Academic lovers

13 | Dinner

"No way, he's at your house."

"Yes, he is." I whispered angrily, pacing around my room.

Ciara couldn't contain her excitement. "So you're telling me you have one of the hottest guys that we know in your house?"

"And you're complaining? Girl, you better appreciate the situation!" Kehlani chimed in; I could just imagine her waving her hands in the air as she spoke.

I pursed my lips, trying to downplay the situation. "Guys, it's not just any guy. It's Aiden Miller."

"Yeah, yeah, your rival or whatever," Ciara teased, not realizing how much that word made me cringe.

"Ew, don't call him my rival. That's cringe," I retorted. "anyways, the thing is, he's been at my house for like half the day."

The line went quiet for a second

"Half the day!?" they both screamed in unison.

"Wait, wait, wait, so you were alone with him for half the day?" Ciara questioned

"Uh, yes?"

"Wow, Z, I didn't know you were like that," Kehlani teased.

I scrunched my face. "What do you mean?"

Kehlani continued, "Staying home alone with a guy. That's not something Zhera Thompson would do."

"Oh, shut up," I retorted, attempting to hide the slight embarrassment that crept up within me. Kehlani's words had hit a nerve, making me question whether I was becoming too predictable or if I had lost touch with the fun side of myself.

Ciara chuckled in the background, "Well, good luck."I gotta go; my mom's calling me." She then hung up.

"Well, I think you're lucky, Z"

I scoffed "Of course you would say that, Keh."

She laughed. "I mean, if I had a guy who looked like that, that was staying at my house, I would not complain."

I couldn't help but laugh along with her. "Stop! I'm in distress here! What if-" Before I could finish my sentence, I heard my name being called from downstairs.

"Sorry, Keh, Mom's calling me. See you tomorrow," I quickly said, ending the call.

I placed my phone down on the table, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. I felt a mix of nervousness coursing through my veins.

With hurried steps, I made my way out of the room, my mind racing with thoughts and emotions. However, in my haste, I bumped into something—or someone.

Looking up slowly, I rolled my eyes as I recognized Aiden standing before me. He had that mischievous glint in his eyes that always managed to irritate me.

Without missing a beat, he placed his hand around my shoulder and lightly pulled me away from him.

"Thompson" he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Miller."

He peered down at me for what seemed like an eternity, his gaze piercing through mine. I held his stare, refusing to break eye contact.

"You look better," he finally said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess my immune system is just that good."

Aiden chuckled softly, his laughter filling the space between us. "I guess it was. Now shall we go eat?"

I grumbled under my breath and started making my way downstairs with him.

The smell of food wafted through the air, and the atmosphere felt warm and welcoming. Calming music played on the TV, and the fireplace added to the cozy ambiance. It was a lively scene, unlike anything I had seen in this house before.