I was still half-asleep when Sky barged into my room the next morning, phone in hand, wearing the kind of grin that meant trouble.
"Bro. You will not believe this," he said, practically bouncing onto the edge of my bed. "The whole school group chat is blowing up—Bella Lopez apparently has a mystery man."
I rubbed my eyes. "Sky, it's too early for whatever you're—"
He shoved his phone in my face. Blurry photos from the festival filled the screen. Bella, smiling under a sky of fireworks, leaning close to someone—someone carrying her on his back in one picture. My coat was unmistakable. My face, thankfully, wasn't visible.
"Look at this! No one knows who it is. People are betting on names, bro. Betting. They're calling him 'Firework Guy.'" Sky was already rambling, spinning theories like some conspiracy podcast host. "Could be someone from another school. Could be a tourist. Maybe she's secretly dating—"
Sky was still mid-ramble about how my "mystery romance" was apparently all over the school's group chat when a knock came at my door.
"Hold that thought," I muttered, getting up.
When I opened the door, Bella stood there, hair tied up in a loose bun, casual sweater and leggings making her look like she'd just stepped out of a cozy autumn ad. She held my coat neatly folded over her arm.
"You forgot this last night," she said with a small smile, stepping inside just far enough to hand it to me.
"Oh—thanks," I replied, taking it from her.
Her gaze flicked briefly toward Sky, who was sitting frozen in my desk chair, mid-spin, his mouth half-open.
"Morning," she said politely to him before turning back to me. "I'll see you later."
And just like that, she was gone, the faint scent of her shampoo lingering in the air.
Sky stayed perfectly still for about three seconds after the door shut. Then he turned slowly toward me, eyes wide.
"That coat…" he said.
"What about it?" I asked, draping it over the back of my chair.
He pointed, his voice going up an octave. "That's the same coat the mystery guy in the festival pictures was wearing."
I stared back at him blankly. "So?"
His jaw dropped. "So?! That means—" He cut himself off, shaking his head as if trying to process the cosmic injustice of me keeping something from him. "It was you. You were the mystery guy with Bella. All. Along."
I shrugged, picking up my phone as casually as I could. "Guess so."
Sky leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "And you weren't going to tell me?"
"Wasn't important."
"Not important?!" He flopped back dramatically in the chair, groaning. "You carried Isabella Lopez under the fireworks and didn't tell your best friend? You're a monster."
Sky leaned back in my desk chair, spinning it once with a smug look plastered across his face.
"Alright, Marx Cartez… start talking. Everything. From the moment you left your house to the fireworks. And no skipping the juicy parts."
"There are no 'juicy parts.'"
He snorted. "Bro, you carried Bella Lopez—Isabella freaking Lopez—on your back under the fireworks like you were in some telenovela. There are definitely juicy parts."
I ran a hand over my face. "It wasn't like that. We just… walked around the festival. Talked. That's it."
"Walked around the festival?" He leaned forward. "You mean together, right? Side by side? Stopping at stalls? Sharing food?"
I hesitated. "…Yeah, maybe."
Sky's grin widened like a shark's. "And you looked at each other, didn't you?"
"…We might have looked."
"Might have looked?! Brother, those pictures look like you were seconds away from confessing undying love."
I rolled my eyes. "You're exaggerating. We just hung out. Saw the sights. It was… nice."
Sky was already shaking his head. "'Nice' is what people say when they don't want to admit it was magical. Let me guess—you two laughed at something dumb, and then bam, fireworks?"
I sighed, trying not to smile. "She got blisters from her shoes, so I carried her to a park where we could see them better."
Sky slapped both hands over his mouth like he was physically holding in a scream. "Do you hear yourself?! That's romantic comedy finale level material!"
"It wasn't a date," I said flatly.
"Right," he replied, spinning in the chair again. "Just two people in the most romantic setting possible, walking under glowing lanterns, sharing smiles, ending the night with you carrying her on your back. Totally platonic."
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him.
He caught it midair, still grinning. "Ohhh, you're in so much trouble, Firework Guy."
"You know… the way she looked at you? The way she walked in here just to bring your coat? She's falling for you, man."
I rolled my eyes. "You're reading too much into it."
He smirked knowingly. "Maybe. But answer me this—why did she even walk in here like she knew the place? Is she here often? Or is this one of those things you're 'saving for another day' to tell me?"
I paused, letting his question hang in the air. "Another day," I said finally.
Sky groaned, throwing his head back. "You're killing me, Cartez."