The school hallway buzzed with morning chaos, but Ashley was laser-focused on her target. Luca didn't notice her approach until she slapped a piece of paper onto his locker door, right in front of his face.

"Call him."

Luca stared at the printed out screenshot of a chat messages from Lucien too Ashley. One of them having Lucien’s phone number. All the color drained from his face. "Did you—"

"He asked me to give it to you." She crossed her arms, blocking his escape route. "And don't even try to pretend you don't know who 'he' is."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Luca busied himself with his textbooks, but his hands shook slightly. "And I'm late for class."

"It's been three days, Lu."

"Has it? I hadn't noticed." His voice pitched higher than normal. "Time is a social construct anyway."

"Luca."

"What? I've been busy! There's... homework. And... stuff."

"Right. Stuff." She leaned against the lockers. "Like avoiding the café even though you normally beg me to get coffee before school?"

He slammed his locker shut with more force than necessary. "I'm not avoiding anything. I just... developed a sudden caffeine sensitivity. Very serious. Doctor's orders."

"Since when do you follow orders?"

"Since... shut up."

Before she could respond, Arek appeared at the end of the hallway. Luca seized the opportunity, ducking around Ashley and practically sprinting away.

"Thanks for existing!" he called over his shoulder to Arek.

"This isn't over!" she shouted after him.

"What's not over?" Arek asked, reaching her side.

Ashley watched Luca disappear around the corner. "My best friend is being an idiot."

"Ah, the Lucien situation?"

She whirled to face him. "You know?"

"Kind of hard to miss." He grinned. "Lucien's been just as bad. Every time the door chimes, he looks up like a hopeful puppy, then gets all disappointed when it's not Luca."

"We have to do something."

"We?"

"Yes, we." She grabbed his arm. "They're both too scared to make the first move, so they need a push."

"And you want to be the one doing the pushing?"

"Us," she corrected. "We're going to push them. Together."

Arek's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I'm listening."

"We need to get them in the same place, but make it seem natural." She paced in front of the lockers. "Somewhere dark enough that they can't overthink everything..."

"The movies?"

She stopped pacing. "The movies! Yes! It's perfect!"

"One problem though." Arek caught her hand, pulling her closer. "How do we get them there without them knowing it's a setup?"

A slow smile spread across Ashley's face. "Leave Luca to me. You work on Lucien."

"You really think we can pull this off?"

"Trust me." She squeezed his hand. "I know exactly how to handle Luca."

Throughout the day, Ashley called Luca. Over and over and over, until finally:

"What?" he snapped, answering on the fifteenth call.

"You're being mean to me."

"I'm being—what?"

"You're avoiding me. It hurts my feelings."

A heavy sigh crackled through the phone. "I'm not avoiding you."

"Yes, you are. Ever since that night at the café."

"That's not—" He stopped. "I would never avoid you, Ash."

"Then prove it. Come to the movies with me."

"The movies?"

"Yes. You owe me for ignoring my calls all day."

"I was in class!"

"Since when do you care about class?"

Another sigh, but she could hear the smile in it. "Fine. What movie?"

"The new horror one that just came out."

"Really? You hate horror movies."

"But you love them." She kept her voice light. "And I miss my best friend."

A pause. "That's fighting dirty."

"Is it working?"

"...yes."

"Perfect! Tonight at 8?"

"Tonight? That's kind of—"

"Great! See you then!" She hung up before he could protest further.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately with a text from Arek: "Lucien's in. Said he needs to face his fears sometime."

Ashley grinned, typing back: "Perfect. Phase one complete."

Later that evening, Luca pulled into the movie theater parking lot, still grumbling about the short notice. "I didn't even have time to prepare proper movie snacks."

"They sell snacks here."

"It's not the same and you know it." He turned off the engine. "Also, since when do you willingly watch horror movies? Usually I have to bribe you with—" He stopped as they rounded the corner to the theater entrance.

There, waiting by the ticket counter, stood Lucien. And beside him, trying not to look too pleased with himself, was Arek.

Luca spun on his heel. "No."

Ashley caught his arm. "Lu, wait—"

"You planned this." His voice cracked. "This is a setup."

"Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Okay, fine." She tightened her grip as he tried to pull away. "But only because I care about you."

"I can't." Real panic edged into his voice. "I can't do this, Ash. I'm not ready."

"Ready for what? To watch a movie with someone who makes your heart race? To sit in the dark beside a boy who hums while he works and knows everything about chemistry?"

"Stop."

"Someone who looks at you like you're the most fascinating person he's ever met?"

"Please."

"Someone who's just as scared as you are?"

That made him pause. "What?"

"Look at him, Lu. Really look."

Luca turned slightly. Through the glass doors, they could see Lucien fidgeting with his flower pen, clearly nervous. As they watched, he dropped it, fumbled to catch it, and blushed furiously when Arek laughed.

Something softened in Luca's expression.

"He's terrified," Ashley said gently. "But he showed up anyway. Maybe it's time you were that brave too."

Luca swallowed hard. "What if..."

"What if it's amazing?" She squeezed his arm. "What if this is your chance at something real?"

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"No," he sighed, straightening his shoulders. "I don't."

Together, they walked toward the theater entrance. Toward Lucien, who looked up at their approach with a mix of hope and terror that perfectly matched the flutter in Luca's chest.