Now that Kael and I weren’t hanging out, I got panicky about our situation. I felt the need to label it, to make it fit into this box that I had created in my mind of how we should be. We shouldn’t have kissed, even though it was by far the best kiss I had ever had. Literally in my existence. But now we were both ignoring that it even happened, and I began to question everything again. A feeling of rejection bore a hole in my chest. I hated the idea of embarrassing myself in front of him, as I had just done.

I tried to distract myself with physical activity, splashing water on my face and walking back to the living room to finish my toes and start on my nails. I turned the music up louder and desperately tried to think about something else. If my life were more interesting, I would have plenty of things to obsess over. Thinking I heard a knock at the door, I paused the music, but found silence. The crickets chirping around the yard were the only distant sound. I started the song again, the chorus played, and I sang along with Halsey until I heard the banging again.

“Karina?”

I couldn’t tell if I was imagining Kael shouting my name, but I made a promise to myself that if I was, I would eat a melatonin gummy, maybe two, and go to bed before my delusion got any worse. When I heard it again, I stood up, polish bottle in hand, and walked on my heels, trying not to mess up my toenails. He said my name again as I got closer to the door. When I opened it, he was holding his phone and it was ringing on speakerphone.

“The number you have reached—” The generic voicemail greeting began to recite a number. My number. I recognized it as it played between us. If I was a blabbering mess earlier, I couldn’t even imagine how I would seem now.

“Hey,” I said to him.

His eyes lit up again. “Hey?” He exhaled, and laughter followed.

I couldn’t help but smile. Half of me hated that I was already feeling so giddy, but I was also relieved that he came back.

“You’re here.”

He nodded. “I’m here.”

“Sorry for calling, I—”

“Nope. No sorrys.” He walked past me, his cologne leaving a trail behind him as he took of his shoes at my front door. I followed him. The knot in my stomach was loosening instead of tightening, quite the opposite of what I expected. I shut the front door behind us.

“What’s going on here? A party and I wasn’t invited?” Kael kicked his foot out to touch my red speaker with his sock.