Tom's POV
Friday morning started off surprisingly well. Cassie and I were making our way to school together, and for once I wasn't dreading the day ahead. She kept making stupid jokes the entire walk, the kind that shouldn't have been funny but somehow were. "Remember when you tried to convince me pigeons were government spies?" she asked.
I groaned. "I was twelve."
"You made an entire presentation."
"I was committed to the bit."
She burst out laughing. And fuck, I couldn't help laughing too. By the time we reached the school gates, Luke was already waiting nearby.
"Hey, man," he greeted.
"Hey," I replied. I glanced around automatically. No Imogen. That was weird.
"Where's Imogen?" I asked.
Luke shrugged.
"I don't know, man. I saw her earlier with Tyler, but I don't know where she went."
The second he said Tyler's name, something twisted in my stomach.
For a split second, I thought I saw Cassie roll her eyes. But when I looked at her properly, her expression was normal. Maybe I imagined it. Luke's attention immediately shifted.
"Hey, Cassandra."
She smiled politely. "Hi."
The two exchanged a few words, but I barely heard them. My mind was stuck on one thing.
Imogen. With Tyler. I told myself it shouldn't bother me.
She was my friend. Nothing more. But for some reason, the thought of her being alone with him made my stomach churn. And I hated it. I fucking hated it.
A few minutes later, I saw her walking toward us.
The first thing I noticed was that her hair was slightly messy, like she or someone had been running their fingers through it or the wind had gotten to it. Nothing dramatic, just... enough for my brain to start asking questions it had no business asking.
Had she really been with Tyler that whole time?
The thought sat in the back of my mind, annoying the hell out of me.
"Hey," she said with a bright smile as she reached us.
"Hi," I replied, trying to keep my voice even, though I felt strangely uneasy.
She looked between Luke, Cassie, and me before her eyes settled on mine.
"Tom... can I talk to you?" she asked softly. "Alone, please."
I glanced at the others before nodding.
"Yeah."
We stepped a few feet away from Luke and Cassie, just far enough that they couldn't overhear us. The hallway buzzed with students heading to class, lockers slamming and conversations echoing around us, but for some reason it all faded into the background.
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"So..." I said. "What did you wanna talk about?"
For the first time since I'd met her, she actually looked nervous.
She wouldn't meet my eyes.
Instead, she fidgeted with the sleeve of her shirt, taking a deep breath before finally speaking.
"So..." she began, her voice unusually quiet. "I was wondering... if you're not busy this Saturday night..."
She paused.
"...maybe you and I could maybe catch a movie together."
I stared at her for a second.
Then a grin slowly spread across my face.
"A date?" I asked, unable to stop myself.
Her head snapped up immediately.
"It doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be," she said quickly, almost defensively. "I just thought—"
I couldn't help it.
I chuckled.
She looked absolutely adorable when she was flustered.
Her cheeks were turning pink, and she suddenly seemed very interested in the floor.
"I'd love to go with you," I said.
The moment the words left my mouth, her entire face lit up.
It wasn't just a smile.
It was one of those smiles that reached her eyes, making them sparkle in a way that made my chest feel strangely warm.
"Really?" she asked, sounding almost relieved.
"Really."
She let out a small laugh, shaking her head as if she'd been expecting me to say no.
"Okay..." she said, still smiling. "So... tonight at six?"
I nodded.
"Tonight at six."
For a brief moment, neither of us said anything.
We just stood there smiling at each other like two complete fucking idiots.