It felt strange being at Astrid’s house—something I hought would be remotely possible.

  Not that I’d ever thought about her or this situation at all. I knew of her, of course. Her reputation for being popur and ridiculously attractive was on knowledge, whispered about in hushed and not-so-hushed voices by the guys in my css.

  Most of them seemed to fantasize about sleeping with her. I get it—she’s pretty—but aren’t there plenty of attractive girls?

  Why fixate on looks alone? Why don’t people focus more on patibility instead of basing everything on appearances?

  I sighed internally, w for the huh time what exactly I was doing here.

  My thoughts were interrupted when Astrid came dowairs, now ged out of her school uniform.

  My heartbeat quied. My pulse sped up.

  She was deadly.

  A peach camisole top and loose-fitting pants—the kind that barely g to her frame but hinted just enough.

  “Sorry for the wait,” she said sheepishly.

  I must have been staring too long because she raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” she asked, making a strange face.

  I tilted my head and hummed.

  “Nothing. You look good and… somewhat distrag,” I admitted.

  Astrid stared at me bnkly before my words seemed to sink in.

  Her fair plexion turned red, and her blue eyes darted around, suddenly flustered.

  “Henry… just…” She groaned, pressing her fingers against her forehead. “It’s weird. Normally, a guy wouldn’t say it that bluntly. If they were staring, they’d at least try to be subtle. But you… you just go for it. ation, no shame.”

  “Why would I be embarrassed? You’re the one who decided to wear something revealing like that. Showing off your cleavage.”

  Her blush deepened.

  “You’re doing it again! And I’m not showing off—it’s just fortable!” she huffed.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay what?” she asked, her brows furrowing in fusion.

  I looked at her, just as fused.

  “What?”

  “What? I don’t know… I thought you were going to say something else,” she admitted.

  “No.”

  “…Right.” She exhaled sharply. “Anyway, do you want a drink or something?”

  “Yeah, sure. Hot chocote would be nice, but I think I’ll make it myself since you don’t know how I like it.”

  “Well, how do you like it?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “Not sure. I’ll see what kind you have first.”

  She shook her head. “You’re a strange guy, you know.”

  “So you keep saying. But I think you’re weirder than me—suddenly inviting a guy you just met into your house with no parents in sight.”

  She smirked. “Why? Are you going to do something?”

  “Maybe… if I were anyone else. Luckily for you, I’m me.”

  She studied me, lips pursed. Then, her voice dropped a little. “Maybe I’m looking for meaningless sex to get over my ex.”

  I paused.

  It wasn’t just teasing.

  It was subtle, but something iooo casual, too offhand—hi the ti sliver of truth behind the words.

  I sidered her for a sed.

  “Then you picked the wrong guy. I have no experience.”

  Astrid blinked. “Wait, really?”

  “Why? Surprised?”

  She opened her mouth, theated before letting out a small ugh. “No, I guess not.”

  I nodded. “You should probably ask about a guy’s dating history before inviting him over for a tumble in the sheets.”

  She snorted. “I was joking, Henry.”

  “Yes, but I figured I’d crify just in case.” I met her gaze. “Also, don’t just assume things ime. You don’t actually know if I’m a safe guy to be aloh.”

  Silence.

  Astrid’s expression shifted just slightly, like she rocessing my words in a way she hadn’t expected.

  Then, finally, she sighed.

  “Yeah, yeah…” She rolled her eyes. “God, you’re just so weird and blunt.”

  I shrugged. “Okay. Where’s the kit?”

  Her eye twitched. For a sed, she looked like she was about to hit me, but instead, she just poioward the kit.

  I turned and started walking.

  “Wait… I’ll e with you. You don’t know where anything is,” she sighed.

  ***

  Astrid followed me into the kit, leaning against the ter as I sed the ets.

  “You really weren’t kidding about making it yourself, huh?” she mused.

  “Why would I kid about hot chocote?” I asked, pulling open a cupboard.

  She let out a small ugh. “Fair point. Sed shelf to the left, by the coffee.”

  I grabbed the tin and a mug from the rack. “You want one?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t trust me to make it right.”

  “I don’t,” I replied. “But I make a good one, so you might as well be.”

  She smirked. “Wow. So generous.”

  I hummed nonittally, pulling out the milk from the fridge. She didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched as I went through the motions—p the milk into a small pot instead of using water, letting it heat gently before mixing in the cocoa.

  “…You’re really doing the extra effort version,” she noted.

  I shrugged. “You offered. Might as well do it properly.”

  She rested her in her palm. “Huh. What else do you take this seriously?”

  “Sleep,” I said. “Food. Books. Basic human decy.”

  Astrid snorted. “So deep.”

  I shot her a look. She grinned.

  Whe chocote was done, I poured it into two mugs and slid ooward her. “Try it.”

  She took a sip, her expression thoughtful. Then, her brows lifted slightly.

  “Oh,” she said, lig her lips. “That’s actually really good.”

  “Obviously.”

  She rolled her eyes but took another sip. “I hate that you were right.”

  “oion.”

  She smirked, tapping her fingers against the ceramic. “Okay, so now I’m curious. What else are you secretly good at?”

  “Being right,” I said.

  Astrid groaned. “Ugh, why did I ask?”

  “You tell me,” I said, taking a sip of my own drink.

  She huffed but didn’t argue. Instead, she studied me over the rim of her mug.

  “You know… you’re weird, Henry,” she murmured.

  “So you keep saying.”

  She tapped her fingers against the mug, watg me like she was trying to figure something out.

  “You’re not like most guys,” she finally said.

  “That supposed to be a pliment?”

  “Maybe,” she mused.

  She didn’t eborate, and I didn’t push.

  The versation trailed off into a fortable quiet.

  After a while, she set her mug down. “Wanna watething?”

  I raised a brow. “You invitio stay longer?”

  She smirked. “Maybe. You already made me hot chocote, so at this point, I might as well keep you around.”

  I took another slow sip, sidering. Then I shrugged. “Sure.”

  Astrid grinned, pushing off the ter. “e on, the’s find something good.”

  I followed her out of the kit, w for the first time how long I’d actually be staying.

  ***

  Astrid led me into the living room, dropping onto the couch with a zy stretch. She grabbed the remote and flipped oV, scrolling through options.

  “Alright, any preferences?” she asked, gng at me.

  I sat down at the opposite end of the couch, setting my mug on the coffee table. “Not really.”

  She hummed, still scrolling. “Horror? edy? Something stupid and brain-numbing?”

  I shrugged. “Your house, your call.”

  Astrid shot me a look. “You say that, but I bet if I put on something terrible, you’d sit there silently judging the whole time.”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  I sipped my hot chocote. “Then don’t piething terrible.”

  She rolled her eyes but smirked. “Fine. Let’s go with something easy.” She clicked on a random sit and tossed the remote onto the couch.

  For a while, we just watched.

  It was strange. Not unfortable, just… new.

  I hadn’t expected to end up here. Sitting in Astrid Bright’s living room, drinking hot chocote, watg TV like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  I g her out of the er of my eye. She was curled up against the armrest, holding her mug with both hands, eyes focused on the s.

  She looked… rexed. More so than I’d ever see school.

  After a few minutes, she let out a sigh. “This is kinda nice.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Sitting in silence?”

  “Yes,” she said, shooting me a pyful gre. “It’s a fortable silence. You don’t get that with a lot of people.”

  I thought about that. She wasn’t wrong. Most people felt the o fill silences. I never did.

  “Guess I’m just that fun to be around,” I said dryly.

  She snorted. “Oh, totally. You and your one-word answers.”

  “I use senteoo.”

  “Barely.”

  She took another sip of her drink, setting it down oable. Then, suddenly, she turoward me.

  “Hey, Henry?”

  “Hm?”

  Her expression shifted slightly—less teasing, more thoughtful.

  “Why did you give me that sandwich?”

  I frowned. “You were hungry.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said. “But… you didn’t have to.”

  I tilted my head, not really seeing the point of the question. “It was just a sandwich.”

  “Maybe to you,” she murmured.

  Something in her voice made me pause.

  She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, eyes flig back to the s. “I don’t know. It’s just… nice, I guess. Having someone do something without expeg anything iurn.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  Because what was I supposed to say to that?

  She suddenly shook her head. “Ugh, fet it. That was way too deep for a sit night.”

  I let the versation drop. But the weight of her words lingered.

  We kept watg, but at some point, Astrid shifted, pulling her legs up onto the couch. She was getting fortable.

  A little too fortable.

  Her shoulder brushed against my arm.

  I gnced down. “You good?”

  She hummed. “Mm-hmm.”

  “…You’re invading my personal space.”

  She smirked. “And?”

  I exhaled through my nose. “Nothing.”

  She ughed quietly. Then, before I could react, she rested her head against my shoulder.

  I froze.

  She must have felt it, because she peeked up at me with an amused glint in her eyes.

  “Rex, Henry,” she said. “I’m just getting fortable.”

  I hesitated. “You don’t have to lean on me.”

  “Yeah, but you’re here. And warm,” she mumbled.

  I stared at her. “That’s your reasoning?”

  “Yep.”

  I sighed, staring at the TV. This girl is impossible.

  But I didn’t tell her to move.

  I let her stay.

  The episode ehen aarted. I lost track of time.

  At some point, I realized Astrid had stopped responding to the show.

  I gnced down.

  She was asleep.

  Her breathing was slow, steady. The teasing, sharp-eyed Astrid Bright was gone, repced with this… quiet version of her.

  She looked different like this. Less like the girl everyone gossiped about at school.

  More like a person.

  I stared for a sed lohan I should have. Then I shook my head.

  Slowly, carefully, I reached for the remote and turhe volume down.

  I leaned my head back against the couch, exhaling.

  This is getting weird.

  But I didn’t move.