The Cable Guy Crush

Alex's hair was doing that stupid flippy thing again—the thing it only did when he was anywhere within a fifty-foot radius of Jordan. Which was exactly where he was right now. Alex smoothed his dark curls for the third time, feeling like a total cliché.

"You're literally doing it," whispered Ryan from beside him. "The hair thing. We get it. You're obsessed."

"Shut up," Alex hissed, but his face burned. Ryan wasn't wrong. Alex had been basically spy-ing on Jordan from across the cafeteria since September, memorizing her schedule and the way she laughed with her head thrown back. Pathetic? Maybe. But this was high school, and everyone had their thing.

Then there was the cable situation.

Alex's parents had finally agreed to get cable internet installed after months of Alex begging—partially because of gaming (obviously) but mostly because Jordan had mentioned studying at her place sometimes and Alex needed a backup plan if she ever invited him over. Which she definitely would. Someday. Probably.

The cable guy showed up on Tuesday. He was like twenty with ear gauges and a band tee that Alex vaguely recognized from his older sister's Spotify. They were drilling holes in the wall near Alex's bedroom when Jordan walked past his open door, carrying her clarinet case.

"Hey," she said, stopping in the doorway. "You getting cable? Nice."

Alex's brain short-circuited. "Yeah. For... school stuff. And gaming. But mostly school."

The cable guy, whose name tag read CHRIS, shot Alex a knowing look. "Cool. Hey, your dad wanted me to check the connection in the basement, but I can't find the right cord. Mind helping me?"

"Yeah, sure," Alex said, following him out.

In the basement, Chris didn't look for any cable. Instead, he pulled out his phone. "So, Jordan? She's the clarinet section leader, right? My little sister's in band with her."

Alex's heart did something weird. "Yeah?"

"She thinks you're cute," Chris said casually, testing a wire. "Just so you know."

"What?"

"I'm telling you, man. She asked my sister about you last week. She's into the whole mysterious quiet thing you've got going on." Chris grinned. "Also, nice hair by the way. The curls work for you."

Alex stood there, processing. For months, he'd been convinced he was invisible to Jordan—that he was just some background character in her story while she was the protagonist of his. And all this time, she'd been noticing him too?

"Thanks," Alex managed, his voice coming out weirdly strangled. "For the cable stuff. And the... other thing."

"No problem." Chris finished up and headed upstairs. "Hey, maybe invite her over to 'study' when your internet's all set up. Just saying."

Back in his room, Alex caught Ryan's knowing smirk. "So? How was the cable installation?"

"Shut up," Alex said, but he couldn't stop grinning. "But... you might want to clear your schedule next weekend. I might need the room."

His hair did the flippy thing again, and for once, Alex didn't even try to fix it.