Lightning in the Chat
Maya's thumbs flew across her iPhone screen, heart doing that stupid flutter thing it always did when Leo's name popped up. The party raged around her—bas-heavy Spotify playlist, people shouting over the music, the smell of cheap vodka and expensive perfume—but she'd cornered herself in the bathroom for five minutes of peace.
She felt like such a spy sometimes, lurking on his Instagram story, triple-tapping with zero intention of actually sliding into his DMs. Leo was a total fox—that messy-haired, skateboard-toting kind of cute that made her forget basic English whenever he said hey to her in the hallway. Which was rare. Basically never.
Her little brother's goldfish had more game than she did, and that fish spent its entire life swimming in circles, oblivious to its own tragic lack of purpose.
"Maya? You good in there?" Her best friend Sam's voice through the door.
"Yeah, just—fixing my face," she lied. Her face was fine. Her nerves were wrecked.
Lightning cracked outside, the bathroom window flashing white-blue for a split second. The storm had been building all evening, the kind of summer weather that made everything feel electric and possible and absolutely terrifying all at once. Like how she felt about Leo, honestly.
She opened Instagram again. Leo had posted a new story: a grainy photo of the backyard, rain slicking the deck furniture. Caption: this weather tho.
Maya's fingers hovered over the keyboard. Her thumbs knew exactly what to type—some chill, low-key response that showed she was paying attention but not TOO much attention, casual but interested, funny but not trying too hard.
nice, she typed. deleted.
lol yeah, she typed. deleted.
want to hang out somewhere less loud?
She stared at the send button. Her heart was definitely doing that thing again. Lightning flashed a second time, closer this time.
Somewhere in the house, someone yelled "SHOTS!" and the bathroom mirror shook.
Maya pressed send.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately. leo_andrea: u down for the gazebo?
The gazebo. In the rain. With Leo.
The fish may have been swimming in circles, but Maya was about to break the tank.