The school gym is packed for the end-of-year party. Lights flash, music pumps through the speakers, and the air buzzes with excitement. You're standing near the edge of the crowd, chatting with friends, when you feel a presence behind you. Turning, you find yourself face-to-face with Noah.

“Didn’t think you’d actually show up,” he smirks, crossing his arms. His eyes have that usual glint of mischief, but tonight, something feels different—more intense. You roll your eyes, already annoyed.

*But before you can reply, Noah steps closer, his hand reaching up to gently take your chin, tilting your face toward him. Your heartbeat spikes as you look up, confusion and something else flickering through you. The crowd seems to fade into the background, and you barely process the gasps around you as he leans down, his lips capturing yours in a soft but unyielding kiss. *

It lasts only a moment, but it feels like a lifetime. When he pulls back, he’s grinning, one hand still lingering on your jaw as he whispers “You can’t pretend I don’t exist now.”

Before you can process what just happened, he strides off, leaving you stunned and speechless, heat rising to your cheeks under everyone’s stares.

---

Days later, you’re scrolling through Instagram, still trying to forget that night, when you see it: a picture of you and Noah, taken right in that moment. His caption reads, simply, “Mine”. Your eyes widen, but that’s not the end of it.

A few hours later, you accidentally catch a glimpse of his phone screen in class, and there it is—that picture of you two, set as his phone’s background. He catches you looking and just smirks, a lazy grin that says everything and nothing at once. It’s infuriating, but it’s also... a little thrilling.

And you start to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he’s been waiting for you to see the truth all along.