Later that night, Axel's phone buzzed softly beside him on the bed. He blinked awake, heart skipping when he saw the name lighting up the screen.

Noah: Hey. You up?

Axel stared at the message for a moment, the familiar name both comforting and nerve-wracking.

He typed back slowly, fingers hovering before he hit send.

Axel: Yeah. Just got in. You?

Almost immediately, the reply came.

Noah: Same. I wanted to say sorry for not replying sooner today. I didn't mean to leave you hanging.

Axel's chest tightened. He wasn't sure how to respond right away, so he just sent a simple,

Axel: It's okay. I was just surprised.

The waiting felt heavy, but then the screen lit up again.

Noah: Yeah. I got caught up with some stuff. Should've told you.

Axel smiled a little, fingers tapping the screen.

Axel: Guess we both could’ve done better.

A few seconds passed, then...

Noah: You wanna call? Talk a bit?

Axel's pulse quickened. He wasn’t sure if he was ready, but the warmth in Noah's texts made the choice easy.

Axel: Yeah. I'm here.

Noah's face popped up a moment later, the screen glowing in the dark room.

"Hey," Noah said softly.

"Hey," Axel replied, voice quieter than he expected.

There was a brief pause, both seeming to search for words.

"Sorry about today," Noah began, running a hand through his hair nervously. "I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was ignoring you."

"It's okay," Axel said again, wanting to mean it more than just saying the words.

"No, really. I was just... distracted. Stuff with school, home I didn’t want to drag you into it."

Axel blinked, surprised by the confession.

"Axel," Noah continued, "I don’t want to mess this up. I like where we're going, and I want to be honest."

Axel felt a flutter in his chest, the butterflies he hadn't had in forever.

"I'm glad you said that," he said quietly, "because I was kinda scared you'd just ghost me."

Noah chuckled softly, the sound warm and real.

"Not gonna happen," he promised. "You're not that easy to get rid of."

They laughed together, and for a moment, the world outside didn’t exist. Axel caught himself biting his lip nervously, cheeks heating.

"So," Noah said, eyes twinkling, "you gonna tell me what you've been up to today, or just stare at me all night?"

Axel grinned. "Maybe a little of both."

The call stretched on, filled with shy jokes, shared stories, and the easy comfort of two people slowly finding their way. When they finally said goodnight, Axel lay back on his bed, heart pounding in a way that made sleep impossible and hopeful. The next morning, sunlight peeked through the blinds, casting soft light over Axel's room. His phone buzzed again a new message from Noah.

Noah: Morning. Sleep okay?

Axel smiled, typing quickly back.

Axel: Better than I expected. You?

Noah: Couldn't sleep till I heard from you.

Axel's cheeks flushed.

School felt different that day. Axel found himself answering questions in class, speaking up more, and even laughing during lunch.

Jasmine nudged Javier.

"Look at Axel," she whispered, smirking. "Someone’s got a secret."

Javier grinned. "He's glowing."

Amy watched from across the table, trying not to show how much she noticed Noah and Axel stealing glances at each other. After lunch, Noah caught Axel’s eye in the hallway and gave a small, shy smile. Axel felt the warmth spread inside him and smiled back. The group hung out together more easily now joking, teasing, comfortable. Later that night, Axel sent a quick text to Luca, the friend who had pushed him to open up.

Axel: Hey. Today was... different.

Luca: Good different or bad different?

Axel laughed silently.

Axel: Definitely good.

Luca: That’s what I like to hear. Keep it up.

Axel put down his phone with a satisfied sigh. Tomorrow was a new day, full of possibilities and maybe, just maybe, something real.