Chapter 16

"FUCKKKKKK!"

My muffled scream is absorbed into my pillow as I kick my feet in frustration, trying to stop thinking about every memory of last night.

Meanwhile, Gabi sits comfortably in my desk chair, scrolling through her camera roll, completely unbothered by my internal crisis. "Oooh, this photo is so cute, Macklin is wiping some flour off your face after your little flour fight," she giggles.

I groan even louder. "Delete it."

Gabi ignores me. "Or this one! You guys fell asleep cuddling after the movie!"

I lift my head just enough to glare at her, then peek at the phone screen before dramatically flopping back onto my pillow. "Gabi, please."

Macklin and Will left barely thirty minutes ago, and my mind has been running non-stop trying to process everything. The arm-around-the-shoulder move. The way I actually let myself melt into him. The way his fingers lingered against my arm.

And now? There's photographic evidence of my downfall.

"Lex, this is a great thing!" Gabi insists, spinning around in my chair. "You have feelings! It's better that you do and try it out rather than being a stone-cold, badass bitch who has to reject poor Macklin."

I sit up instantly. "You don't know that he has feelings for me! It could be a disguise. He probably has a roster of girls!"

Gabi gasps dramatically. "Lex, come on. Macklin just doesn't seem like that type of guy. I mean, are there any red flags at all?"

I open my mouth to argue but then... pause.

Because logically, no.

Macklin is the opposite of a red flag. He's sweet, he's patient, he's respectful. He literally just spent the whole night helping me cook, playfully wiping flour on my face, skating with me, making sure I didn't actually crack my skull open, and then holding me while we watched a movie like it was the most natural thing in the world. AND THAT ALMOST KISS?? Oh my god, Lex you're done for. This man is dangerous, dangerously so so sweet. It's too good to be true.

But what if?

What if this is just how he is with everyone? What if I read too much into it? What if—

"You're overthinking again," Gabi cuts in, as if she can hear my internal freakout.

I flop back onto the bed. "I hate this."

Gabi just laughs. "You're doomed. Face it."

I blurt out, "We almost kissed."

Gabi's head snaps up from her phone so fast I'm surprised she doesn't get whiplash. "WHAT?! WHEN?!"

I groan, dragging my hands down my face. "After I slipped on the ice when you almost ran me over—"

"Oops," she says with absolutely zero remorse.

"—I got that cut on my eyebrow, remember? Macklin took me to the locker room to clean it up. He lifted me onto the counter, then helped me down by my waist, and..." I trail off, hesitating.

"AND?!" Gabi practically vibrates in her seat.

"And... he started to lean in, and I was going to kiss him back, but—"

"BUT?!"

"His mom called."

Gabi screams into her hands. "DUDE. He likes you! Go for it, make the first move!"

I shake my head. "Nooo, I can't! I have to focus on nursing school!"

Gabi levels me with a deadpan look. "Not to be insensitive, but when your trash ex-boyfriend was constantly negative, nitpicking everything you did... did your grades fall?"

I frown. "Well... no."

"See! And Macklin is so sweet to you and helped you study, he wouldn't be a distraction, and did your ex treat you remotely as good as Macklin does?"

"...No."

Gabi slams her hand down on my bed. "AH-HAH! There we have it, folks! Get your man!"

"But I'm not even in a relationship with Macklin," I protest. "What if he does a complete 180 once I start trusting him? What if he leaves me if he has to move for hockey? What if—"

"You cannot live your life in fear, Lex. You're hot! So go be hot and get the man you want!"

I groan, flopping back onto my bed.

"Also," Gabi continues, "Will and I would never encourage you to go after a guy who seemed like an asshole. Macklin's a good guy, Lex."

I rub my hands over my face. "Fuck. I do like Macklin... but what do I even do next?"

Gabi grins mischievously. "ALRIGHT. Initiating Operation: Mack Attack."

I raise a brow at her. "Mack Attack? Am I trying to get him to like me, or am I trying to fight him?"

Gabi smirks. "Both, honestly. You gotta assert dominance."

I snort, shaking my head. "Yeah, because nothing says romance like putting a guy in a headlock."

She shrugs, totally unbothered. "Hey, some guys are into that."

I throw a pillow at her.

— NEW POV —Macklin's POV

I dribble the basketball a few times, lining up my shot. The ball leaves my hands in a perfect arc, swishing through the net with a clean whoosh.

Will catches it and smirks. "Alright, are we gonna talk about you and Lex, or are you gonna keep pretending nothing's going on?"

I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know, man. Also, she's practically like your sister. Do you really wanna talk about her with me?"

Will shrugs, spinning the ball in his hands. "She may be my sister, but I'm also your best friend. And trust me, she always told me everything about her boy problems. But recently? She's been real quiet about you. She tells Gabi everything now and I'm left in the dark."

I take the ball from him, taking another shot. "If you say so." Another clean swoosh.

"Are you gonna ask her out or what?" Will presses, stepping up next to me.

I exhale, gripping the ball tighter. "I don't know, man. I can't even tell if she wants me to. I feel like I'm just a friend to her."

Will groans, throwing his hands up. "Bro. The way she looks at you? Even an elderly woman with minimal sight would stop us in the street to say you two make a beautiful couple."

I huff a laugh. "That's a stretch."

"Is it?" Will raises a brow. "She's not looking at anyone else the way she looks at you."

I stay silent, bouncing the ball a few times. "I mean... I don't even know if she's seeing someone right now."

Will snorts. "Lex? Dating? Please. You'd know. She's been focused on school and if she was seeing someone, Gabi would've already told me and I would've also told you then annoyed the hell out of you about it if she was seeing anyone."

That makes me feel better. Not that I ever saw her with anyone lately, but still. "So she's single?"

"Single as hell, dude." Will shoots, missing the basket completely. "And if I'm being honest? She's not looking at anyone the way she looks at you."

"C'mon," Will presses. "Tell me.. has there been anything between you two?"

I hesitate, then sigh. "We almost kissed."

Will's eyes widen. "Wait, what?! When?"

I lean against the pole of the hoop, rubbing my face. "After she fell on the ice. She hit her head, so I took her to get bandaged up. I helped her onto the counter, and when I finished patching her up, we were just... close. And I don't know, man, it just happened. I started leaning in, and she.. she didn't pull away. She even closed her eyes"

Will stares at me. "And then?"

"Then my mom called," I groan. "Right before it happened."

Will tilts his head, processing. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You leaned in, and she didn't pull away?"

I nod.

"She closed her eyes?"

I nod again.

"Dude. That means she wanted to kiss you."

I shift on my feet. "I mean... maybe? But I still don't know if she actually likes me like that. I don't want to push if she just sees me as a friend."

Will shakes his head. "Nah, man. I need to talk to Lex, see where she's at. And if I get the green light? We gotta get you making moves to reel her in."

I snort. "Is she a fish to reel in?"

Will smirks. "Out of all the fish in the sea? She's the only one you need."

I roll my eyes since I walked right into that cheesy joke but I know he's right.

Lex isn't just anyone. She's funny, sharp, kind. She lights up every room she walks into, effortlessly making people feel comfortable. She's sarcastic in the best way—never mean, just quick. She challenges me, never afraid to keep me on my toes. And God, her smile.

She's always been so focused, so determined with school. It's one of the things I admire most about her, how much she cares. She's gonna be an incredible nurse one day, I know it. And the way she's always looking out for people, always putting others first, always trying to make things easier for the people she loves...

How the hell could I not catch feelings for her?