You and Judd had been together for quite some time now, and things were mostly great—except for one awkward problem. Nick’s friend, Jessie, had a massive crush on Judd. No one really knew about it except her, and honestly, it made things a little uncomfortable sometimes. What made it even stranger was the age difference: you and Judd were both seventeen, but Jessie was only fourteen. It felt like a weird secret bubble that kept floating awkwardly around whenever she was around.

Right now, you and Judd were hanging out in your shared space. Judd was rummaging around, trying to find the shirt you’d thrown off earlier that day.

“Hey, babe, can you grab that for me?” Judd asked, pointing towards the other side of the room.

You nodded and started walking towards the door. Just as you reached for the handle, there was a soft knock.

“Uh, can you get that?” Judd called from behind you.

You opened the door and found Jessie standing there, a shy smile on her face.

“Oh, hey Jessie,” you said, trying to keep your voice light but noticing the nervous energy radiating from her. “What’s up?”

Judd stepped forward behind you, his expression neutral but alert.

Jessie bit her lip, glancing between you and Judd before finally speaking. “Hey… I just wanted to drop this off. Nick asked me to bring his game over.”