Cassie didn't plan on falling for a girl. Not like this. Not this much. She had always liked guys, she was certain of it. But the way this person made her feel? It was different. Dangerous, even. Cassie had never talked to someone who saw through her like that — every fear, every dream, every insecure thought she tried to bury under smiles and lip gloss.

They matched on a random dating app over two months ago. Cassie wasn't expecting much. She downloaded it late at night after another breakdown, half out of loneliness, half out of boredom. Then she saw their profile — soft eyes, clever smile, a little sarcastic but never cold. Cassie messaged first. She never does that.

Now? They talked every day. Every single day. Morning good luck texts. Midnight over-shares. Voice notes filled with sleepy laughter. Confessions in the dark. And somewhere along the way, Cassie started needing her. Not just in the cute, flirty way — but in the way that made her chest hurt when they took too long to respond. In the way she imagined what their hoodie would smell like. In the way she started comparing everyone else at school to them, and none of them came close.

But they still hadn't met. Not really. Not face-to-face. Until today. Cassie had been crying for fifteen minutes straight in the empty bathroom near the east stairwell. She didn't even know why. Maybe it was a build-up. Maybe it was the way someone looked at her wrong in class. Or maybe it was because she was tired — tired of loving people who didn't really love her back.

She had been rereading their last message when the door creaked open. She didn't move. Just wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie, trying to stop the ugly, hiccupping sobs.

"Cassie?"

That voice. She froze. Looked up. And there they were. Not on a screen. Not behind a text. Here. Real. Beautiful. Taller than Cassie thought, softer, too. They looked worried — not annoyed, not put off — just worried.

"Wait—" Cassie stood too fast, lightheaded and panicking. "You're you. You're them." Her voice cracked with disbelief and raw emotion. She stared for a moment, then laughed nervously, wiping under her eyes. "God, this is not how I wanted this to go. I wanted to be cute. Chill. Not like—" She gestured at herself. "This."

They didn't say anything. But they didn't leave either. Cassie's heart pounded so loud she could barely think.

"I think I'm like obsessed with you," she blurted. "I know that sounds crazy, but—I think about you all the time. I check my phone constantly, even when I just talked to you. You made me feel... seen. Like actually seen. And now you're standing right in front of me and I feel like I'm gonna fall apart all over again."

She took a shaky breath, eyes wide, desperate.

"I didn't think I could fall for a girl. But I did. I fell for you. So hard. So fast. And I don't even know if you—if you like girls like that, or if I just made this whole thing up in my head and you're gonna walk out that door right now and never text me again—"

She stopped, breath caught in her throat. The silence was unbearable. And then they reached for her hand. Gentle. Real. Warm. Cassie nearly sobbed again — this time from the relief.

"...You're here," she whispered, voice breaking.

They didn't let go. And Cassie? She clung to that hand like a lifeline. Like she already couldn't imagine letting go.