in the ring / harry styles

12- Until Next Time

The next morning, I woke to the soft rustling of sheets as Noah stirred beside me. He blinked up, still a little groggy, and then grinned as his eyes fell on his controller nearby. Clearly, he was ready to get one more game in before Dad arrived. Sunlight crept through the blinds, casting soft, angled shadows across the room. Lynn and Emilia's sides were untouched, their usual clutter quietly framing the space. Lynn's scattered books and stray clothes added a comfortable disarray, while Emilia's perfectly stacked notebooks and tidy pens stood untouched on her desk. The familiar mix of their things brought a sense of ease, grounding me in the shared chaos of our space.

As Noah grabbed the controller, I settled next to him, still wrapped in my throw blanket, and watched him boot up the game. His face was lit with pure focus and excitement, his competitive streak already in high gear as he declared he'd beat me in "just one last round." We played a couple more matches, our laughter filling the room as he took win after win, his victory dances getting bolder with each game.

Then a soft knock sounded at the door, and I moved to open it, catching a glimpse of Dad on the other side, his expression warm despite the slight weariness around his eyes. He stepped inside, his gaze softening as he took in Noah with the controller still in hand, surrounded by game cases and snack wrappers.

"Hey, Noah!" Dad greeted, stepping further into the room and reaching out to ruffle Noah's already-messy hair. "Did you have a good time?"

Noah lit up, nodding enthusiastically. "The best time, Dad. I want to come back soon—like, really soon!"

Dad chuckled, a genuine laugh that made the tiredness in his face seem to ease. "That good, huh?"

Noah grinned even wider and gave me a conspiratorial smile. "Yeah, and Harry played games with us! He's pretty good—almost as good as me," he said, his voice dripping with pride.

Dad raised an eyebrow, his surprise evident. "Harry?"

"Yep!" Noah continued, oblivious to Dad's curiosity. "Lucy's friend. He knows all the best moves, and he gave me tips for getting better. He even helped me figure out how to talk to Danny, you know, my friend from school."

I could feel Dad's gaze shift to me, a hint of curiosity and something else in his expression. His eyes lingered, picking up on details, likely piecing together the hint of something more as he asked, "Oh... Harry?" He held my gaze for a moment before glancing back at Noah, clearly trying to understand what had transpired.

Keeping my tone light, I shrugged. "Yeah, he's just a friend, but he was great with Noah. They really connected over games, and he gave Noah a pep talk about his friend situation."

Dad's face softened as he looked back at Noah, who was happily packing up his games, humming a tune to himself. "Well, sounds like you two had a pretty memorable night," he said, though I could feel the unspoken curiosity still hanging in the air.

Without missing a beat, Noah glanced up at me, eyes wide with excitement. "Lucy, can we invite him next time? Maybe we can do a tournament or something!"

I smiled, ruffling his hair again. "Sure, buddy. If he's free, I'm sure he'd love to come back."

Dad's gaze lingered a little longer, a slight smile forming as he nodded, though there was a faint hint of intrigue in his expression. "Well, if he's that important to you and Noah, maybe I'll have to meet him sometime," he said, his voice casual but with a gentle insistence that made my cheeks warm.

"Maybe," I replied with a small laugh, brushing it off lightly.

With his games packed away, Noah slung his backpack over his shoulder, practically buzzing with excitement as he gave me a big wave. "See you soon, Lucy!" he shouted, bouncing toward the door. "Tell Harry I'll beat him next time!"

I laughed, waving them off as they headed down the hallway.