My Shy Demon Girl

Kael lay sprawled across his bed, his phone held loosely in his hand as he scrolled through his messages. After a long day at school, talking to his friends was the only thing that could make him feel somewhat normal. His mind, however, kept drifting back to Aurora—the way she blushed, the softness in her voice, the moment she sat on his lap.

He shook his head and opened the group chat with Sean, Drake, Gabriel, Koro, and Jack. The chat was always buzzing with jokes, arguments, and random updates.

Sean: *Yo, anyone online?*

Drake: *What's up, man?*

Gabriel: *Yeah, but don't make it weird like last time.*

Koro: *Too late, it's Sean. It's already weird.*

Jack: 😂😂😂

Kael couldn't help but chuckle. Sean was always the target of their jokes, but he never let it get to him.

Kael: *I'm here. What's going on?*

Sean's typing bubble appeared almost immediately.

Sean: *So, funny thing happened last night…*

Kael raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sean to elaborate.

Drake: *Oh no, here we go.*

Gabriel: *This better not be another "I thought I saw a ghost" story.*

Sean: *No, no, this is real. So, Aurora was sleep talking last night…*

Kael froze. His heart skipped a beat at the mention of Aurora. He quickly typed back.

Kael: *What does that have to do with anything?*

Sean's reply came fast, and it hit like a thunderbolt.

Sean: *She was talking about *you,* Kael.*

The chat erupted instantly.

Drake: *OH SNAP! WHAT?!*

Gabriel: *Bro, are you serious?*

Koro: *Aurora? Like, our Aurora?*

Jack: *HAHAHAH THIS IS GOLD!*

Kael stared at the screen, his face heating up. *She was talking about me?* he thought, his mind racing. What could she have said?

Kael: *Sean, stop messing around. What did she say?*

Sean: *She kept saying your name, dude. Stuff like "Kael, you're so amazing" and "Kael, don't leave me." It was kinda weird, not gonna lie.*

Drake: *Yo, Kael's got a fangirl!*

Gabriel: *AURORA, of all people? This is crazy.*

Jack: *Kael, you lucky dog. She's cute, too.*

Koro: *What are you gonna do about it, man?*

Kael didn't know how to respond. His stomach felt like it was doing backflips. Aurora had been talking about him in her sleep? That had to mean something, right?

Kael: *I don't know. I mean… it's not like I can just bring it up.*

Sean: *Good. Because you'd better not. I don't care if she does like you—I'm watching you, Kael. Don't get any ideas.*

Kael sighed. Sean was as overprotective as ever.

Drake: *Sean, calm down. Kael's not gonna do anything. Right, Kael?*

Jack: *Yeah, right now he's too busy blushing like a tomato.*

Gabriel: *Kael, just admit it. You like her, don't you?*

Kael hesitated, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard. Did he like Aurora? The truth was, he wasn't sure. But he couldn't deny that she'd been on his mind a lot lately.

Kael: *I don't know, okay? She's… she's cool, I guess.*

Drake: *Lame answer, bro.*

Koro: *He's dodging the question.*

Jack: *He totally likes her. Look at him trying to play it cool.*

Sean: *Doesn't matter. Aurora's off-limits. End of story.*

Kael groaned and tossed his phone onto the bed. The chat was still going, but he didn't feel like dealing with it anymore. He stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts swirling.

Why had Sean told everyone? And why did Aurora have to say those things in her sleep? It wasn't like she meant for him to find out. But now that he knew, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Somewhere deep down, though, he felt a flicker of excitement. Aurora had been thinking about him, even in her dreams. Maybe… just maybe… she felt the same way he was starting to feel about her.

But for now, he had to figure out how to face her tomorrow without making things awkward.

The End of Chapter 4