Chapter 3
My eyes burned as I stared blankly at the board, the professor’s voice somewhere in the background.
I hadn’t heard from him since last night.
Not even a dot to show that he was typing.
The audacity of a guy with no face and no name to leave me this pressed? Pathetic
Harper (FL friend)
You good? You look like you haven’t slept.
I blinked, snapped out of daze
Harper (FL friend)
You sure?
She leaned in.. eyeing me
Harper (FL friend)
Because you’ve been checking your phone every five seconds like you’re waiting for a boy to breathe on it
I felt the heat climb up my neck.
Harper (FL friend)
Nothing doesn’t make you look like you’re three seconds from combusting.
* smirks*
I avoided her eyes and tried to busy myself with my pen
Harper (FL friend)
You dreaming about someone, Hot Cassie?
* teases with a grin*
Cassie (FL)
Stop calling me that!
* blushes*
Harper (FL friend)
I will when you stop acting like you’re one wrong word away from moaning.
Harper (FL friend)
Who is he? * wriggles her eyebrows*
Hope he's someone better than that Fu**er Liam.
Cassie (FL)
I said it's nothing.
Harper (FL friend)
Fine, keep your secrets.
* pouts*
Harper (FL friend)
But I’m gonna find out eventually.
Before I could shut her down with a glare, a familiar voice cut through from behind us.
Nate
Careful, Rowe. Keep blushing like that and the classroom’s gonna catch fire
He slid into the row behind us, dropping his bag on the floor with zero grace and maximum arrogance. The professor didn't even say anything. They never did.
Nate
Didn’t think you were the type to fluster
Harper (FL friend)
Ugh, do you have to always be like this?
Nate ignored her and locked eyes with me again.
Nate
What are you hiding, Rowe?
But then he leans in close.. Whispering in my ear.
Nate
Must be something juicy. You look like someone just whispered filth in your ear
I pull away instantly and turn back toward the front, heart hammering way too hard.
His voice was too close, too knowing.
And I hated that he could get under my skin so fast.
Nate Carter.
If you ask me,if he's handsome? I'll say Yes.
Hot?... Yes.
Popular?. ..Big yes.
An a**hole?... The biggest yes yes.
God! I just hated him.. And the feelings were mutual.
Cassie (FL)
Go bother someone else
Nate
I'm good here
* smirks*
After class, Harper bounced ahead while I lagged behind. And that’s when I saw him.
Some leggy blonde with a squeaky giggle and lips too glossy to be real.
They stood by the vending machines. His hand brushed hers. That smile—the one I used to dream about—was all hers now.
I Tried to look away before he saw me.
Too late.
His eyes flicked up.
Locked on mine.
Just for a second.
Just long enough for the ache to twist again.
Just long enough to wonder—was it him?
Was he ' deepsignal?'....the one behind those texts?
No. Couldn’t be.
He didn’t even like me.
DORM ROOM - LATER AT NIGHT
I curled under my blanket, lights off, staring at my screen like a fool.
God! What the hell is wrong with me..I'm acting like some desperate bit**
But.. I can't stop the thoughts crawling up my mind..
Maybe he found me boring too?.. Just like liam..
I groaned and tossed the phone across the bed.
Stared at the ceiling.
One second.
Two.
Grabbed it back.
Opened the chat.
Still nothing.
I hesitated.
Typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
@hotsiren
Nevermind. Just ignore me.
@hotsiren
I wasn’t waiting or anything. Just… couldn’t sleep.
@hotsiren
Okay. Maybe I was waiting..
I Hit send.
Closed my eyes. You didn't have to be so honest Cass.. 😖
Tried not to feel the sting of silence.
Until—
@deepsignal
I thought I lost you to the nice girls club
My fingers were moving before I could stop them..
@hotsiren
Thought maybe you forgot me.
shit! Why did I send that?..
Before I could delete..he had already read it
@deepsignal
I didn't forget
@deepsignal
I was giving you space..to admit you want me
@hotsiren
Don't flatter yourself
@deepsignal
Baby.. I don't need to
@deepsignal
You’re tucked under your blanket.
Phone pressed to your chest.
And your thighs haven’t stopped squeezing since you saw my name light up your screen.
I choked on air.
How the hell did he—
@deepsignal
I told you it’s not going away. Not until you admit it.
That your little fantasy… has a voice now.
@hotsiren
You don't know what I want
@deepsignal
Trust me baby.. I know exactly what you want.
@deepsignal
I won't say it though.. Don't wanna scare the little kitten away
I nearly dropped the phone.
My whole body was on fire. Skin burning. Heart thudding.
@deepsignal
Still there hotsiren?
@deepsignal
Don't tell me I already scared you off.
@deepsignal
Then why are you so quiet?
@deepsignal
Let's talk about something else.
@deepsignal
Like...your profile picture.. or the lack of it.
@deepsignal
You hiding baby?
I swallowed. Pulse kicking.
He noticed. Of course he did.
I looked at his—just a bare back, shadowed jaw, lips parted with a slow stream of smoke.
Face hidden, but it didn't matter. He already looked like trouble.
@hotsiren
there's nothing worth showing.
@deepsignal
That’s a lie.
And not even a good one.
@deepsignal
You picked a name like HotSiren, baby.
And I'm sure you came here for something.
@deepsignal
Don't back down now.
@deepsignal
Unless... you're not the girl you thought you could be.
I stared at the words. That one hit somewhere deep—where I hated being touched.
Liams words flooded in. "BORING"
My fingers moved before I could stop them.
@hotsiren
I Want to be that girl.
@hotsiren
But... I don’t know how.
The words looked pathetic the moment I sent them.
Too honest.
Too soft.
Vulnerable.. leaving me exposed.
A full minute passed.
No typing bubble. No response. Just the pounding in my chest.
And then—
Those three little dots.
@deepsignal
You just did.
You said it out loud.
Now you don’t have to figure it out alone.
@deepsignal
Every version of you.
And suddenly, the silence around me felt like a lie.
Because someone—some stranger—had just touched the part of me even I pretended didn’t exist.
Comments
My sói
I am officially a fan of your work, please keep sharing with us.
2025-05-07
1