a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 11

Later that night, after Perci had fallen asleep, Shadow lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come easily to him, not after everything that had happened. The quiet of the night was almost suffocating, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He rolled over, glancing at Perci's journal, which was left carelessly on the nearby table.

Curiosity gnawed at him. He knew it was wrong, but something inside him—the same dark part of him that thrived on chaos and control—compelled him to reach for it. He told himself it wasn't about invading her privacy. It was just... information gathering.

Carefully, he flipped open the journal, his eyes scanning the neatly written lines. At first, it was just mundane things—daily tasks, thoughts about the village, notes on fixing tools. But as he read on, his heart started to beat a little faster.

"Why is it that Shadow has to be so cold? He's so handsome... so strong. But he doesn't care about anyone. I wish he'd just let down his walls for a second. Maybe then we could..."

Shadow blinked, taken aback. Handsome? Perci thought he was handsome?

He flipped to another page, his curiosity piqued even more.

"If only he could be a little nicer, maybe we could actually be something. A real team. Or... more than that. I don't know. It's crazy to think, but sometimes I catch myself wishing he could be my boyfriend. I must be out of my mind."

Shadow stared at the words, his grip tightening on the journal. Perci wanted to date him? The idea was absurd. She wanted him, of all people, to be her boyfriend? He couldn't wrap his mind around it. No one had ever wanted to get close to him, especially not in that way.

His eyes narrowed as he continued reading, his mind racing.

"It's stupid, though. Shadow will never change. I don't even know why I'm writing this. Maybe I'm just crazy for even thinking someone like him would care about someone like me."

Crazy? That word stuck with him. She thought she was crazy for having feelings for him? Shadow closed the journal, a frown creasing his face. He wasn't sure why, but something about that bothered him. It wasn't like he ever cared what people thought of him. But this... was different.

For the first time in a long while, Shadow didn't know what to think.

He set the journal back down where he found it, quietly, so as not to wake her. Sitting back down on the couch, his mind reeled. Why would Perci, of all people, be interested in him? He was a loner, a soldier of darkness, someone who thrived in chaos. And yet, she saw something in him. She saw something worth caring about.

The thought twisted in his chest, both uncomfortable and oddly warming.

As the minutes passed, Shadow found himself stealing glances at Perci's sleeping form. She lay peacefully in her bed, oblivious to the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind.

Boyfriend, huh? Could he even imagine being someone like that for her—or for anyone?

He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "She's the one who's crazy..."

But as the night stretched on, Shadow couldn't help but feel the tiniest flicker of something deep within him—a flicker of possibility.