My first crush (COMPLETED)√

Chapter 12

I lay on my bed after dinner, staring up at the ceiling. The room was quiet, but my mind was anything but. Thoughts swirled restlessly, tangling together until there was only one thing left at the center of it all — him.

Stephen.

Could he really have feelings for me? How could I even be sure? He dated girls the way people changed outfits — casually, effortlessly. He had cheated on Patricia, and if he could do that to her, what made me think I would be any different?

And yet...

I liked him. More than I should.

I groaned softly, covering my face with my hands. This isn't right. I shouldn't even be thinking about this. But no matter how hard I tried, my heart refused to cooperate with my logic.

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Stephen's POV

Sleep refused to come.

I tossed and turned, staring into the darkness, but Sharon's face lingered in my mind like a stubborn shadow. I had never felt this attached to anyone before. It unsettled me, yet I couldn't push it away.

I just wanted to hear her voice. To know she was okay.

It was because of me she had fallen down those stairs. That thought gnawed at me relentlessly. What if she never forgave me? What if she only saw me as the chaos I had brought into her life?

I sat up, frustrated, and reached for the remote. Maybe Netflix would numb my thoughts enough to make me sleepy. Minutes passed... then an hour. Nothing worked.

My gaze drifted to my phone lying beside me.

I hesitated. Calling her might be too much. Too direct. Too intense. So instead, I typed.

"Are you asleep?"

I sent it, heart beating faster than it should have, waiting anxiously for her reply.

⸻

Sharon's POV

My phone beeped, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I picked it up lazily, only for my breath to catch when I saw his name lighting up the screen. Of all people... the very one I'd been thinking about.

Why was he texting this late? I couldn't guess. Mind-reading wasn't exactly my strength.

"No," I replied, curious, waiting for whatever reason had pushed him to reach out.

His response came quickly.

"Sharon... I haven't been able to sleep because I'm thinking about you. Please forgive me. I'm sorry."

The sincerity in his words softened something inside me before I could stop it. My fingers moved before my brain could intervene.

"Baby, I'm not angry with you."

I froze.

"Oh no!" I gasped, eyes widening. I tried to cancel it, but it was already sent. My heart thudded in panic. I hurried to type another message to correct myself — but he was faster.

"Baby? Sharon, I love this version of you."

I could almost hear the excitement in his voice through the screen. Convincing him this was a mistake would take serious effort.

"It was a mistake. I swear," I replied quickly.

"No need to deny it, babe. You're in love with me 🙂."

I rolled my eyes, determined to fix this misunderstanding. But tonight, my fingers betrayed me again. Careless. Distracted.

"I'm in love with you."

Send.

My stomach dropped.

I forgot to type the word not.

⸻

Stephen's POV

The moment I read her message, my heart leapt.

"She said it... she finally said it." I whispered to myself, grinning like an idiot in the dark.

"Oh, Sharon... I'm not just in love. I'm crazily in love with you."

⸻

Sharon's POV

Panic surged through me.

"I didn't mean that," I texted immediately, hoping to salvage the situation.

There was a pause — long enough for me to imagine him celebrating — before his reply appeared.

"Babe, stop pretending after your confession."

I exhaled sharply. This conversation was going nowhere.

"What's the use of explaining the truth to you? Don't text or call me ever again!"

I switched off my phone before he could reply, burying my face into my pillow.

"Gosh! What came over me?" I groaned.

"I told him the whole truth... Why did you do that, Sharon? Why?"

My heart pounded, caught between embarrassment and something far more dangerous — the truth I was so desperate to deny.