The next morning, I woke up with a strange mixture of emotions swirling inside me. Last night’s kiss was still fresh in my mind, and I could feel the imprint of Martinus’ lips lingering. Part of me felt like I was floating on a cloud, unable to shake the feeling of excitement that bubbled inside me. But with that excitement came the uncertainty—the realization that things between us had truly changed, and there was no turning back.
I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying every moment by the lake. The way he had looked at me, the warmth of his hand in mine, the softness of his kiss… it all felt so surreal. How had I gone from thinking of Martinus as my sworn enemy to, well, this?
But the bigger question was: What now?
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I quickly grabbed it, half expecting a message from Martinus. Instead, it was from Nora.
Nora: Brunch at Marcus’ place. You in?
I sighed, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. Brunch meant seeing Martinus again—and Marcus, Nora, Emma. Would they notice something different between us? Could I even act normal after what happened last night?
Y/N: Sure. I’ll be there.
---
When I arrived at Marcus and Nora’s apartment, the smell of pancakes hit me before I even opened the door. I walked in to see Marcus flipping pancakes at the stove while Nora sat at the table, sipping coffee. Emma was already seated, scrolling through her phone, and Martinus… well, Martinus was leaning against the counter, his eyes immediately finding mine as I entered.
"Hey," Marcus greeted, his usual cheery tone oblivious to the tension buzzing in the room. "Pancakes are almost ready. You’re just in time."
I forced a smile, trying to act normal. "Thanks."
But as I moved to sit down next to Emma, I couldn’t help but glance at Martinus. He was watching me with that same intensity from last night, his expression unreadable, but I could feel the shift between us like a current under the surface.
"Something weird happened last night?" Emma asked casually, not even looking up from her phone. I froze for a split second, but then she added, "There’s, like, a ton of missed calls from people about some party. Did you guys go?"
Relief flooded through me as I realized she wasn’t asking about me and Martinus. "Nope, just a quiet night," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Martinus didn’t say anything, but I could feel his presence like a weight in the room. The small space between us felt charged, and every glance he threw my way was like a silent reminder of what had happened.
"So," Marcus said, sliding a plate of pancakes onto the table, "who’s up for a road trip next weekend?"
Nora perked up. "Ooh, where to?"
"I was thinking the cabin," Marcus replied, grinning. "It’s been forever since we all hung out there."
The cabin. The idea of being stuck in close quarters with Martinus for an entire weekend made my stomach twist in both anticipation and nervousness. Would I be able to handle that without everything coming out?
"Sounds fun," Emma chimed in. "I’m down."
"Me too," Nora added, smiling at Marcus.
I hesitated, glancing at Martinus, who was watching me closely, waiting for my response. His eyes held a question, like he was wondering if I was ready for whatever was happening between us to move forward.
"Yeah, sure," I finally said, my voice a little too casual. "Why not?"
---
Over the next few days, I tried to act normal—like everything between me and Martinus was the same. But it wasn’t. We exchanged glances that lingered too long, shared quiet moments that felt heavier than they should, and every time we were alone, the tension between us grew.
One afternoon, I ran into Martinus in the hallway after spending time at Marcus’ apartment. We hadn’t spoken much since that night by the lake, and the silence between us was starting to weigh on me.
"Y/N," he said, catching up to me as I walked out the door. His tone was soft, like he didn’t want anyone else to hear.
I turned to face him, my heart pounding in my chest. "What’s up?"
He hesitated for a moment, his expression uncertain. "We should talk. About what happened."
The kiss. Everything that had changed since then. I had been avoiding this conversation, not sure if I was ready to deal with it yet. But Martinus wasn’t going to let me keep running forever.
"Yeah," I said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. "We probably should."
We stood in the hallway for a moment, neither of us saying anything, the air between us thick with the unspoken words. Finally, Martinus sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, I know this is all new and weird," he said, his voice low. "But I meant what I said that night. I want to figure this out. I just don’t know where we go from here."
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. "Neither do I," I admitted, my voice softer than I intended. "But I don’t want to mess things up. I mean, what if…?"
"What if we don’t?" he interrupted gently, his eyes locking onto mine. "What if this is something good, and we’re both too scared to see it?"
His words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I had been so focused on the possibility of things going wrong, of ruining everything, that I hadn’t stopped to consider that maybe—just maybe—this could be something right.
"I’m scared, Martinus," I finally whispered, my voice shaking. "But maybe you’re right. Maybe we should see where this goes."
His gaze softened, and a small, hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "That’s all I’m asking."
We stood there, the distance between us closing as his words sank in. Slowly, carefully, he reached out and took my hand, his touch gentle but grounding. The simple gesture made my heart race, but this time, I didn’t pull away.
This time, I let myself feel it.
---
The weekend trip to the cabin came faster than I’d expected. As we all piled into Marcus’ car, the air was filled with excitement and anticipation. But underneath the surface, I couldn’t shake the nervous energy that came with being around Martinus.
He sat next to me in the back seat, his arm casually resting near mine, and every small movement he made felt magnified. It wasn’t like before, when we could ignore each other or brush off the tension with a snide remark. Now, everything felt different. Real.
The drive was filled with laughter and chatter from Marcus, Nora, and Emma, but I was only half listening. My thoughts kept drifting to the weekend ahead, to the conversations Martinus and I would inevitably have.
As we drove deeper into the woods, toward the cabin nestled in the trees, I couldn’t help but feel like this weekend was a turning point—a moment where everything could either fall apart or come together.
And for the first time, I wasn’t sure which one I was hoping for.
