That day passed in a blur. Nadrien didn't give me a chance to overthink anything—he just kept feeding me snacks, ice cream, little treats here and there, until I eventually forgot all my worries and happily indulged. But on the walk home that night, alone with him, my thoughts started to run wild again as I licked my ice cream under the starry sky.
Why is he giving me so much food?
Could it be he likes me back?
Maybe he does, oh my god, if he likes me, and I like him back, shouldn't we already be together kissing?
My imagination ran away with me. Omg, I wonder how kissing feels with him? It must be like flowers blossoming, right? That's how people always describe it…
Brother is so tall, kissing him would mean I'd need to tiptoe hm, that's hot too but maybe I should grow taller so I don't accidentally break his back or neck.
I was fully lost in my daydream, imagining a slow, passionate kiss beneath the starry night, And then—
A sudden, loud, awkward cough broke the silence.
I blinked. Nadrien. His face. Completely, utterly red. Hot enough to make me feel like the stars themselves had caught fire. He didn't even meet my eyes. Instead, he awkwardly covered his mouth with his fist, looking anywhere but me.
Oh god. Oh no. He's, embarrassed? My heart skipped a beat, but so did my brain. And just like that, my perfectly imagined romantic night turned into absolute chaos.
And that's when it hit me.
My eyes went wide, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. "Oh shit! I forgot!" I really wanted to vanish. Again. I had forgotten—he could read minds.
Oh my god, why does this keep happening to me?!
"Ahhh! I'm sorry! Oh God, I want to vanish! Please, sky, take me away! Or the ground, dig me in! Or the wind—just let me turn into thin air! Please!" I muttered nonstop, like a broken record of embarrassment.
Nadrien, ever calm, raised a hand and slowly caressed his own face before speaking, his voice soft and gentle as always. "It's okay, I'm almost used to it. Calm down."
I blinked, and, of course, forgot everything again. His voice, his eyes, oh my god, so beautiful, so gentle and hot.
Nadrien's eyes twitched, and I noticed him awkwardly looking away, ears slightly red.
Iscoffed, tugging at my hair. I need to stop thinking! But of course, I didn't. I kept holding my hair as I dared to glance at him, heart thumping, and asked, "Brother, I'm sorry. I can't control these damn thoughts. I must be making you feel so uncomfortable, right?"
"If that were the case," Nadrien replied instantly, voice deep and soft, "I wouldn't be here walking with you."
I froze, shocked. "Then, can I actually, continue to think them? About you?" His gaze sharpened for a moment, serious, steady.
"Yes, you can," he said suddenly. "I'd rather have you think about me all day than about anyone else. That'd be unbearable for me." He whispered the last line, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.
I couldn't contain myself. I giggled, pure and happy. "So I can think about him all the time. Good, good!" I skipped ahead, ice cream in hand, savoring every bite.
Somehow, it tasted sweeter, more perfect than ever.
I didn't notice Nadrien behind me, smiling softly, shaking his head slightly, ears tinged red, quietly watching the chaos that was my heart.
The next morning hit me like a truck full of sparkles. I woke up smiling. No reason. Just smiling like an idiot. My pillow was soaked in drool, my hair was doing its best impression of a bird's nest, and yet—I felt like I'd just been kissed by life itself.
Maybe because of him.
My brain replayed last night on loop like a broken radio. His voice, that faint smile, his words.
"I'd rather have you think about me all day than anyone else."
Cue internal screaming. I buried my face into my pillow and kicked my blanket. "Oh my god, he said that, he actually said that!" I squealed quietly into the fabric. My heart was having a rave and I was the DJ of delusion.
Then my bedroom door swung open.
"Why are you yelling this early?" Nayel stood there, hair messy, holding a toothbrush like a sword. "It's 7:30, not therapy hour."
Nayel had a sleepover with me at my house. It was basically his own house as well. We've been so close that one another's house is just our house.
I froze, eyes wide. "Nothing! Just... morning excitement!"
"Excitement? You hate mornings." He squinted, suspicious. "What happened yesterday? Did brother said something?"
My soul instantly panicked. "NOTHING! We just… talked."
"Talked?" He leaned against the doorframe. "You mean when you walked home together? You came back looking like you'd won the lottery."
I groaned, covering my face. "Nayel, please, can't a man enjoy his innocent memories in peace?"
He raised a brow. "Innocent? With you? Yeah, sure. You've probably been mentally writing your wedding vows with my brother already."
I sat up straight, dramatic as ever. "You underestimate my brain's creativity. I'm on honeymoon stage, mentally. Maldives. Or maybe Paris. Oh wait, he probably already knows that—damn it, he reads minds! I keep forgetting!"
Nayel snorted, walking off. "At least he's getting a live broadcast. My brother's a Lucky guy."
"LUCKY?!" I shouted after him, grabbing my pillow and throwing it at the door. "He probably thinks I'm insane!"
From the hallway, Nayel's voice echoed, "He's still hanging out with you, so maybe he's into insane."
I froze. Then smiled.
Maybe he is.
My phone buzzed on the table. One message.
From: Brother Nadrien.
> Don't forget your jacket. It'll be cold today.
That was it. Just that. But I grinned so hard my face hurt. I hugged the phone to my chest, kicking my blanket again.
Okay maybe I am insane. But at least he texted first.
School was a nightmare wrapped in uniforms and fluorescent lights.
I sat at my desk, trying so hard to act normal. Pencil in hand, notebook open—but my brain had already left the building. It was doing loop-de-loops around last night: Nadrien's words, his faint smile, the red of his ears… and yes, that line about thinking about him all day.
I scribbled notes like a maniac, then immediately erased them. Then scribbled again. Then… stared at the paper. Great. Math class was officially over.
From the corner of my eye, I glancd at the window, down at the basketball court. Where he was standing...Nadrien. Calmly leaning against the wall, looking like a statue that just happened to be the hottest statue in the world. And he was looking up at me.
Oh no. Oh God. I froze. Brain shut down. Thoughts went haywire.
Don't think about him. Think about rainbows! Sheep! Random algebra!
"Alvin, can you answer this?" The teacher's voice cut through my panic.
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. The world narrowed to Nadrien's faint smirk. I keep on repeating that.b
Oh no. He knew. He always knows.
Every time I thought something flusteringly dumb—like maybe I want to steal his jacket and claim it as mine forever—he would twitch his lips or shift his eyes ever so slightly. Enough to make my brain melt into a puddle of self-conscious goo.
By lunch, I was a disaster. Every bite of food trembled in my hand because I was trying not to think about him eating next to me in the cafeteria. He was a few benches ahead, sitting with his classmates. His eyes would always gaze towards me.
My heart hammered like a drumline in a parade.
Then Nayel, ever the sadistic best friend, leaned over. "He's definitely enjoying this. You've basically given him a front-row seat to your brain. You do realize that, right?"
I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "I'm going to die. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Everywhere."
Across the room, Nadrien's gaze caught mine for just a second, ears tinted red, corner of his lips twitching.
Oh God. He likes seeing me like this.
I wanted to vanish. Again.
But then… maybe… if he's enjoying it, maybe it's not all bad? My heart refused to stop thumping. Maybe he actually likes me back?
And right there, in the middle of the cafeteria, I realized… I was absolutely doomed...well, I never was sane at any point.