¹² | 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆 - Story 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕

¹² | 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆

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𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒗

𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

january 14, 2025

1:15 pm

when lunch ended, i stood up with my friends to head to our next class. as we were walking, i saw wesley approaching me.

"elo, can we talk?" wesley said, his voice more serious than usual.

"of course she can talk," susan said cheerfully. "we'll see you inside, elo," hayley said, winking at me.

"what's up?" i asked him.

"so, about the party..." wesley started, his voice a little more serious than usual.

i looked up at him, trying to play it cool. "what about it?" i asked, though i had a feeling i knew where this was going.

he hesitated for a moment, then said, "the kiss. between us."

my heart skipped a beat, and i tried to act nonchalant. "it was just a kiss," i shrugged, but it felt more complicated than that.

he didn't let it slide, though. "yeah, but it didn't feel like 'just a kiss,' did it?"

i swallowed, a little thrown off by his intensity. "i don't know what you mean."

he smirked, leaning in slightly. "come on, eloise. i'm asking you straight-how about a real date? no more party distractions, no more randomness. just you and me."

i felt my breath catch. "a date?" i repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

"yeah," he said, his tone almost teasing but with a sincerity i didn't expect. "we could see where this thing goes. no pressure, just... us."

my mind raced. i couldn't tell if this was just another one of his jokes, but something in his eyes told me he wasn't playing around.

"well..." i started, feeling my heart thumping in my chest. "i guess we'll see, won't we?"

he smiled, a little too pleased with himself. "i'll take that as a yes."

i couldn't help but feel a little smile tug at the corner of my lips, even though i was trying to keep my cool. there was something about the way he looked at me that made me feel... well, happy. surprised, too, but mostly happy.

"you know, for someone who's usually joking around, you actually don't seem half-bad at this whole asking-on-a-date thing," i said, trying to sound casual, but my voice was a little lighter than i intended.

wesley's smirk softened, and i saw a hint of genuine warmth in his eyes. "i can be serious when i need to be," he said, almost as if he was proving something to himself as much as to me. "besides, i like you, eloise. i think we could have a good time."

there it was. the way he said it felt different, more real than the usual teasing. my heart fluttered again, and i found myself nodding, though i was still a little caught off guard.

"yeah, maybe we could," i said, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. "i mean, i'd like that."

"good," wesley said with a grin that was just a little too smug. "i'm glad we're on the same page."

i laughed, shaking my head. "you're so confident," i teased, but deep down, i was kind of glad he was. it made everything feel less... uncertain.

"confidence is key," he said, his grin widening. "besides, i know what i want, and right now, i want a date with you."

my stomach fluttered, and for the first time since that kiss at the party, i felt something light and happy settle inside me. maybe this wasn't going to be so complicated after all. maybe it was just the start of something unexpected. "alright, wesley," i said, giving him a small smile. "let's see where this goes."

wesley's eyes lit up, like he had just won some kind of victory, and i couldn't help but laugh. "alright, then," he said, as if sealing the deal. "it's a date. we'll figure out the details later."

i nodded, feeling a little giddy but trying to keep my composure. "yeah, we'll see."

"you're really not gonna make this easy, are you?" wesley teased, but there was a softness to his tone now, a shift that made it feel more... real.

"you're the one who's making it all complicated," i shot back with a grin, even though my heart was still racing. there was something about the way he was looking at me that made everything feel different in the best way possible.

he shrugged playfully. "i like to keep things interesting. but i'll take it slow if that's what you want."

"we'll figure it out," i said, suddenly feeling a little more confident. "but don't think i'll let you get away with anything too easy."

"oh, i wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a wink, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth.

we stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, the silence between us somehow comfortable. it was weird, but in a good way. i wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but for the first time in a long time, i was excited to find out.

"well," i finally said, breaking the silence, "i guess i'll see you later, then?"

"you bet," he said, still smiling like he knew something i didn't. "see you later, eloise."

as i walked away, i felt that familiar flutter in my chest again, but this time, it didn't feel so uncertain. whatever this was with wesley, maybe it wasn't going to be as complicated as i thought. maybe it would be just what i needed.

as i walked into the classroom after my conversation with wesley, i barely had time to react before mattheo brushed past me, his shoulder knocking into mine with enough force to make me stumble slightly. a sharp breath escaped me as i turned to look at him, but he was already glaring down at me, annoyance flickering in his dark eyes.

"watch where you're going, princess," he muttered, his tone laced with irritation.

i blinked, caught off guard by the bite in his words. my heart gave an uneven thud-not from the impact, but from the way his presence always managed to unsettle me.

"sorry, i didn't see you," i said, my voice quieter than i intended, the words tumbling out before i could think.

i wasn't sure if it was my apology or something else that made his jaw tighten for the briefest moment. but just as quickly as he had appeared, mattheo turned away, disappearing into the room as if our collision had never happened.

and yet, i felt the lingering weight of it long after he was gone. i exhaled sharply, trying to shake off the tension crawling up my spine. it was just mattheo being mattheo-irritating, unpredictable, always acting like i was the problem. and yet, as i stepped into the classroom and made my way to my seat, i couldn't ignore the way my skin still tingled where his shoulder had brushed against mine.

sliding into my chair, i forced myself to focus as the professor began speaking, but my mind kept drifting back to him. to the way his voice had curled around the word princess-not playful, not mocking, but almost... possessive.

i stole a glance across the room, finding mattheo lounging in his seat, arms crossed, eyes locked on the board as if he hadn't just thrown my entire equilibrium off balance. it was infuriating. he acted like i was nothing more than a mild inconvenience, yet somehow, he was the one who lingered in my head long after our encounters ended.

with a quiet sigh, i forced my attention back to my notes, gripping my quill a little tighter than necessary. i refused to let him get under my skin.

except, deep down, i already knew he had.