Chapter 3 – The Follow

✦ Sonja

I wake up to my phone buzzing.

Not a gentle buzz either.

The kind that doesn't stop.

I groan, reaching for it without opening my eyes.

Probably the group chat.

Probably Tay being dramatic again.

I unlock my phone—

And freeze.

Notifications.

So many notifications.

Twitter.

Instagram.

Likes.

Mentions.

Follows.

My heart starts beating faster as I sit up.

"What the hell…"

I open Twitter first.

And my breath catches.

Zach South followed you.

I stare at the screen.

Blink once.

Twice.

Nope.

Still there.

"Okay… okay, I'm dreaming," I whisper to myself.

I close the app.

Open it again.

Still there.

My heart starts racing.

This is real.

This is actually real.

Before I can even process it, my phone buzzes again.

Text message.

Him.

Zach:
Morning.

I stare at the message as it might disappear.

Why does one word feel like this?

Why does it feel like everything just shifted?

I type.

Delete.

Type again.

Delete again.

Finally—

Me:
Good morning.

Three dots appear instantly.

Zach:
Did you sleep?

I laugh softly under my breath.

Me:
Eventually.

Pause.

Then—

Zach:
Same.

I don't know why that makes my chest feel warm.

But it does.

My phone buzzes again.

Zach:
You're trending, by the way.

My stomach drops.

"What?!"

I open Twitter again, hands slightly shaking.

And there it is.

A blurry video.

Me.

At the meet and greet.

He is standing up.

Hugging me.

The way he looked at me—

Like I was the only person in the room.

The comments are already going wild.

"Why did he stand up for her?"
"Who is she???"
"He doesn't hug anybody like that 👀"

My chest tightens.

This just got real.

Fast.

My phone buzzes again.

Zach:
You okay?

I swallow.

Me:
I didn't expect this.

Pause.

Then—

Zach:
Neither did I.

That hits harder than it should.

✦ Zach

I shouldn't have followed her.

I know I shouldn't have.

But I did.

And now—

It's everywhere.

My mentions are a mess.

Fans are asking questions.

Clips circulating.

That moment.

That hug.

That look.

I scroll past it, jaw tight.

Because they don't understand.

They think it's just another interaction.

Another fan.

But it wasn't.

And that's the problem.

"Bro," Jace says, glancing over at me. "You seen Twitter?"

"Yeah."

"You tryna start something?"

I don't answer.

Because I don't even know the answer to that.

My phone buzzes again.

Her.

I open the messages instantly.

She didn't expect it.

Neither did I.

And that's the truth.

I lean back, running a hand through my hair.

This is getting complicated.

Fast.

But instead of pulling back—

I type.

Are you busy today?

I stare at the message before hitting send.

I shouldn't be doing this.

I really shouldn't.

But something about her—

Makes me care less than I should.

✦ Sonja

My phone buzzes again.

Zach:
Are you busy today?

My stomach flips.

What does that even mean?

Why is he asking?

I type slowly this time.

Carefully.

Me:
Not really. Why?

The typing bubble appears.

Disappears.

Appears again.

My heart is pounding now.

Then—

Zach:
Can I call you?

I freeze.

Call?

Not text.

Not DM.

Call.

My breath catches.

This is happening too fast.

Too real.

Too much.

And yet—

I type:

Me:
Okay.

My phone rings instantly.

I stare at it.

Incoming call.

Zach.

My hands start shaking.

"Oh my God…"

"Sonja, answer it!" Tay screams from across the room.

"I'm going to die," I whisper.

And then—

I answer.

💖 FACETIME SCENE 👀🔥

The screen shifts.

And suddenly—

He's there.

Not filtered.

Not edited.

Not stage-ready.

Just… him.

Messy hair.

Gray hoodie.

Sleep still in his eyes.

Real.

"Hey," he says softly.

My brain stops working.

"Hi."

Wow.

Great.

Amazing response.

Ten out of ten.

He smiles.

And it's smaller than his public smile.

Softer.

Like this version is just for me.

"You look different without all the screaming around you," he says.

I laugh nervously. “You too."

There's a pause.

Not awkward.

Just… full.

Like something is settling between us.

"You okay?" he asks.

I nod. "Just… trying to process everything."

"Yeah," he exhales. "Same."

He leans a little closer to the camera.

And I feel it.

That same pull from last night.

Stronger now.

"I meant what I said," he adds quietly.

My heart stutters.

"About what?"

His eyes hold mine through the screen.

"About you walking in."

My breath catches.

"You don't even know me," I say softly.

"I want to."

That shouldn't hit as hard as it does.

But it does.

Bad.

I look down for a second, trying to steady myself.

"This is kind of crazy," I admit.

He huffs a quiet laugh. "Yeah. It is."

Another pause.

Then—

"You can tell me to stop," he says.

My head lifts.

"What?"

"This," he gestures between us. "Texting. Calling. All of it."

My heart tightens.

Because I know what he's really asking.

Do you want this?

Do you want me?

And the truth?

Scares me.

But I answer anyway.

"I don't want you to stop."

Silence.

Then—

That soft smile again.

"Good," he says.

And something in my chest shifts.

Deep.

Permanent.

💬 Are you already hooked? 🔥