Chapter one: unread messages

First Chapter: "Unread Messages"

The glow, illuminated Jade’s face. As she lay, sprawled across her bed… picking up her phone on a hot summers night.

The cool cotton sheets rumpled beneath her, with a gentle breeze coming through the window. She hadn’t meant to stay up this late again, but the lure of a new message was impossible to resist. It was always him. Always Alex.

10:47 PM Alex: Still awake, or am I texting into the void?

Her lips curled into a smile before she could even stop herself. It was infuriating… how easily he got under her skin…how just seeing his name on her screen sent a spark through her veins. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. At least, not yet.

10:49 PMJade: What do you want, Alex?

Alex: Straight to the point tonight, huh? I like it.

Jade: It’s late, and I’m busy.

Alex: Liar. You’re in bed, staring at your phone, wondering how far this conversation will go.

Her breath, lost for a moment. Damn him for being right… being able to do that.

She glanced at the time, debating whether to continue. But the truth was, she couldn’t help herself. He had this pull, this magnetism…

That she hated and craved in equal measure.

The two had started texting weeks ago… A random exchange sparked by a mutual friend’s gathering. He had been charming that night—too charming—and she’d promised herself she wouldn’t fall for his act. Yet here she was, tangled in his web, her fingers itching to respond every time her phone lit up.

(If you where wondering how the two that dance by their fingertips meet)

10:51 PMJade: Maybe I just enjoy shutting you down.

Alex: Is that what you think you’re doing?

Jade: I know it is.

Alex: Then why do you keep coming back for more?

10:53 PMHer thumb froze, so did she, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. Why did she? It wasn’t just his words; though they were dangerous enough…It was the way he seemed to know exactly how to peel back her layers, to draw out the parts of her she kept hidden from everyone else.

Jade: Maybe I enjoy the challenge.

Alex: And here I thought you just enjoyed me ;)

Jade: Don’t flatter yourself.

Alex: Too late.

Their conversations always started like this—light, teasing, a battle of wills. But she knew where it would go. It always did. The banter, wits would sharpen, the tension thickening until it felt like a live wire between them. And she’d let it happen, even though she knew better.

10:57 PMAlex: So, what are you wearing tonight?

Her cheeks flushed instantly, he knows it’s a hot night. Heat pooling in her ears. She hated that his words affected her like this, but she couldn’t stop the smirk that tugged at her lips.

Jade: Bold move, Alex.

Alex: I like bold.

Jade: You also like trouble.

Alex: Only the kind that looks good in a tank top and shorts.

Her breath hitched. Was it the thrill of the exchange, or the fact that he always seemed to know exactly how to get under her skin? She pressed her thighs together instinctively, the ache building just from the suggestion of his words.

10:59 PMJade: And what if I said I wasn’t wearing that?

Alex: Then I’d tell you to stop teasing and send me a photo.

Jade: As if.

Alex: Coward…

Jade: Dream on.

Alex: Oh, I will. Don’t worry about that ;)

The conversation hung in the air, heavy with unspoken desire. She knew she should end it here, set some boundaries before this went too far. But the truth was, she didn’t want to. She wanted to see how far he’d push her. How far she’d let herself fall.

11:02 PMAlex: Let me guess. You’re lying in bed, tangled in those sheets, thinking about what I’d do if I were there.

Jade: You’re impossible.

Alex: I’m not wrong.

Jade: You’re always wrong.

Alex: Prove it.

Her heart pounded as she stared at his message, the challenge in his words like a siren’s call. She should say goodnight, let the conversation end here. But her fingers betrayed her, typing out a reply before her mind could catch up.

11:05 PMJade: Maybe I will.

Alex: Careful, Jade. That sounds like an invitation.

Jade: Maybe it is.

And just like that, the walls she’d built around herself cracked, letting him in a little further. Her world shifted in that moment, the balance of power tilting ever so slightly in his favor. But she didn’t care—not tonight…

Closing Scene of Chapter 1: The night stretched on, their texts growing bolder, more intimate, until the space between them felt like a mere suggestion. She could almost feel his hands on her, the weight of his body pressing into hers, his breath warm against her skin. And as the clock ticked past midnight, she realized there was no turning back…

(368 words)