Jason POV:
I stared at my phone after hitting send on the message: "Are you done?" Honestly, I wasn't expecting a reply. Ella wasn't exactly the queen of immediate responses. So, when those three little dots appeared on my screen, indicating she was typing, I had to blink a few times.
Wait. Was this real? Someone pinch me. It's not April Fool's Day, right?
Nope. Definitely real.
Her reply came through: "Just finished locking up."
I grinned like an idiot. She actually responded.
Now, don't get me wrong—I wasn't delusional enough to think this meant anything earth-shattering. But it felt like progress. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to see her again. Either way, my fingers hovered over my phone screen for a second, trying to play it cool.
"Want me to walk you home?" I typed, hit send, and waited, my heart thumping way harder than it should've.
When the reply came in, it wasn't what I wanted to hear but exactly what I expected from Ella:
