The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across Leia's bedroom. She blinked awake, the events of the previous night flooding back. The party, the music, the dance, and most vividly, the kiss with Miles. A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the way his arms had felt around her, the softness of his lips, and the intensity of his gaze.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand, eager to relive the memories through photos and messages. Notifications buzzed incessantly-texts, tags, and comments from friends. But one message stood out, sent at 2:13 AM from an unknown number:
"Hope it was worth it."
Leia's heart skipped a beat. She stared at the message, confusion and unease settling in. Who could have sent it? And what did they mean?
She scrolled through her social media, noticing a tagged photo from the party. It was a candid shot of her and Miles on the dance floor, their faces close, eyes locked. The caption read: "Looks like someone's getting cozy #Party4U"
Comments flooded in:
"Didn't see that coming!"
"Miles and Leia? Since when?"
"Cleo's not gonna be happy about this…"
Leia's stomach churned. The message, the photo, the comments-it was all too much. She needed to talk to Miles.
Miles sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone. The photo of him and Leia had gone viral overnight. He hadn't anticipated this level of attention. His inbox was flooded with messages, but one from Cleo caught his eye:
"Didn't take you for the type to move on so quickly. Hope she's worth it."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to hurt anyone, least of all Cleo. Their relationship had always been platonic, at least from his perspective. But the kiss with Leia had changed everything.
He typed a response:
"Cleo, I'm sorry if I hurt you. That wasn't my intention. Leia and I… it's complicated."
He hesitated before hitting send, unsure if it would make things better or worse.
Leia paced her room, phone in hand, debating whether to call Miles. Before she could decide, her phone buzzed with a call from Ashley.
"Hey," Leia answered.
"Girl, have you seen the photo?" Ashley's voice was a mix of excitement and concern.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"And the comments?"
Leia sighed. "I saw those too."
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know. I mean, last night felt right, but now… I don't know what to think."
"Maybe you should talk to Miles. Clear the air."
"Yeah, maybe."
Miles sat in the park, the morning sun warming his skin. He needed space to think. The kiss with Leia had been spontaneous, but it had felt right. Still, the fallout was more than he had anticipated.
His phone buzzed with a message from Leia:
"Can we talk? Just us."
He smiled, typing back:
"Of course. Meet me at the park?"
Leia arrived at the park, spotting Miles sitting on a bench under a large oak tree. She approached hesitantly.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hey," he replied, standing up.
They stood in silence for a moment before Leia spoke.
"About last night…"
"It was unexpected," Miles said.
"But it felt right," Leia added.
He nodded. "Yeah, it did."
"But now everyone's talking, and I got this weird message."
Miles frowned. "From who?"
"I don't know. It just said, 'Hope it was worth it.'"
Miles looked concerned. "Cleo sent me a message too. She seemed upset."
Leia sighed. "I didn't mean to cause drama."
"Neither did I. But maybe we should take a step back, figure things out."
Leia nodded. "Yeah, maybe that's for the best."
They sat on the bench, the weight of their conversation settling between them.
Leia returned home, her mind racing. She needed clarity. She opened her journal, writing down her thoughts:
Last night was magical, but today feels like a nightmare. I care about Miles, but I don't want to hurt anyone. I need to figure out what I want.
Meanwhile, Miles sat in his room, strumming his guitar absentmindedly. Music had always been his escape, and today was no different.
He began composing a song, the lyrics reflecting his confusion and longing:
"We danced under the neon lights,
A moment that felt so right.
But now the world is watching,
And I'm not sure what's worth fighting."
Whispers followed Leia as she walked through the halls. She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact. In the cafeteria, she spotted Miles sitting alone. She approached him.
"Mind if I sit?" she asked.
He looked up, surprised. "Of course not."
They sat in silence for a moment before Leia spoke.
"I've been thinking."
"Me too," Miles replied.
"I don't want to hide or pretend. I like you, Miles."
He smiled. "I like you too, Leia."
"But we need to be honest, with ourselves and others."
"Agreed."
They shared a smile, a silent agreement to face whatever came next together.
The first bell rang, echoing through the halls of the High school, but Miles barely noticed it. His head was heavy with everything-Leia, the photo, the party, the fallout. He was walking toward his locker when he spotted her.
Cleo.
Leaning against the row of lockers near the main stairwell, arms folded across her chest, her face unreadable. She was waiting for him. Of course she was.
"Miles," she said sharply, pushing off the locker as he approached.
He stopped, took a breath. "Hey."
Her eyes narrowed. "That's all you have to say? 'Hey'?"
Miles looked around. Students were streaming past, not really paying attention, but he didn't want an audience. "Let's talk somewhere else."
She didn't move. "No. Here's fine."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay."
Cleo crossed her arms again, her stance defensive. "So The party. You and Leia."
Miles nodded slowly. "Yeah."
She waited. When he didn't say anything else, her voice sharpened. "I just think I deserve to know. Was that a thing before? Or were you just waiting for someone better to show up?"
That hit a nerve, but he didn't let it show. He stood straighter, meeting her eyes.
"Cleo," he said carefully. "We were never a thing. You know that."
Her mouth opened, but he kept going.
"I care about you, and I always will, but not like that. I thought that was clear."
Her jaw clenched. "You always walked me to class. We talked every day. You defended me when Jason called me weird."
"Because we're friends," Miles said calmly. "Because that's what decent people do."
"So you kissed Leia in front of the entire school just to prove what? That I was imagining things?"
Now his voice sharpened too.
"I didn't do anything to hurt you on purpose," he said. "But I'm not going to feel bad for following my feelings."
"You didn't even tell me. You couldn't have given me a heads-up?"
"A heads-up for what?" he asked, his voice rising a bit. "I kissed a girl I have feelings for. That's not something I planned. It happened. You don't get a warning before feelings hit you like a truck."
She blinked at him, startled.
"I didn't lie to you," Miles continued. "I didn't lead you on. If you thought there was something more between us, I'm sorry-but that wasn't on me. I've always treated you like a friend."
Cleo's expression faltered for a moment, the anger cracking to reveal something like disappointment. But she quickly masked it again.
"So that's it?" she asked quietly.
He softened his tone. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Cleo. Truly. But I'm not going to apologize for something that wasn't wrong."
There was a long silence between them.
Finally, she looked away and nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
Miles hesitated, then added, "I hope we can still be cool."
She didn't answer. She just turned and walked away, her ponytail swinging behind her.
Miles watched her go, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. There was no relief, not exactly. But there was no regret either. What he said was true. He hadn't done anything wrong, and he wasn't going to beat himself up just because someone misunderstood his kindness.
Still, his chest felt tight as he walked to class. He passed Leia on the way, their eyes meeting briefly. Hers were questioning, searching. He gave her the faintest nod.
Later. He'd explain everything later.
The house was quiet, unusually so. No Theo crashing around upstairs. No mom slamming cabinet doors in the kitchen. Just the hum of the ceiling fan and the muffled thud of Miles's heart.
Leia was lying on her side beside him, her elbow bent, chin resting on her palm as she picked at a loose thread in his sheets. Her blonde-highlighted hair spilled over her shoulder like sunlight through curtains. She hadn't said much since they got back to his place. He hadn't either. It was one of those silences that didn't feel uncomfortable-just loaded. Waiting to break.
Miles lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling before turning his head to the side, eyes landing on her. God, she was beautiful like this. Her eyes were tired, but soft. Her mouth twitching ever so slightly, like she was chewing on something she wasn't ready to say.
"I talked to Cleo," he finally said, his voice quiet.
Leia didn't look up, just nodded slowly.
"She confronted me," he added. "At school."
Leia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "What'd she say?"
He exhaled. "That she thought we were something. That I owed her an explanation."
Leia blinked, still staring at the thread between her fingers. "Do you think you did?"
"No," he said simply, honestly. "I never gave her a reason to think it was more than friendship. I mean, yeah, I was nice to her. I walked her to class. Talked to her. But-I never liked her that way."
Leia's gaze finally lifted, her fingers pausing. "And you told her that?"
"I did," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "Told her I didn't regret anything that happened between us. That I wasn't gonna feel guilty for kissing someone I actually wanted to kiss."
Leia's throat bobbed as she swallowed. "Me?"
Miles reached out, his fingers brushing over her wrist gently, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to touch her yet. When she didn't pull away, he let his hand rest there.
"You," he said softly. "Always you."
Leia shifted slightly, lying flat now, her head turned on the pillow to face him. Their noses were almost close enough to touch. She smelled faintly like strawberry shampoo and whatever cheap perfume Ashley had probably sprayed on her for fun earlier.
"I didn't know if you meant it," she whispered. "At the party. I thought… maybe it was just in the moment. Or to prove something."
His thumb traced a light circle against the inside of her wrist. "I meant it."
"You didn't say anything after. You just left."
"I didn't want to ruin it," he admitted, voice lower now. "Didn't know what to say that wouldn't mess it up. You looked so… I don't know, overwhelmed."
Leia bit her lip again. "I was. I still am."
Miles chuckled under his breath. "Same."
They were quiet for a second. Then Leia turned slightly onto her side again, mirroring him, her fingers now resting just inches from his chest. Her voice was cautious.
"What happens now?"
Miles looked at her. Really looked.
Her eyes weren't guarded like they used to be. They weren't defensive or shut off. They were wide open. Vulnerable. She was trusting him with the question, and maybe with her heart too.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I know I don't want to go back to pretending."
Leia nodded, but there was still something there-something unspoken sitting heavy between them.
"Hey," he murmured, brushing his fingers along the side of her face now, his thumb skimming her cheekbone. "It's not always gonna be messy."
She smiled faintly. "Isn't that the whole point of us, though?"
He laughed. "Maybe. But I'm okay with messy. If it's you."
Leia's cheeks flushed, and for once she didn't look away. Instead, she leaned in slightly, her forehead brushing his.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"So am I," he breathed.
Then he closed the space between them, not in a rushed way, but like it was the most natural thing in the world. His lips found hers, soft and slow, like he was saying everything he hadn't been able to before. She kissed him back with the same kind of aching tenderness, like maybe she was just as tired of pretending too.
When they finally pulled apart, Miles rested his forehead against hers, his voice barely audible.
"I got you, okay?"
Leia smiled for real this time, small and sleepy and full of something that almost felt like hope.
"Okay."