𐙚𓏲⋆ ִֶָ ๋𓂃 ⋆
It all started at an afterparty. The Outer Banks premiere had wrapped, and the night was alive with music, chatter, and the hum of celebration. Kaia Russell didn't expect much-just drinks, laughter, and catching up with her friend, M...
After breakfast, Kaia was sprawled across her hotel bed, scrolling through her phone with coffee in one hand and sunglasses perched on her head. The dull hum of city traffic buzzed faintly through the window, and for once, she felt... content. Calm.
That was, until a text from Madelyn popped up.
"You've seen this, right? 😏"
Kaia furrowed her brows, heart sinking slightly. What now?
She clicked the link Mads had sent, and sure enough, it led straight to a gossip Instagram page. Bright and bold, the headline practically screamed at her.
"NEW COUPLE ALERT? 👀 Drew Starkey and Kaia Russell spotted at breakfast together this morning in NYC! Fans speculate there's more going on after their late-night chat at the Outer Banks afterparty. Let's break it down!"
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Her stomach dropped.
The comment section was already chaos:
"They look cute. Don't lie to yourself." "Who is SHE?? Someone fill me in pls." "Y'all... they've got chemistry. Idc." "Drew is a grown man, let him live. But also, 👀 I'm INVESTED." "Didn't he just break up with Odessa like... 2 seconds ago??"
"Oh no," Kaia muttered to herself, clicking out of the comments. The sheer speed at which the internet could spin something out of nothing still stunned her.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed again—this time with a new follower notification.
Hundreds of them, actually.
Her DMs were already flooded with people asking questions, sending screenshots, or outright speculating: "Are you dating Drew??" "You're so lucky 😭" "We need answers!!"
Kaia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Great. Just great."
Meanwhile, Drew was in his own hotel room, standing by the window with his phone buzzing nonstop in his hand. He hadn't even opened Instagram yet, but Madelyn's text came through loud and clear.
"You two broke the internet. You're welcome. 😂"
Drew frowned, swiping to Instagram and opening the post Madelyn had sent him. His first thought was that the paparazzi really didn't miss a damn thing. His second thought? Shit.
They looked like they'd been doing this for years.
His phone buzzed again with another text, this time from a friend. "Damn, bro. Who's the mystery girl?"
Drew shook his head, sighing under his breath. "Mystery girl. Great."
It wasn't like anything happened. They'd gotten breakfast. They'd talked. They'd laughed. But to anyone on the outside, it looked like something, and in Drew's world, that was enough for the internet to lose its collective mind.
He clicked into the comments briefly, skimming through them. Fans were guessing, speculating, even debating. A few comments made him laugh under his breath.
"Raw, next question." "So y'all just gonna date like that in front of us??"
Yeah. The internet wasn't letting this go anytime soon.
Back in Kaia's room, she had just managed to sip her now-cold coffee when her phone rang. Madelyn's name lit up on the screen.
"Hello?" Kaia answered warily.
"Good morning, starlet," Madelyn sang into the phone, clearly entertained.
Kaia sighed, sinking back against the headboard. "You're having way too much fun with this."
"You know me—never misses a headline."
"You set us up," Kaia shot back, though she couldn't keep the small smile off her lips.
"Don't blame me for the chemistry, Kaia. You two looked like a movie walking out of that cafe," Madelyn teased. "Did you see the post?"
"I saw it," Kaia muttered. "So did half of Instagram."
Madelyn laughed. "Relax. It's not that deep."
"Tell that to the internet."
"Or tell it to Drew," Madelyn added slyly. "He probably doesn't care."
Kaia paused, chewing her lip. "Yeah, well... I don't know. This is kind of weird for me."
"It's only weird if you make it weird," Madelyn replied, ever the optimist. "Just go with it. Besides, you do realize how cute you two looked, right?"
Kaia let out a groan, throwing a pillow across the bed. "Goodbye, Mads."
"Goodbye, future power couple!" Madelyn cackled before hanging up.
Kaia dropped her phone beside her and stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea how to feel about all of this, but one thing was for sure—last night wasn't staying just between them anymore.
And as much as she wanted to deny it, the thought of Drew seeing the post sent her stomach into nervous flips.
She grabbed her phone again, opening Instagram just to check.
There, at the top of her notifications: Drew Starkey liked your photo.
