I y awake in bed, staring at the ceiling of my muted-colored room. It was 2 AM, and the only sound was the steady ticking of the wall clock—too loud, too rhythmic, too aware of the fact that I wasn’t sleeping.

  The streetmp outside sent sharp beams of light cutting through my blinds, slicing the darkness into uneven strips. It made the room feel off, like the night wasn’t fully settled.

  Like I wasn’t settled.

  I have a girlfriend now.

  The thought had been looping in my brain for hours, like some glitched-out program refusing to shut down. I shifted onto my side, but the restlessness stayed lodged in my chest—a weird, tangled mess of excitement, anxiety, happiness, and… fear.

  I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers against my wrist.

  I could still feel it.

  The ghost of Astrid’s touch from earlier that evening. The way she had held my sleeve, tracing little circles on the fabric with her fingers like she wasn’t even thinking about it. Like touching me was just second nature now.

  I swallowed hard.

  She had kissed me today. Twice.

  And I kissed her back.

  My heart thudded a little harder against my ribs.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want this—I did. That much was undeniable. But a part of me still felt like I was standing at the edge of something, staring into the unknown.

  Astrid had told me she wasn’t expecting me to be perfect. That she liked me for me.

  She meant it. I knew she did.

  But knowing and believing were two different things.

  I turned onto my back, rubbing a hand down my face.

  I liked her. A lot. But what if I wasn’t good at this? What if I didn’t text her goodnight every night and that was, like, an unspoken rule of retionships? Was I supposed to start pnning anniversary dates? Do we even have an official anniversary yet? Is it today? Tomorrow? Does she expect something for it?

  What if I accidentally forget one and she calls me a fraud boyfriend and dumps me on the spot?

  I groaned, dragging my pillow over my face.

  This was ridiculous.

  Astrid wasn’t like that. She literally mocked the idea of grand romantic gestures. She had been the one to push me into this, not the other way around.

  And yet… she had waited for me.

  That was the part that got me the most.

  She wanted me to choose her.

  She had put herself out there, completely unguarded, completely herself—because somehow, in her completely backwards, chaotic way, she thought I was worth it.

  I exhaled, my chest tightening in a way I didn’t fully understand.

  Maybe she was right about me being emotionally unavaible.

  Maybe I should start working on that.

  I rolled onto my side again, staring at the neon glow of the clock.

  2:17 AM.

  At this rate, I was going to need caffeine injected directly into my bloodstream to function tomorrow.

  I reached for my phone before my brain could talk me out of it.

  The brightness stabbed my retinas, and I squinted at the screen, my vision adjusting as I unlocked it.

  2:18 AM.

  Astrid would kill me if I woke her up for something stupid.

  …But was it stupid?

  I hesitated, my thumb hovering over our chat.

  The st message was from earlier, right before we said goodbye—

  Astrid: Sweet dreams, boyfriend ;)

  I swallowed.

  She probably wasn’t expecting a response. She had definitely already passed out, completely unaware that I was over here losing my mind over her.

  But still—

  I started typing.

  Then deleted it.

  Then started again.

  Me: You awake?

  I stared at it.

  Maybe she wouldn’t see it until morning. Maybe she’d just ignore it. Maybe I’d get lucky, and she wouldn’t make fun of me for texting her in the middle of the night like some lovesick idiot.

  A minute passed.

  Then two.

  Then—

  My phone vibrated.

  Astrid: Huh???

  I blinked.

  Then—

  Astrid: Henry why the fuck are you awake rn

  I let out a breathy ugh, shaking my head.

  She actually answered.

  Me: Couldn’t sleep.

  Astrid: Same. Wtf. Twin insomniacs moment?

  Me: Apparently.

  A pause.

  Then—

  Astrid: …thinking about me?

  I choked.

  Of course she went straight for the jugur.

  I hesitated.

  Then, before I could overthink it, I typed back—

  Me: Yeah.

  Astrid went silent.

  I watched the typing bubbles appear, then disappear. Then appear again. Then disappear again.

  I smirked.

  I got her.

  Then—

  Astrid: Oh.

  I raised an eyebrow.

  That was it?

  Just “oh”?

  I was about to call her out on it when my phone buzzed again.

  Astrid: Wait, like “yeah” thinking about me in a normal way or “yeah” thinking about me in a “I want to climb through your window and make out” way?

  I groaned, rubbing my face.

  Me: Go to sleep, Astrid.

  Astrid: You first, boyfriend.

  I rolled onto my back, staring at my ceiling, my phone still clutched in my hand.

  She really was ridiculous.

  But somehow, I was smiling.

  Me: Goodnight, Astrid.

  Astrid: Goodnight, Henry.

  I exhaled slowly, letting my eyes shut.

  And this time, sleep actually came.

  ***

  I woke up to a splitting headache and the obnoxious buzz of my phone vibrating against my nightstand.

  I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut, debating whether to just ignore it.

  Sleep still clung to my body like a heavy weight, my limbs sluggish, my mouth dry. I felt like I had barely gotten any rest—and considering how te I had actually fallen asleep, that was probably true.

  I shifted slightly, and immediately, a dull ache pulsed at the base of my skull.

  Great.

  I was exhausted, dehydrated, and, unfortunately, also really needed to pee.

  But the effort of actually getting up?

  Yeah. No.

  I buried my face into my pillow with another low groan.

  What time even is it right now?

  I cracked one eye open, squinting at the red neon glow of my arm clock.

  11:48 AM.

  Yeah. That checked out.

  Considering I had spent most of the night staring at my ceiling, overthinking everything, it wasn’t surprising that I had crashed so hard.

  I let out a slow breath, still debating whether to move. My body strongly disagreed with the idea.

  The only real motivation to get up was the increasingly urgent pressure in my bdder.

  I groaned again, forcing myself to roll onto my back, blinking up at the ceiling. The headache still throbbed at my temples, but at least it wasn’t as bad.

  Then my phone buzzed again.

  I exhaled sharply, blindly reaching for it, the bright screen nearly blinding me as I unlocked it.

  Astrid: Wake up, loser.

  Astrid: It’s practically lunchtime.

  Astrid: Did you die or something?

  Astrid: Henry.

  Astrid: HENRY.

  Astrid: If you’re not awake in the next five minutes, I’m coming over.

  I sighed heavily, rubbing a hand down my face.

  Of course she was blowing up my phone.

  I groggily started typing back.

  Me: I just woke up.

  Her reply was instant.

  Astrid: Took you long enough. I was starting to think you abandoned me in my time of need.

  I frowned.

  Me: What time of need?

  Astrid: The time where I’m sitting here, completely bored, with no one to entertain me.

  I smirked slightly, shaking my head.

  Me: So I’m your personal jester now?

  Astrid: No, you’re my boyfriend. Which means you’re contractually obligated to give me attention whenever I want it.

  I exhaled through my nose, rolling onto my side, still too tired to process half of this conversation.

  Me: I literally just woke up, Astrid.

  Astrid: And?

  I let my phone fall onto my chest, staring bnkly at the ceiling.

  I could try to go back to sleep. Ignore her texts for another hour or so.

  But I already knew how that would go.

  Astrid had no patience.

  She would show up at my doorstep unannounced.

  And the st thing I wanted was to deal with her smug face while still half-asleep.

  I sighed dramatically before grabbing my phone again.

  Me: Gimme 30 minutes.

  Astrid: 20.

  Me: Astrid—

  Astrid: 15.

  I groaned.

  Me: Fine. 15.

  Astrid: That’s my good boy ;)

  I choked, immediately locking my phone.

  Jesus Christ.

  I rubbed my face, willing my body to wake up properly.

  If Astrid was already this much of a menace through text, I had no idea what I was in for when she actually showed up.

  ***

  I bit my lip anxiously, staring at my phone like it had just personally ruined my life.

  Astrid had called.

  Astrid had called to say that her mum wanted to meet me and was taking us somewhere for lunch.

  That wasn’t the pn.

  I was supposed to go to Astrid’s pce after I’d eaten. My room was a disaster zone that desperately needed cleaning, and I’d been mentally preparing myself for a zy, uneventful day. Maybe I’d scroll on my phone for an hour, maybe get through another chapter of my book. That was the kind of Sunday I had signed up for.

  Instead, I was now being thrown headfirst into what was easily one of the most terrifying social situations imaginable—meeting the mother of the girl I was now officially dating.

  My stomach twisted, a weird mix of nerves and dread creeping through me.

  The worst part? My parents were home.

  I gnced toward my bedroom door like it was some kind of ticking time bomb. My mum had asked about Astrid before, suspicious but not quite convinced that there was anything serious between us. Back then, I had been able to deflect, brushing off any accusations that Astrid was my girlfriend.

  But now? That wasn’t an option anymore.

  My hand tightened around my phone. My pulse was weirdly loud in my ears, and I was suddenly hyper-aware of how cmmy my palms had gotten.

  When did life get so complicated?

  I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair.

  I was almost tempted to run away.

  It wasn’t like I had ever met Astrid’s mum before. In the weeks that I’d known Astrid, her mum had always been too busy with work, conveniently absent whenever I’d gone over. She had been this distant, unseen figure—someone I never thought I’d actually have to deal with.

  And now I was supposed to sit across from her at lunch and make conversation?

  Yeah. No. That sounded like a nightmare.

  I swallowed hard, staring at my reflection in the dark screen of my phone.

  I could already imagine Astrid smirking at me, completely unfazed. She was probably loving this, throwing me into the deep end just to see me squirm.

  I exhaled sharply, pushing myself up from my bed.

  If I was going to survive this, I needed a pn.

  And maybe… a change of clothes.