Ash dropped his keys into the dish by the door, the familiar clink echoing through the quiet house. Sienna’s laughter drifted faintly from down the hall, probably on FaceTime again. He kicked off his shoes and headed straight for his room.

He wasn’t really thinking about anything until he sat down. Then it came back.

Chris.

He hadn’t said much on the ride—Nick had done most of the talking, teasing like always. But the way Chris reacted when Nick brought up Sienna? The sudden silence, the shift in his posture, the flicker of something in his eyes...

Ash had felt it.

He leaned back against his headboard, arms folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a slow exhale.

Chris liked him. Not that Chris even realized it yet, probably—but Ash could read people. And that kind of energy? It was obvious.

Still new. Still raw. But definitely there.

Ash let the corner of his mouth lift just a little, like he’d figured out the answer to a riddle no one else noticed.

“Interesting,” he said out loud.

Then he closed his eyes.

Chris hovered by Tiana’s door, hearing the soft click of keys as she typed. The soft yellow glow from her desk lamp spilled out into the hallway.

“You busy?” he asked.

She didn’t look up. “Kinda. But I'm not so busy I can’t hear you out.”

He stepped inside and flopped onto the edge of her bed. She had textbooks open everywhere, some scribbled notes, and a cold cup of tea.

Tiana glanced at him once, arching a brow. “You alright?”

Chris shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

“You guess?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Nick was being annoying again in the car.”

“Isn’t that like... his job?”

Chris smirked. “He said something dumb about me and Sienna.”

Tiana clicked her tongue, leaning back in her chair. “Ohh. And?”

“And nothing. Just... stupid.”

Tiana spun slowly in her chair to face him fully now, arms crossed. “But it bugged you.”

Chris hesitated. “Not really what he said. More like... I don’t know, I felt someone looking at me.”

She tilted her head. “Someone?”

“I’m not saying names.”

She smirked. “Mhm. So the mystery guy stares at you and suddenly you’re thinking too hard.”

Chris threw a pillow at her. “You’re the worst.”

Tiana laughed, catching it mid-air. “Maybe. Or maybe you’re starting to care what certain people think.”

He got up, feigning annoyance. “You’re so annoying.”

“Love you too.”

Later That Night

Chris lay in bed, lights off, phone glowing in the dark.

Sienna [9:54 PM]:

your boy nick’s mad dramatic 💀💀

Chris [9:55 PM]:

he really is 😭

can’t believe he said that in front of your brother

Sienna [9:56 PM]:

ikr

ash was quiet tho… that’s how you know he noticed

he usually doesn’t pay attention to stuff like that

Chris stared at her message a little too long.

Chris [9:58 PM]:

noticed what

He stared at it. Deleted it.

Typed again.

Chris [9:59 PM]:

lol true

Sienna [10:00 PM]:

he can be weirdly observant sometimes

don’t take it personal tho

he just watches people

Chris [10:01 PM]:

i’m not

was just surprised he looked at all

Sienna didn’t reply right away.

Chris turned over in bed, tossing the phone beside his pillow, screen dimming.

He told himself it wasn’t a big deal. That people look at people. That maybe Ash was just zoning out.

But he still couldn’t shake it.

Chris sat on the bench outside, half-tuned into Nick and Jin’s back-and-forth. Nick was going on about some kid who tripped in the hallway, while Jin kept throwing dry comments that made Chris snort-laugh.

But his focus kept slipping.

He was scrolling mindlessly through Instagram when the message popped up at the top of his screen.

ash.montclaire sent you a DM

Chris’s thumb froze over the screen.

He tapped it before he could overthink.

Ash:

you always this quiet or just saving your energy for dramatic car rides?

Chris’s heart did this dumb thing again.

He knew it wasn’t that deep. But there was a tone to the message—a little playful. Like Ash had been thinking about it. About him.

Chris bit the inside of his cheek, glancing up.

Nick was still talking. Jin was looking at something on his phone.

He typed back.

Chris:

was tryna survive nick’s mouth 😮‍💨

takes a lot of strength

Ash’s reply came fast.

Ash:

lmfao valid

man talks like he’s got a podcast and no off button

Chris chuckled under his breath.

Nick looked over. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Nick squinted. “Nah, that face says it’s something.”

“Leave him,” Jin said, not looking up. “He’s probably flirting with that one junior who stares at him in gym.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Y’all are annoying.”

His phone buzzed again.

Ash:

anyway

you held your own tho

lowkey impressive 👀

Chris stared at the screen for a second.

The compliment wasn’t direct. It didn’t scream anything.

But the 👀? The timing? The way Ash said it?

He felt his face warm just a little.

He replied slowly.

Chris:

didn’t know i was being tested lol

Ash:

Who said it was a test.

Just... observing.

Chris swallowed. He didn’t answer right away.

Nick nudged him. “You good?”

Chris shoved his phone into his hoodie pocket. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

Nick raised a brow but let it go.

Chris tried to tune back in—but his mind was somewhere else.

Not just because of the message.

Because it was him.

Ash. Texting him. Joking with him. Not treating him like Nick’s quiet friend, or Sienna’s maybe-sorta crush.

Just... like he saw him.

And that shouldn’t matter as much as it did.

But it did.