It was barely 9:00 a.m. when Alexander woke up, but he didn't reach for the hoodie he usually threw on first thing. Instead, his hand went to the nightstand—straight to his phone.
No messages.
No missed calls.
Just the usual notifications, the kind that felt completely irrelevant this morning.
He ran a hand through his hair, sat up slowly, and stretched his arms out with a quiet groan. The room was quiet—Mateo still out cold in the other bed, one arm slung over his eyes.
There was no reason for Alex to be up this early on a Saturday.
But something about the way the light cut through the window blinds and the ghost of last night still clinging to him made it impossible to stay in bed.
He got dressed slowly. No rush. No playlist in the background. Just the hum of the world outside and the occasional thud of feet in the hallway. His mind wandered back to the kiss—not that he could stop it.
It wasn't the kiss itself that had him in this state.
It was her.
The way she'd looked at him before she did it. The quiet conviction of her movements. That glimmer in her eyes that said she wasn't second-guessing it—just doing it.
And then leaving like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It undid something in him.
Loosened it.
And now, with the weight of morning settling in, all he could think about was whether or not she felt the same… not just in the moment, but now.
Still.
He sat down at his desk, thumb hovering over her name in his contacts.
He stared at it.
And for once, didn't talk himself out of it.
He tapped into the message field and typed slowly.
Alexander: | Good morning Elena, how'd you sleep?
Simple.
Neutral.
Safe.
But enough.
He hit send before he could overthink it.
And then sat back, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
The reply came quicker than he expected.
Elena: | Morning :) I slept okay. You?
He smiled.
Leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, searching for the right words—not too much, but not too little either.
Because he wasn't just trying to be polite.
He wanted her to know.
Alexander: | Slept better than I usually do.
| Last night was… really nice. Thanks for coming with me.
He paused. That felt unfinished. Too plain.
He added:
| Felt good to just enjoy something. With you.
He read it over three times.
Still sounded like him.
Still honest.
He sent it.
And then stared at the screen.
Wondering how she'd read that. If she'd smile. If she'd roll her eyes. If she'd feel what he was trying to say underneath the words.
That she mattered.
That he didn't take any of it for granted.
That, in his own quiet way, he was letting her in.
Her typing bubbles popped up almost immediately.
Elena: | It was good. Really good. I had fun :) | Thanks for inviting me. And for the snacks. And the popcorn kernel excuse, obviously.
He actually laughed.
Out loud.
It startled him.
Alexander: | Anytime. Though next time I'm charging for popcorn. Inflation's brutal.
Elena: | Fair enough. First taste is always free, right? ;)
He smiled again, but it didn't fade as quickly this time.
Because whatever this was—however slow it was building—it was real.
And he didn't want to rush it.
But he did want to keep it.