Ella Carter spent the entire day fuming over the phone swap. How did a random guy manage to hijack her morning, ruin her schedule, and then have the audacity to text her like it was a joke? The worst part? His name—Noah. It sounded like the kind of name someone who thought they were charming would have.
By lunch, she was pacing outside the cafeteria, the stranger's cracked phone clutched in her hand. It buzzed again.
Noah: You're not great at replying. Is this your way of holding my phone hostage?
Noah: I'm okay with it, just so you know. I've got a good story for the yearbook.
Ella groaned, typing back furiously.
Ella: Meet me at The Daily Grind coffee shop after school. I need my phone back.
Noah: Demanding, aren't you? But fine. 4:30, don't flake on me.
Ella walked into The Daily Grind at exactly 4:25 PM, her camera bag strapped tightly over her shoulder. The smell of roasted coffee beans and freshly baked pastries filled the air, but she wasn't here for snacks. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on him.
Noah sat at a corner table, his dark hair tousled like he'd run a hand through it too many times. A guitar case leaned against the wall beside him. He spotted her instantly, grinning like they were old friends.
"You're early," he said as she approached. "I like that."
Ella ignored the comment and slid his cracked phone onto the table. "There. Now, where's mine?"
He smirked, pulling her teal phone from his jacket pocket. "Safe and sound." He held it out but didn't immediately let go when she grabbed it. "You might want to upgrade your lock screen, though. 'Shoot for the stars'? Bit cliché, don't you think?"
Ella yanked her phone free and glared at him. "It's called motivation. Not that you'd understand."
"Motivation, huh? Is that why you take pictures of everything?" He gestured toward her camera bag. "Trying to 'capture the stars,' or whatever?"
Her irritation flared. "Not that it's any of your business, but photography is my thing. And I don't need your commentary on it."
Noah leaned back, his grin widening. "Relax, Ella. I'm just messing with you."
"How do you know my name?" she demanded.
"It's on your phone case," he said, pointing. Sure enough, the teal case had her name written in neat script at the bottom.
Ella folded her arms. "Well, now that we're done, I'll just—"
"Wait," Noah interrupted. "Let me make it up to you. Coffee's on me."
"No, thanks."
"Hot chocolate, then?" he offered. "You look like a hot chocolate person."
Ella blinked, caught off guard. "What does that even mean?"
"It means you could use something warm and sweet to chill out a bit."
Despite herself, Ella felt her lips twitch, but she suppressed the urge to smile. "I don't need a drink. Just… try not to bump into people next time."
"Noted," Noah said, still smiling as she turned to leave.
Back home, Ella opened her phone to find a series of new photos in her gallery.
There was a blurry selfie of Noah grinning into the camera, his hand awkwardly holding the phone at an angle. Another photo showed his guitar case propped open, the words "Follow the Music" scrawled on the inside lid.
The last photo was a picture of the bench in the park where Ella liked to sit. It was taken from an angle she'd never thought to shoot, with sunlight spilling across the carved words: "Don't let the light fade."
Ella stared at the screen, conflicted. Was Noah annoying? Yes. But maybe he wasn't entirely insufferable.