Chapter 2 – After the Concert

Sonja

I have Zach's bracelet in my pocket.

No—bracelets.

Two of them.

One red and gold—his colors. The one everyone saw. The safe one.

And the other?

The one he slipped into my hand when no one was looking.

The one with his number.

I stare down at my phone again, then shove it back into my bag like it might explode.

There is no way.

No actual way.

Zach South did not just give me his number.

Who does he think he is—Travis Kelce or something?

We're outside now, waiting for our Uber like always, the Boston night buzzing around us—cars passing, people talking, cameras flashing.

Even the news is here.

Local stations. Big cameras. Lights.

Even Telemundo.

Carmen is already over there, smiling and talking in Spanish like she's been waiting her whole life for this moment.

"It was amazing," she's saying. "The meet and greet was everything—"

Meanwhile—

"Oh my God, did you see Milo wink at me?!"

"Jace literally pointed at our row!"

"I swear, Ryder smiled at me. I swear it!"

They're all talking at once, voices bouncing off each other, loud and excited and glowing.

Happy chaos.

The kind that should be pulling me in.

I try to join in.

I really do.

But my mind?

Still back in that room.

Back at that table.

Back in those eyes.

Zach's eyes.

I can still feel it—

The ghost of his fingers brushes my wrist.

Light.

Warm.

Careful.

Like he was trying not to scare me.

Like he wanted to touch me again.

My heart flutters stupidly just thinking about it.

"Sonja!"

Tay grabs my arm, shaking me slightly. "You're quiet. Spill. What happened with Zach? You were with him longer than the rest of us."

I force a laugh.

"Nothing happened."

Lie.

Huge lie.

My fingers slip into my pocket, curling around the bracelets.

The red-and-gold one is smooth, familiar.

But the second one?

Black braided—a tiny silver compass charm.

My breath catches.

Oh my God.

He wore this during their tour of Asia. I remember it. I know I remember it.

Why would he give this to me?

A symbol.

A secret.

Something I don't understand yet.

I close my hand around it, hiding it deeper in my pocket.

"Okay, you're acting weird," Carmen says, narrowing her eyes as she walks back over.

"I'm fine," I say too fast.

Too sharp.

She studies me for a second, then lets it go, turning back to the others as they replay every second of their experience.

I fall a step behind them.

Let their voices blur into the background.

My phone buzzes.

I expect something normal.

A group chat.

My mom.

Anything.

But when I look down—

My breath catches.

Twitter notification.

Zach South.

My fingers freeze.

I tap it.

He tweeted:

"Ever meet someone for one second… and it stays with you?"

My heart stops.

Then slams back to life so hard it almost hurts.

"Oh, my God!" Tay screams. "Did you see this?!"

"It's probably lyrics," Nicole says.

"Or promo," Carmen adds.

But I don't say anything.

Because something deep in my chest—

Knows.

The way he looked at me.

The way he said my name.

The way he gave me that bracelet meant something.

My fingers tighten around it again.

He can't be talking about me.

He can't.

But what if he is?

My phone buzzes again.

This time—

It's not Twitter.

It's a text.

Unknown number.

My heart drops straight into my stomach.

I stare at the screen.

Don't open it.

Don't open it.

Don't—

I open it.

Unknown:

as
You made it home safe?

My breath leaves me in a rush.

There's no name.

But I already know.

There's no way I don't know.

I glance up at my friends, still laughing, still distracted.

Then back at my phone.

My fingers hover over the screen.

What do I even say?

Do I respond?

Do I pretend I don't know it's him?

Do I act normally?

I type.

Delete.

Type again.

Delete again.

Finally—

I send:

Me:
I'm still outside waiting for my Uber.

The typing bubble appears instantly.

My heart stutters.

Unknown:
Stay where it's lit. Boston gets weird at night.

A small smile pulls at my lips before I can stop it.

Concern.

Real concern.

Not fan-service.

Not fake.

I type again, slower this time.

Me:
I can handle Boston.

Three dots.

Pause.

Then—

Unknown:
I know you can.

My chest tightens.

Why does that feel like more than just words?

Why does it feel like he sees me?

Another message comes through.

Unknown:
You were nervous.

I let out a soft laugh under my breath.

Me:
A little.

Pause.

Then—

Unknown:
You didn't have to be.

My fingers hover again.

Because now—

This feels real.

Too real.

And I don't know what that means yet.

✦ Zach

I shouldn't have done that.

I know I shouldn't have.

But I did.

And now I can't stop thinking about her.

Sonja.

Her name sits in my head as it belongs there.

We're back in the car, heading away from the venue, but the noise from earlier still rings in my ears.

Jace is talking.

Ryder's laughing.

Milo's scrolling through his phone.

Theo's quiet like always.

And me?

I'm staring at my screen.

At her profile.

In the picture, I definitely shouldn't have liked.

At the message, I definitely shouldn't be typing.

"Bro," Ryder says, leaning over. "You good?"

"Yeah," I answer too quickly.

He squints at me. "You sure? You've been really quiet."

I shrug. "Just tired."

Lie.

I'm not tired.

I'm distracted.

I type.

Erase.

Type again.

Erase again.

This is stupid.

I don't text fans.

I don't cross that line.

I don't—

I exhale sharply.

Then send it anyway.

You made it home safe?

I stare at the screen as if it might judge me.

It buzzes almost immediately.

She hasn't left yet.

Good.

I’m not sure why that matters.

But it does.

I lean back in my seat, reading her replies, a small smile creeping in before I can stop it.

She's calm.

Not overly excited.

Not trying too hard.

Just… her.

"I know you can," I text.

And I mean that.

Because something about her—

Feels steady.

Real.

Different.

I shouldn't keep this going.

I know I shouldn't.

But my thumbs move anyway.

You were nervous.

I don't know why I say that.

Maybe because I noticed.

Maybe because I liked that she didn't try to hide it.

Her response is simple.

Honest.

And it does something to me I don't fully understand.

I stare at the screen a second longer than I should.

Then type again.

You didn't have to be.

Because the truth is—

She wasn't the one I was nervous about.

I was.

And I don't even know why.

But I have a feeling…

This?

This isn't over.

Not even close.

💬 Do you think it's about her? 👀