Side Note: I Think I Love You (Side Notes Book 1) - COMPLETE

Chapter 5 - Attie

"Got any room?" A familiar voice says from the other side of the room.

I quickly wipe the one tear that managed to escape my eye before turning my head to find Ian leaning against the door frame. The soft smile on his face accentuates cheekbones that are so prominent it's almost unfair.

"Come on, princess," Ian says. "Are you going to leave me hanging here?"

Of all the things that make me blush, it just has to be the nickname Ian gave me all those years ago.

I let out a quiet laugh and gesture to the seat next to me. Ian heads in and makes his way over to me as I exit out of the animation software I was just on. I don't let people—not even Amy—look at my individual projects.

"Are you okay?" He asks me once he's settled himself into his seat.

I nod, my cheeks turning even redder than they already were. When I'm embarrassed, it's obvious on my face. My pale skin means that you can easily tell how I feel. Nauseous, embarrassed, excited—you get the gist.

"You sure? Because you ran out of the cafeteria faster than the speed of light the moment you saw this." He points to the folded-up piece of paper sitting right on top of the keyboard.

The letter.

I forgot to hide it because the only people in here when I arrived were me and Mr. Ali, the physics teacher that everyone either wants to be or wants to fuck. He had gotten roped into computer-watching, yet again.

"Speaking of, I was wondering what you were going to do with it," he continues. "My bet was on lighting it on fire."

I chuckle at the thought. Not because I find burning paper sacrilegious but because Ian's trying to put a smile on my face. And it's almost working.

Almost.

"Can I see it?" He doesn't wait for an answer before he lifts the letter off the keyboard and is so close to opening it when I come to my senses and snatch it out of his hand.

"Wow," he replies. "Okay. I mean, I get it's a love letter to me and all—"

"Where did you get this?" I ask. I sound timid right now but I don't care. I need answers and I need them now.

"Uhh, it was in my locker." He just stares at me with confused blue eyes resting behind his framed glasses. "I opened it. It fell out. I picked it up, put it in my pocket and the rest is history."

I basically let him take it back. But he doesn't open it. Instead he just places the letter in his right pocket. "You know, princess, if you wanted to declare your undying love for me—"

"Nope. That letter wasn't even supposed to be for you." The words are out of my mouth before I can even think better about it.

Ian stops in his tracks, his mouth still open as if he was still speaking. Which, to be fair, he was when I had interrupted him. Do I care? Not really, because the one thought that passes through my mind and makes a pit stop at the front is the fact that I thought it was Derek's locker this entire time.

I facepalm myself. How did I not think that it was Ian's? I see him and Derek hanging out by the locker almost all the time when I enter the building and I just always thought that it was Derek's. Ian never struck me as someone who goes straight to his locker every morning before class.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ian raises a blond brow at my statement.

I can't really lie to him, not after basically shouting to the rooftops that I didn't write him a love letter. "The letter wasn't supposed to be for you," I finally admit, lowering my head to my lap.