33 accidental match
Getting ready with Jess is never a calm experience.
Tonight is worse.
"Stand still," she says for the third time in under a minute, one hand gripping my wrist while the other fixes something that did not need fixing five seconds ago.
"I am standing still," I tell her.
"You're breathing too aggressively."
"That's not a thing."
"It is when you're ruining my vision."
"I don't remember agreeing to be part of a vision."
Jess ignores that, stepping back to look at me like I'm a project she's emotionally invested in.
Which-
unfortunately-
I am.
"Okay," she says slowly, eyes narrowing. "This is working."
"That sounds threatening."
"It should."
I glance at myself in the mirror again, trying to see whatever she's seeing. The costume isn't bad. Actually... it's good.
"I don't like that you're this confident about it," I say.
"That's because you hate joy."
"I hate expectations."
"Same thing tonight."
I roll my eyes, but there's no real bite behind it.
Because underneath the chaos, there's something softer threading through the evening.
Riley.
It's her birthday.
And Jess-
Jess is trying not to make a big deal out of it while very clearly making it a big deal.
"You texted her?" I ask, grabbing my phone from the bed.
"Obviously."
"What did you say?"
"That I love her and she better not let anyone at that party be annoying."
"That feels on brand."
"She said she'd try, which means she won't."
I smile a little despite myself, opening our group chat.
"Accurate," Jess says, reading over my shoulder.
"You're the terrifying one."
"I'm the visible threat. You're the quiet one people underestimate."
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It is."
Jess grabs her bag, tossing me a look. "Ready?"
"No."
"Good. Let's go."
?
The party is exactly what I expected.
Loud.
Too crowded.
Full of people pretending they're not paying attention while very clearly paying attention.
And the second we walk in-
it shifts.
Jess notices immediately. "Oh, they're looking."
"They're always looking."
"Not like this."
She's right. This isn't curiosity anymore. This is recognition. Expectation.
Riley finds us before we can even fully step inside, cutting through the crowd with that same calm energy she always has, even in a place like this.
"You made it," she says, smiling softly.
Jess doesn't hesitate, pulling her into a hug that lingers just a second longer than usual. "Of course we did. It's your birthday."
Riley smiles against her shoulder. "You're being nice. I don't trust it."
"You should. It's limited time only."
I step in next, wrapping my arms around her. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you," she says, pulling back slightly. "You look-"
She pauses. Her expression shifts. Not bad, just... surprised.
"What?" I ask.
Riley glances past me.
Jess follows her gaze.
And then-
"Oh my god," Jess breathes.
I turn. And immediately regret it. Because across the room-
standing near the kitchen like he's been there long enough to notice everything-
is Caiden.
And he's wearing-
I stare at him, then down at myself, then back at him.
"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter.
Jess looks like she might actually pass out. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"This is a nightmare."
"This is fate."
"This is a coincidence."
"No," she says immediately. "This is cinematic."
Riley stays quiet, but there's a small, knowing look on her face that I refuse to acknowledge.
"Don't react weird," Jess adds quickly.
"I'm not reacting at all."
"You're already reacting."
"I'm leaving."
"You are absolutely not leaving."
Too late.
He's already seen me. His gaze locks onto mine from across the room, and for a second everything else fades just slightly. Then... he smiles. Not wide, not obvious, just enough to be dangerous.
"Great," I say under my breath.
Jess grabs my arm. "Go."
"I'm not going over there."
"He's coming here."
I look back.
He is.
Of course he is.
"Act normal," Jess whispers.
"I am normal."
"You are many things. Normal is not one of them."
Riley subtly shifts, giving him space without making it obvious.
He stops in front of me, close enough that I can see the exact moment he takes in everything.
The costume.
The match.
The situation.
And then-
he lets out a quiet laugh.
"Of course," he says.
I cross my arms. "Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I was thinking it."
"That's worse."
His gaze drops briefly to my outfit again, then back up, something shifting in his expression that he doesn't say out loud.
"You planned this," Jess cuts in, fully unhelpful.
"We didn't," I say at the same time.
Caiden glances between us, amused. "Sure."
"It's a coincidence."
"Right."
"I hate you."
"Yeah," he says, still looking at me like he doesn't quite believe that anymore. "I know."
The energy feels different here. This is his space.
His people. And I can feel it in the way eyes linger longer, in the way conversations nearby dip just enough when we stand too close.
Jess leans toward Riley, whispering something that makes Riley hide a small smile.
I don't ask, I don't want to know.
"Having fun?" Caiden asks.
"No."
"Convincing."
"I'm consistent."
"That you are."
There's a pause. Not awkward, just aware.
Jess grabs Riley's hand. "Drinks. Now. It's your birthday."
Riley glances at me once, something soft in her expression, then lets Jess pull her away.
And just like that-
it's just us again.
The music is louder, the room warmer. Or maybe that's just... something else.
"Still hate me?" Caiden asks lightly.
"Yes."
"Good."
I look at him, really look this time. And for a second-
it doesn't feel like a performance at all.
"Yeah," I say.
But it doesn't sound as convincing as it used to.
?
Later, everything softens.
The noise fades into something background.
The distance between us disappears without either of us acknowledging when it happened.
At some point, we're closer than we were. At some point, I stop thinking about who's watching.
At some point-
it stops feeling like something we're supposed to be doing. And starts feeling like something we just are.
His hand brushes mine, then stays. I don't pull away. Neither does he.
"You're not acting anymore," he says quietly.
"Neither are you."
It doesn't sound like a question.
He looks at me like he's realizing something in real time.
I don't think he has a name for it.
I don't either.
But neither of us steps back.
And when it happens-
it isn't planned, not careful, not even slightly thought through.
It just-
happens.
Messy.
Immediate.
Real in a way that doesn't leave space for anything else.
The noise around us fades just enough that it doesn't matter.
And this time-
neither of us pulls away first.
Which is-
new.
And maybe a problem.
But right now-
it doesn't feel like one at all.