceiling while her heart ping-ponged between giddy and paralyzed.
But sometime between re-reading Alex's message and texting Naomi a half-joking, half-panicked "AM I GOING ON A DATE???"—she passed out with her phone still in hand.
When she woke up, the first thing she did—before even checking the time—was flick her phone screen on.
One new message.
It was from him.
Her heart kicked once. Then again.
She opened it.
| idk if it's a date date | but i do know i want to spend time with you | and the Bimmer approved | so we're both hoping you say yes 😅
She laughed into her pillow, smothering the sound like she didn't want her roommate to hear.
He was so stupid.
And so... Alexander.
That strange balance of unsure and steady, nerves wrapped in humor, honesty peeking through the cracks.
It made her stomach twist in the best way.
And what hit her most wasn't the line about spending time with her.
It was the way he hadn't tried to hide that he was hoping for a yes.
No games. No shields.
Just a little risk.
And trust.
That was rare.
And it deserved a real answer.
She sat up, legs criss-crossed on her bed, phone warm in her hand. The morning light cut a pale shape across her blanket. Outside, campus hadn't quite woken up yet.
Everything was still.
Except her.
She reread the message again, eyes skimming over the words like they'd morph into something else on the second pass.
But they didn't.
They stayed soft.
Simple.
Sincere.
She thought about how it would feel to sit next to him in the dark. To share popcorn. To argue over trailers. To laugh at something stupid, and pretend not to look at each other every five minutes.
It sounded... nice.
But more than that—
It sounded real.
Her fingers hovered over her screen.
She wanted to make it easy for him.
To say yes without the weirdness.
But she also wanted to let him feel that she was excited too.
So she typed:
| okay BMW copilot reporting for duty | pick me up friday night?
She added a "🚗✨" before hitting send.
Almost immediately, the blue double checkmarks popped up.
Then—typing.
Then gone.
Then typing again.
She smiled, amused.
He was probably overthinking it, just like she had.
It made her feel strangely safe.
Like they were in the same kind of slow-burning chaos.
But his reply didn't come right away.
So she set her phone down and walked to the window, brushing aside the curtain.
The sun was higher now, warm against the glass.
She stood there a moment, letting it soak into her skin.
And somewhere in that quiet—
She let herself feel the anticipation.
Not just for the movie.
Not just for seeing him again.
But for the possibility this might be more than just comfort.
More than coincidence.
Maybe—just maybe—
This was what the beginning of something real looked like.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But soft.
And chosen.