Jake tossed his overnight bag onto the floor of Ava’s room and flopped onto her bed with a sigh. “Okay, this officially beats every sleepover I’ve ever had,” he said, grinning up at the ceiling fan spinning above him.

Ava laughed, closing her bedroom door and locking it quietly. “Obviously. I provide snacks, cozy blankets, and my sparkling personality. You’re welcome.”

Her room smelled like vanilla and something floral—exactly how Jake imagined it would. The fairy lights on her wall gave the room a soft, warm glow, and her bed was covered in a mountain of pillows and fuzzy blankets. He’d never admit it out loud, but he kinda loved how comforting it was.

“Okay,” she said, walking over with a bowl of popcorn and two sodas, “ground rules: no stealing my blanket, no roasting me when I lose at Mario Kart, and if you snore, I will record it.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “That’s oddly specific. Did someone snore last time?”

Ava smirked. “You’ll find out.”

They played games on her Switch for hours, the two of them shouting and laughing like kids again. At one point, Jake fell over laughing when Ava rage-quit after falling off Rainbow Road for the fifth time.

“Okay, fine! You win,” she huffed, crossing her arms but smiling through it. “I let you win.”

“Sure you did,” Jake teased, nudging her with his shoulder.

Eventually, they both ended up under the same giant blanket, the popcorn half-finished, a movie playing softly in the background. Ava rested her head on Jake’s chest, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“This is nice,” she mumbled.

Jake nodded. “Yeah. Real nice.”

She looked up at him. “Promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Even when we’re older, like… way older, I still want us to have nights like this. Just being together. No pressure. Just… us.”