Episode 15: Doubts and Reassurance

Episode 15: Doubts and Reassurance

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Ivy’s POV

I was spiraling.

Like, full-on, anxiety-ridden, what-have-I-done spiraling.

After the kiss—the impulsive, completely reckless kiss that I initiated—I had basically short-circuited. I barely managed to mumble a half-assed excuse before grabbing my textbooks and practically running out of my own dorm room, leaving Elena sitting there, probably amused as hell.

And now?

Now I was pacing back and forth in my room like a lunatic, hands buried in my hair, my heart racing as if I had just run a marathon.

What the hell had I done?

I kissed Elena Moore.

Elena Moore.

The most confident, untouchable, completely-out-of-my-league person I had ever met.

And worse?

She kissed me back.

Sort of.

She didn’t pull away. She didn’t laugh. She didn’t look disgusted or weirded out.

No, she smirked.

Like she had expected it.

Like she wanted it.

But that didn’t make any sense, right? Elena flirted with everyone. She was naturally charming, always teasing, always leaning in just a little too close—what if I had just misread everything?

What if she wasn’t actually interested?

What if she was just playing along in the moment, and now she was going to act like it was some funny little joke?

The thought made my stomach churn.

I groaned, flopping onto my bed and shoving my face into my pillow.

I had ruined everything.

Our dynamic, our friendship, the easy, playful back-and-forth we had—all of it.

And the worst part?

I liked her.

Like, really liked her.

And I had no idea what to do about it.

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Elena’s POV

Ivy Carter was avoiding me.

And honestly? It was cute.

She had bolted after the kiss—face red, eyes wide, muttering something completely incoherent before disappearing like she had just committed a crime.

Now, two days later, she hadn’t spoken to me once.

No texts. No study sessions.

Not even our usual sarcastic quips in the hallway.

Which, of course, made me want to tease her more.

So when I spotted her in the library, sitting at the farthest possible table, hunched over her laptop like she was trying to disappear, I didn’t hesitate.

I walked right up to her and dropped into the seat across from her, smirking.

"Carter."

She jumped.

Like, physically jumped.

Her eyes darted to mine, wide and startled, before she quickly looked away, pretending to be super interested in her laptop screen.

"Oh. Hey."

I raised an eyebrow. "That’s all I get? Hey?"

She swallowed. "Uh. Yep."

I bit back a grin. "You’re avoiding me."

"No, I’m not."

"Yes, you are."

She groaned, closing her laptop and finally looking at me. "Elena, I just—" She hesitated, biting her lip.

I tilted my head. "You just…?"

She exhaled sharply. "I freaked out, okay?"

I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Because of the kiss?"

She flinched, cheeks turning red.

I smirked. "I’ll take that as a yes."

"It was impulsive," she blurted. "I wasn’t thinking, and I—" She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I ruined everything."

That made me pause.

"What?"

She sighed, not looking at me. "I mean… we had a good thing going, you know? The teasing, the banter, the easy dynamic. But then I—I had to go and kiss you, and now it’s all weird, and I just—"

I stared at her for a moment, realization settling in.

She really thought she had messed everything up.

I sighed.

"Ivy."

She didn’t look up.

I reached across the table and tapped her knuckles. "Carter, look at me."

She hesitated, then slowly lifted her gaze.

I held it. "You didn’t ruin anything."

She blinked. "I—what?"

I leaned in slightly. "You think I didn’t want to kiss you?"

Her breath caught. "I—I don’t know."

I smirked. "You’re cute when you overthink."

She groaned. "Elena."

"I’m serious." I tilted my head, studying her. "I like you, Carter. I wouldn’t have kissed you back if I didn’t."

She looked stunned.

Like the possibility of me actually liking her had never even crossed her mind.

"You… do?" she said slowly, like she didn’t quite believe it.

I chuckled. "Yeah. I do."

She exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "Wow. Okay. Um."

I arched an eyebrow. "Processing?"

She shot me a weak glare. "A little, yeah."

I smirked. "Take your time."

She looked at me for a long moment, like she was trying to figure out if I was messing with her.

Finally, she let out a breath. "So… what now?"

I shrugged. "We see where this goes."

She frowned slightly. "You’re not worried?"

I tilted my head. "About what?"

She hesitated. "I don’t know… ruining our friendship? Things getting messy?"

I sighed. "Ivy, life’s always messy. But that doesn’t mean we should run from it."

She bit her lip. "I just don’t want to screw this up."

I reached over, gently taking her hand in mine.

Her eyes flicked to our hands, then back to me.

"Then don’t," I said simply.

Her breath hitched.

We sat there in silence for a moment, her fingers tightening slightly around mine.

Finally, she exhaled, nodding.

"Okay," she murmured. "Let’s… see where this goes."

I grinned. "That’s my girl."

Her face turned bright red.

I laughed. "Relax, Carter. I’ll take it easy on you. For now."

She groaned, shaking her head. "I’m so doomed."

I smirked. "Yeah. But at least you’re doomed with me."