12 Steps to Not Fall in Love on Wattpad

ᴛʜᴇ "ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ɢꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ʙʀᴀɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ" ᴛʏᴘᴇ 💌

I have a girlfriend.

Me. The same girl who barely manages a full sentence when talking to someone she likes, who avoids feelings like the plague, who has spent her entire life convinced that relationships just aren't for her. Who didn't think she was ready.

And still isn't.

Somehow, against all odds, I-Nini, the queen of emotional unavailability-have a girlfriend.

- What got you smiling like that?

I blink, yanked out of my thoughts so fast that I almost drop my phone.

- Hm?

Keeping a straight face proves to be a challenge when I can still feel the ghost of my own smile, like I was caught red-handed doing something illegal. Would she buy it if I said I just saw a meme?

Probably not.

- Is it a boyfriend? - My mom's smirk is practically glowing with amusement, as if she already knows the answer and is just waiting for me to confirm it so she can finally start planning the wedding.

The second she says "boyfriend," my whole body reacts before I can stop it. My face twists in an automatic grimace, my stomach churns, and I have to resist the urge to physically shake off the discomfort crawling up my spine. Just the thought of me with a guy again makes my skin itch, like I'm being dragged backward into a phase of my life I never want to revisit.

She's been waiting for this moment for over ten years, so I get why she wants me to start dating. And she's not completely wrong. I did find someone.

Just not a boy.

But she definitely doesn't need to know that part.

- Of course not, mom. - I try to sound normal and cover up my reaction by forcing a casual shrug. - It's just a meme.

She squints at me, eyes narrowing like she's trying to read between the lines of my very unconvincing lie.

I glance down at my phone, fingers moving fast as I switch apps, just in case she gets any ideas about asking to see this so-called meme I was laughing at.

Wait.

I don't actually have a meme to show her.

Shit.

- Mhmm.

And that's it. That's all she says before turning back to her show, leaving me sitting there, frozen, my heart still thudding like it's trying to escape my chest.

She let it go. No dramatic interrogation, no suspicious looks. I don't know how I managed to get out of that, but I am not about to question my luck.

A notification pops up at the top of my screen, and I risk another glance at my mom. She's still focused on the TV. No side-eyeing.

Good.

I turn down the brightness, just in case, and tap on the message. The second I see what she sent, I have to press my lips together to keep from smiling again.

A GIF.

I shake my head, fingers flying across the keyboard.

You: I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. I love every part of you, even the sleepy part that leaves me on read.

You: At least now I can finally call you mine.

A few seconds later, another message appears. This time, it's a picture of a crying cat with some overly dramatic apology.

Lily: I'm all yours, baby.

I let out a breath, staring at the screen for a moment longer than necessary, letting the words sink in.

I have a girlfriend.

It still doesn't make sense. I mean, since when do I do things like this? Since when do I let someone in, knowing full well that they could change their mind, get tired of me, or realize that I'm way more trouble than I'm worth?

None of this is supposed to be happening. And yet, somehow, it is.

I have a girlfriend.

And that sounds terrifyingly exciting.