The next day, Aria sat on her balcony, enjoying a peaceful morning with a cup of tea. The street below was quiet, with only a few people walking by. For once, there was no sign of Aiden or his friends causing a ruckus.
She sighed in relief. Finally, some peace.
Just as she took another sip, a loud thud echoed through the street.
Her eyes snapped toward the source of the noise. A cricket ball had slammed into the gate of her house.
Her relief disappeared in an instant. Of course, it had to be them.
Aiden and his friends were standing in the middle of the street, staring at the ball that had rolled onto her porch.
Aria clenched her jaw as she stood up. "Not again," she muttered, setting her cup down.
Just as she was about to go inside, she heard a voice.
"Hey, Aria!"
She turned to see Aiden walking up to her gate with a sheepish smirk.
"Mind tossing the ball back?" he asked casually, as if it wasn't the hundredth time this had happened.
Aria folded her arms. "Why should I? Can't you play without disturbing the whole street?"
Aiden chuckled, "Come on, it's just a ball. Unless you want me to climb over and get it myself?"
Aria's glare intensified. "Try it, and you'll regret it."
Aiden held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Just pass it, and I'll leave you alone."
Aria rolled her eyes, grabbed the ball, and tossed it—a little harder than necessary. Aiden barely caught it, stumbling slightly.
His friends laughed in the background as he muttered, "Wow, strong throw."
Aria huffed and turned away, but before she could step inside, Aiden called out, "Hey, by the way..."
She paused but didn't turn around.
"You looked really serious up there on your balcony," he teased. "Thinking about me?"
Aria slammed the door shut behind her without another word.
Behind her, Aiden laughed, twirling the ball in his hands.
"She totally was," he mumbled to himself before jogging back to his friends.
It was 6 PM when Lena came to Aria's house, looking unusually excited. She rushed in without waiting for an invitation, her eyes sparkling with gossip.
"Hey! Do you know what I just found out?" Lena said, barely able to contain her excitement.
Aria, who was lazily scrolling through her phone, raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
Lena grinned. "Aiden's friend—Nicole—is crushing on that new girl who moved into our street three months ago!"
Aria blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? Nicole? Crushing on someone?"
"Yes!" Lena plopped down beside Aria. "Apparently, he's been acting all weird around her. You know, standing near her house for no reason, pretending to run into her at the store, and even offering to carry her bags. It's so obvious!"
Aria scoffed, shaking her head. "I never thought Nicole could be that type. He always acts so cool and careless."
Lena smirked. "Exactly! That's why it's so funny. And guess who else noticed?"
Aria gave her a knowing look. "Aiden?"
Lena clapped her hands. "Yes! And he won't stop teasing Noah about it. I swear, it's hilarious."
Aria leaned back, thinking about it. The idea of Aiden and his friends talking about love and crushes was oddly amusing.
"Well, at least someone in their group has some romantic feelings," Aria muttered under her breath.
Lena nudged her. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Aria said quickly, but a small smile played on her lips.
After hearing Lena's gossip, Aria felt an unexpected curiosity bubbling inside her. She had never paid much attention to Aiden's group beyond their usual annoying encounters, but now, she wanted to see this so-called "crushing" moment with her own eyes.
The next evening, Aria and Lena sat on Lena's porch, pretending to scroll through their phones while keeping a close watch on the street. The air was cool, and a few streetlights had already flickered on.
"Are you sure they'll be here?" Aria asked, trying to sound casual.
"Trust me," Lena whispered. "Nicole's been hanging around here every day at this time. And Aiden? He never misses a chance to tease him."
Just as she finished speaking, a familiar group of boys appeared at the corner of the street. Aiden was in the lead, walking confidently with his hands in his jacket pockets. Beside him was Noah, who looked… different. His usual carefree attitude was gone, replaced by a slightly nervous expression.
Aria followed Nicole's gaze and spotted a girl standing near the small grocery store. She was fixing her hair, completely unaware of the attention she was getting.
Lena nudged Aria. "See that? He's totally into her."
Before Aria could reply, Aiden smirked and nudged Nicole forward. "Go on, lover boy. Say hi," he said loud enough for Aria and Lena to hear.
Nicole shot Aiden a glare. "Shut up, dude."
Aiden chuckled. "Come on, you've been staring at her like she's the last slice of pizza on Earth. Do something."
Aria covered her mouth to hide a laugh. It was strange watching Aiden tease someone else for a change.
Nicole hesitated for a second before taking a deep breath and stepping forward. But just as he was about to speak, the girl turned, noticed the group, and smiled politely before walking away.
nicoleh froze. Aiden burst into laughter. "Ouch! That was rough, man."
Aria and Lena exchanged amused glances. This was more entertaining than they expected.
Lena leaned toward Aria. "Worth it?"
Aria smirked. "Definitely."
As the girl walked past Aiden and his friends, she suddenly slowed down, then came to a complete stop. The entire group fell silent, confused by her sudden hesitation.
Then, without warning, she turned around, looked directly at Noah, and called his name.
"Nicole!" Her voice was sharp, her expression unreadable.
Aiden raised an eyebrow. Aria and Lena, who were still watching from a distance, leaned in closer.
Nicole, startled, stepped forward hesitantly. "Uh… yeah?"
Before anyone could react, the girl lifted her hand and slapped him—hard.
A shocked silence fell over the street.
Aiden's smirk vanished. The other boys stared in disbelief. Even Aria, who had been enjoying the scene, widened her eyes in surprise.
Nicole stumbled back, holding his cheek. "What the—"
The girl glared at him. "Next time, think twice before playing with someone's feelings." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away without looking back.
Nicole stood frozen, his face a mix of confusion and embarrassment.
Aiden finally broke the silence with a low whistle. "Damn. What did you do?"
Nicole shook his head rapidly. "I—I don't even know her that well!"
One of the boys snickered. "Well, she knows you."
Aria, still watching, exchanged a look with Lena. "This just got interesting."
Lena grinned. "Told you we'd see something worth watching."
Aiden turned to nicole, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Heartbreaker, huh? Didn't think you had it in you."
Nicole groaned. "Shut up, Aiden."
Aria couldn't help but smile. Whatever had just happened, one thing was clear—she was glad she had decided to watch
Nicole's eyes were filled with both anger and emotion. He took off his cap and threw it on the ground, as if he wasn't just discarding a cap but all the frustration boiling inside him. but the most surprised faces were Aiden and his friends'.
Aria glanced at Lena, who whispered, "Isn't this getting a little too intense?"
Nicole's breathing grew heavy, his fists clenched at his sides. Something about the way he stood there, frozen yet radiating fury, made it clear—this wasn't over yet.