⌗ 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

10

y/n stirred in her bed, a groan escaping her lips as she pulled the blankets over her head. the morning light filtered through her blinds, casting faint shadows across her room, but it was the doorbell that jarred her from her sleep, a piercing ring echoing through the quiet of her house. she buried her head deeper into the pillow, groaning again as she tried to block out the noise. 'it's probably nothing...' she thought, desperately trying to ignore the persistent ringing. it could be a kid ding-dong ditching her, jacob, a delivery man, or—god forbid—austin.

either way, she didn't need to open the door. she didn't want to. she was too tired, too comfortable to deal with anyone this early in the morning.

just as y/n began to relax, sinking back into the warmth of her bed and the prospect of sleep, the doorbell went off again. and again. whoever was on the other side wasn't giving up. "ugh..." she groaned, throwing the blankets off her with a frustrated huff. she rubbed at her tired eyes, her hair a tangled mess from tossing and turning, and made no effort to clean herself up.

whoever was at the door could deal with her looking like a disaster. storming downstairs, she reached the door, her footsteps heavy as she practically yanked it open, ready to give whoever it was a piece of her mind. her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who was standing on the other side. "nina?" she exclaimed.

nina stood there, worry etched across her face, her eyes scanning y/n as if checking to see if she was okay. she didn't even wait for an invitation, gently but firmly pushing past y/n and stepping inside. "i came as soon as i saw your text," she said, her voice laced with concern.

y/n blinked, still processing the fact that her best friend was now in her living room. "what...what? w-what time is it?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes again, trying to shake off the lingering grogginess.

"it's almost eight," nina replied, glancing around the room before her eyes settled on y/n. "you look like you've been through hell. are you okay? what happened with austin?"

y/n sighed, running a hand through her messy hair as she shut the door. "i'm fine...i think," she mumbled, feeling the weight of everything that had happened the day before starting to settle in. she hadn't even had the chance to fully process it herself.

nina's expression softened, her concern deepening as she led y/n to the couch, gently nudging her to sit. "tell me everything." she urged, sitting beside her, her eyes never leaving y/n's face. the h/c-haired woman hesitated for a moment, unsure where to even begin. the events from yesterday felt like a blur now, the anxiety that had gripped her chest the night before still lingering in the back of her mind.

slowly, she sat down, tucking her legs beneath her as she tried to gather her scattered thoughts. "well..." she started, her voice trailing off as she pushed herself to recall everything from the day before. it was strange—how she had shoved all of it into the back of her mind, almost trying to forget. to go back and relive it now made her stomach churn. she rubbed at her temples, the fog of exhaustion and anxiety weighing on her.

"it happened when we went to the mall," y/n began, her voice soft. "you know, when you left to go to the bathroom..." she paused, feeling the memory resurface. "austin saw me in line for food and started hitting on me. i tried to ignore him, but he just wouldn't take no for an answer."

"ew!" nina gagged. "he sounds terrible," she shivered, her face twisted in disgust. "he didn't...try anything, did he?" she hesitantly inquired.

"no," y/n said quickly, shaking her head. she could still feel the uncomfortable heat from austin's gaze, the way his voice had slithered through her thoughts, but at least he hadn't gone beyond words. "but...he did say that he remembered my address. he told me he'd come by my house." y/n sighed. the tension in her chest crept back in, the very idea of austin showing up at her doorstep making her nauseous.

nina's eyes widened in shock. she covered her mouth with her hand, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "really? he said that? what happened after that? d-did he come by?"

"i wouldn't know." y/n shrugged, fiddling with the sleeve of her shirt. "i ended up sleeping over at jacob's since i didn't know what else to do..."

"jacob? who's jacob?" nina asked, her brows furrowing as she leaned back slightly, clearly confused. just as y/n opened her mouth to explain, nina's eyes lit up in realization. "wait—the creepy neighbor guy?" she gasped, her voice a harsh whisper, as if she was scared that he might overhear them.

y/n couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at her friend's dramatic reaction. "he's not creepy," she defended jacob, her laughter still soft in her voice.

nina narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. "not creepy? y/n, you barely know him. he's always so...i don't know. quiet. weird. like, you know those guys that just...hover?" she added, waving her hand around as if to emphasize the awkwardness she felt about jacob, which y/n found ironic because— as far as she's concerned— nina and jacob have yet to actually talk with one another.

y/n shook her head again, still smiling. "he's just shy, nina. and besides, i didn't exactly have a lot of options last night," she explained. "i didn't want to risk austin showing up, and jacob offered for me to stay over. he's sweet, really." she tried to reassure her friend but once y/n saw the look in nina's eyes, she sighed, knowing it would be hard to change nina's perspective. "look, i know he seems a little...off, but he's really nice once you get to know him. i just don't want you to think he's some kind of creep because he's different." she rubbed her face, the weight of the conversation settling in. "he didn't have to let me stay, and i appreciated that he did. plus...he made me breakfast this morning."

nina raised a brow, clearly not expecting that. "breakfast? okay, i'll give him some points for that. but..." she leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you know if he does something weird, you can call me, right? i'll come get you. no matter what." she added.

y/n smiled, reaching over to lightly punch nina's arm. "i know. but seriously, don't worry. jacob's harmless and he's a pretty big guy, he totally could've protected me from austin if it ever came to it..." she pointed out.

nina leaned back, still a bit skeptical, but she let out a sigh. "okay, okay. but if this austin guy shows up again? you call me right away. no exceptions." she emphasized, her tone firm.

"deal," y/n replied, grateful for nina's concern, even if it did make her laugh a bit. still, in the back of her mind, the thought lingered. jacob isn't creepy, right?