~ Chapter 12 ~
Eva woke up already tired.
Not physically tired.
Not "I didn't sleep enough" tired.
But the dangerous kind of tired where her brain had been running a marathon all night replaying moments it absolutely did not need to replay.
Reed nodding at her.
Reed smiling at her.
Reed texting her.
Her heart did a very unnecessary flip.
Eva rolled onto her side and immediately reached for her phone like she had zero self-control.
Which, honestly, felt accurate.
No new notifications.
Of course.
Because life loved to humble her.
She opened the message thread anyway.
Reed: Me too.
Still there.
Still existing.
Still doing things to her insides that felt highly illegal for two words.
Eva read it.
Then read it again.
Then once more, just in case it somehow changed.
(It did not.)
She opened the text box.
Typed.
Eva: Hi.
Stared at it.
Deleted.
Typed.
Eva: Good morning.
Deleted.
Typed.
Eva: I hope you slept okay.
Stared.
Panic.
Deleted.
Eva dropped her phone onto her pillow and covered her face with both hands.
"Why am I like this," she whispered into the mattress.
She wasn't trying to be smooth.
She wasn't trying to flirt.
She just wanted to talk.
Like a normal human.
Which, apparently, was asking way too much of herself.
Her phone buzzed.
Eva nearly launched it off the bed.
She grabbed it so fast she almost dislocated a finger.
Reed: Morning.
One word.
Simple.
Soft.
Very Reed.
Her stomach flipped.
She typed back before she could overthink.
Eva:Good Morning.
Sent.
Immediately rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow like that would undo everything.
It did not.
Her door creaked open.
"Is she alive?" Sandra whispered dramatically.
"I am," Eva muffled.
Parker walked in behind Sandra holding two mugs of coffee. "You sound distressed."
Eva lifted her head. "I am distressed."
Sandra climbed onto Eva's bed without permission. "It's Reed."
Eva groaned. "I haven't even said anything."
"That's how we know it's bad," Sandra said.
Parker handed Eva a mug. "Drink this. You look like you're about to short-circuit."
Eva took it gratefully.
Her phone buzzed again.
Sandra lunged.
Eva yanked the phone away. "Do not."
Sandra pouted. "I helped raise you."
"You absolutely did not."
Reed: You surviving today?
Eva stared at it.
Overthought.
Bit her lip.
Typed.
Eva: Um. Kind of. I'm not very good with crowds.
Sent.
Immediately felt like she overshared.
Parker smiled softly. "That was honest."
Sandra nodded. "And cute."
Eva hid her face with the mug.
Three dots appeared.
Reed: You did better than you think.
Eva's chest felt warm.
Not exploding.
Not racing.
Just... warm.
She typed.
Eva: Thanks. You played really well last night.
Three dots.
Reed: Appreciate that.
Simple.
Easy.
No pressure.
No games.
Eva stared at her phone for a second longer than necessary.
Sandra squinted at her. "You're smiling."
Eva shook her head. "I am not."
Parker tilted her head. "You are."
Eva groaned. "Please stop perceiving me."
Sandra flopped dramatically onto Eva's bed. "I can't believe our shy little Eva is having a romantic texting arc."
"It is not romantic," Eva said weakly.
Parker smiled. "It's something."
Eva didn't argue.
Later that afternoon, Eva sat cross-legged on her bed with her laptop open, pretending to review notes while absolutely not reviewing notes.
Her phone buzzed every so often.
Nothing intense.
Nothing heavy.
Just small messages.
Reed: Stats still makes zero sense.
Eva: It doesn't make sense to anyone. That's its whole personality.
Reed: Glad you're in my study group.
Eva stared at that one for a solid ten seconds.
Eva: Me too.
Her heart did another small flip.
She hated that she loved this.
She also didn't want it to stop.
----
Reed woke up sore.
Which was expected.
What he hadn't expected was Eva being the first thing in his head.
Not the game.
Not the win.
Not practice later.
Her.
Her sweater.
Her eyes.
The way she looked at him like he wasn't just another guy on a court.
He grabbed his phone.
Typed.
Reed: Morning.
Sent.
Immediately stared at the ceiling like he had just made a life-altering decision.
Ryan knocked once and walked in anyway.
"You alive?"
"Barely."
Ryan flopped onto Reed's bed. "You text her yet?"
"I just did."
Ryan grinned. "Growth."
Vinod leaned against the doorframe. "You smiled. She replied."
Reed sat up. "How do you know that."
"Because you don't smile at your phone," Vinod said.
Reed checked.
Eva:Good Morning.
Simple.
Soft.
Very her.
Reed smiled.
Ryan squinted. "Oh yeah. You're in trouble."
His phone buzzed again.
Eva: Um. Kind of. I'm not very good with crowds.
Reed frowned slightly.
Not annoyed.
Protective.
He typed.
Reed: You did better than you think.
Pause.
Sent.
Another buzz.
Eva: Thanks. You played really well last night.
Heat crept up Reed's neck.
Reed: Appreciate that.
Ryan watched him. "You look stupid."
"I do not."
"You do," Ryan said. "Like a happy idiot."
Felix wandered in. "Are we talking about library girl."
Reed sighed. "Yes."
Ryan clutched his chest. "She's perfect."
Reed muttered, "Shut up."
Reed stared at his phone again.
They weren't flirting.
They weren't confessing.
They were just... talking.
And somehow that felt bigger than anything he'd done in a long time.
Neither of them knew what this was yet.
Neither of them had a label.
But both of them felt it.
Something small.
Something warm.
Something growing.
Slowly.
Naturally.
Like it was supposed to.