Drew scrolled through the conversation slowly, their eyebrows raised up to their hairline. Caoimhe sat on the couch next to them, biting her nails anxiously.

"So? What do you think?" She asked.

Drew whistled lowly, handing her back her phone. "I honestly cannot tell if it's a bit on his end or not. I mean I can see right through your pathetic facade to clearly see your weird way of flirting, but I can't be sure with him."

"I called him Satan." Caoimhe rubbed her eyes. "MULTIPLE TIMES."

"Yeah, I'll admit that's the strangest pet name I've heard you use yet."

"God, I've even joked about just using him for his money too. I'm the worst at this."

"To be fair, he's talked about putting kids in you. And offering to give you money."

"But that was him joking around! It all is!" Caoimhe shook her head while Drew awkwardly rubbed her back. "I don't even know what he looks like! I shouldn't have a crush on a bunch of text messages!"

"Well not when you phrase it like that," Drew joked, instantly shutting up when Caoimhe glared at them. "Sorry! You're just wound a bit tight right now. It'll all be fine in the end."

"Yeah, you're right. This IS stupid." She paused. "I just- I just catch myself smiling at the notifications now. I don't even do that with you."

"What the fuck?! I'm the goddamn light of your life, you better be full on beaming when I send you facebook memes."

"I can only handle so many cat girl memes before they get old."

"You're a menace to society."

"I know."

"At least you're self aware."

"Can we keep talking about my problems? I just bully him and flirt with his friends all day. I mean, I've told him that I was his friends' soulmate several times too. Their fucking soulmate."

"No you didn't." Drew gasped.

"But I did! And he got kinda upset about it all too."

"That's a good sign, right? I don't understand heterosexual flirting, I don't know."

"I mean- I got distracted and we never mentioned it again."

"Do you want to talk about it with him?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe?"

"Then talk to him about it. He seems like a straight forward guy on all his platforms, I don't think it'd be any different privately." Drew advised, taking a long sip of the sleepytime tea they'd made in preparation for bed before Caoimhe attacked them with questions.

"But that'd be awkward. And I hate awkwardness." Caoimhe whined. "Plus if things go wrong, I'd probably lose Nick too. We love Nick."

"We do love Nick." Drew confirmed. "But Nick is not the most important thing right now. What's most important is you coming to terms with how you feel and acknowledging them. Then you can test it around Clay and see if you should make a move or get over it."

"You're gonna be a great doctor, what the hell." Caoimhe gaped at her best friend, her eyes looking a bit glazed over. "You just made me calm down like instantly. I wanna have that ability. No fair."

"Remember you said that when I make you lay down and let me draw and label all the bones in your body for the fifth time."

"Just don't do it in sharpie again. Last time I had the word zygomatic on both my cheekbones for four days and one of my professors asked me if I was in a gang."

"No one would ever think about letting you be in their gang."

"I'm sure the Irish Mob would want me." Caoimhe crossed her arms indignantly. "Maybe even more than you do."

"I knew it was a mistake to show you that Peaky Blinders fan edit."

"Cillian Murphy was way hotter than I thought he was gonna be when you said he was one of 'my people'. I was really prepared to be offended."

"He's 44 with two children!"

"You know I have a soft spot for dilfs!" Caoimhe unlocked her phone, quickly googling the Irish actor. "You can't tell me he's not at least aesthetically pleasing."

"Your standards are So Low. Please Caoimhe, he is an average looking white man. They don't need anymore hyping up." Drew stared at her, looking disgusted.

"I know. I just can't help it. They're like my kryptonite."

"The second they invent a cure for that, I'm injecting you with it, no matter the side effects."

"I wouldn't fight you on that."

Drew yawned, making Caoimhe feel guilty.

The best friends said good night, each lumbering off to their respective bedroom. Caoimhe snickered as she heard Drew bang their toe on something in their room. Drew yelled for her to shut up.

Caoimhe stared at her phone screen in the dark of her room, refreshing it again and again.

No New Notifications.

She took a deep breath and opened her messages, beginning to type.

hey

i need to talk to you about something

There was no going back now.