𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃

43

Song:
a thousand years- christina perri
slowed + reverb

LEENA

"I'm telling you, Leena! I'm practically one hundred percent sure they're secretly going out," Lilith exclaims, her voice brimming with enthusiasm as her eyes widen with certainty.

"I mean, every single time I bring up Matt in a conversation, she suddenly gets all weird and starts changing the subject like it's some big mystery. And don't even get me started on the massive, lovesick grin that takes over her entire face whenever he comes anywhere near her. It's so obvious! She practically lights up!" She pauses for a moment, glancing around the parking lot before furrowing her brow in confusion. "Speaking of Reyna, where is she, anyway?"

At this point, it wasn't even a question—everyone in the group knew about Reyna and Matt.

The signs had been far too obvious, and no amount of deflection or avoidance could erase what was plain for everyone to see. It wasn't a matter of if they were together, but how long they thought they could keep pretending that they weren't.

Their so-called secret relationship had become something of a running joke among us.

Reyna believed she was stealthy, that she could carefully conceal her feelings behind guarded expressions and casual shrugs. Matt? Well, he wasn't much better.

The two of them had about as much subtlety as a neon sign flashing in the middle of the night. The way her eyes would soften whenever he spoke, the subtle way he would gravitate toward her even when there was plenty of space elsewhere, the smirks he reserved only for her—all of it betrayed what they refused to admit.

They had no idea how transparent they were. Every lingering glance, every shared laugh that stretched just a bit too long, every excuse to stand a little closer had given them away piece by piece.

Even when they tried to act nonchalant, they stumbled. Like the time Reyna had tripped over her own words when someone casually mentioned Matt's name, her cheeks flaming red as she stammered her way into an entirely unrelated subject.

Or the way Matt's grin stretched wide whenever she was around, a look so full of affection that it might as well have been a declaration written across his face.

We didn't call them out—not directly, at least. It was more fun to watch them dance around the truth, convinced they were still fooling everyone. But practically everyone had noticed by now.

Their little charade was a secret only in their minds. It wasn't mean-spirited, the way we watched them—if anything, it was endearing.

There was a certain sweetness in how determined they were to keep their hearts guarded while they clung so tightly to each other.

Eventually, they'd realize that love doesn't hide well. It's in the way your eyes search for someone even when they're already in the room.

It's in the way your voice softens when you speak their name. It's in the million small things that spill out even when you're doing your best to hold it all in. And Reyna and Matt? They were overflowing.

I shrug, keeping a neutral expression on my face as I shift my weight from one foot to the other.

The sun is beginning its slow descent, casting long shadows across the pavement as the school day finally comes to an end.

We're standing in the parking lot, surrounded by the hum of students chatting and cars pulling away. I glance around idly, waiting. I wanted to see Angel before I went home, but he's nowhere to be seen. He's probably still talking to Mitch, or maybe caught up with something else.