Daylight - Paige Bueckers

i couldn't wait

January 5th, 2024

Alex's POV:

When the doorbell rang, I glanced at the time on my phone—11:47 PM. Who in the world would be showing up here this late? My roommates were already in bed, and I wasn't exactly expecting anyone. A part of me had this weird feeling, though, like maybe, just maybe, I knew who it was.

I got up from the couch, making my way to the front door. I didn't even bother looking through the peephole. I just opened it.

There she was. Paige.

Her hair was slightly damp from the snow, cheeks flushed from the cold, but she looked determined—her eyes were locked on me like she had a purpose. She wasn't here for small talk.

"Paige? What are you doing here?" My voice came out softer than I expected, the surprise of her showing up throwing me off guard.

She stepped inside, barely waiting for me to get out of the way. The cold air rushed in behind her, but I didn't care. 

"I couldn't wait," she said, brushing past me, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with urgency.

I shut the door behind her, trying to process what was happening. I hadn't seen her since she left for Nebraska, and the last few texts we'd exchanged were still fresh in my mind. But this? This was different.

Paige turned to face me, and for a moment, we just stood there. The tension between us wasn't the awkward kind anymore—it was something else, something electric. I could feel it buzzing in the air between us.

"You couldn't wait for what?" I asked, taking a small step closer to her. I wasn't sure where this was going, but my heart was already racing.

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out something small, handing it to me. It was the Polaroid I had slipped into her bag before she left. My stomach flipped as I realized what this was about.

"I've been thinking about this. About you. The whole time," she admitted, her eyes meeting mine with a kind of vulnerability that I hadn't seen from her in a while. "I couldn't get it out of my head."

I swallowed, the weight of her words sinking in. I hadn't expected her to bring this up so soon, but there was something about the way she was looking at me, the way her voice softened, that told me she wasn't playing around.

"I wasn't trying to mess with you," I said, my voice a little lower. "I just wanted to remind you of home. Of me."

She stepped closer again, and this time, she didn't stop. Her hand came up to rest against my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt like she was holding onto me for balance.

"I didn't forget. Trust me, I didn't forget," she whispered, her breath warm against my neck as she leaned in, her body brushing against mine. My pulse quickened.