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𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒗

𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

january 14, 2025

1:15 pm

when lunch ended, i stood up with my friends to head to our next class. as we were walking, i saw wesley approaching me.

"elo, can we talk?" wesley said, his voice more serious than usual.

"of course she can talk," susan said cheerfully. "we'll see you inside, elo," hayley said, winking at me.

"what's up?" i asked him.

"so, about the party..." wesley started, his voice a little more serious than usual.

i looked up at him, trying to play it cool. "what about it?" i asked, though i had a feeling i knew where this was going.

he hesitated for a moment, then said, "the kiss. between us."

my heart skipped a beat, and i tried to act nonchalant. "it was just a kiss," i shrugged, but it felt more complicated than that.

he didn't let it slide, though. "yeah, but it didn't feel like 'just a kiss,' did it?"

i swallowed, a little thrown off by his intensity. "i don't know what you mean."

he smirked, leaning in slightly. "come on, eloise. i'm asking you straight-how about a real date? no more party distractions, no more randomness. just you and me."

i felt my breath catch. "a date?" i repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

"yeah," he said, his tone almost teasing but with a sincerity i didn't expect. "we could see where this thing goes. no pressure, just... us."

my mind raced. i couldn't tell if this was just another one of his jokes, but something in his eyes told me he wasn't playing around.

"well..." i started, feeling my heart thumping in my chest. "i guess we'll see, won't we?"

he smiled, a little too pleased with himself. "i'll take that as a yes."

i couldn't help but feel a little smile tug at the corner of my lips, even though i was trying to keep my cool. there was something about the way he looked at me that made me feel... well, happy. surprised, too, but mostly happy.

"you know, for someone who's usually joking around, you actually don't seem half-bad at this whole asking-on-a-date thing," i said, trying to sound casual, but my voice was a little lighter than i intended.

wesley's smirk softened, and i saw a hint of genuine warmth in his eyes. "i can be serious when i need to be," he said, almost as if he was proving something to himself as much as to me. "besides, i like you, eloise. i think we could have a good time."

there it was. the way he said it felt different, more real than the usual teasing. my heart fluttered again, and i found myself nodding, though i was still a little caught off guard.

"yeah, maybe we could," i said, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. "i mean, i'd like that."

"good," wesley said with a grin that was just a little too smug. "i'm glad we're on the same page."