MIDNIGHT SKY.
﹆ . ⁺ . ✦ ﹒₊˚𓂃 ★﹒₊‧
⌞ 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖾𝗇 .ᐟ ⌝

@lovesaige | SAIGE H.
╭・␥ 📱 ★﹒new post

♥ liked by 81,628 others
lovesaige unseen bits from last week
view all comments

user oh to look this pretty

⤷ user  to be friends w the obx cast 😔

user  girl you're honestly living the life i want

user DAYUM

user WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THE LAST SLIDE 😭

kingraella i see what you did there 🤭

⤷ lovesaige  😌

austinnorth55 best time ever

⤷ lovesaige  even when you legit almost died from hot cheetos?
⤷ austinnorth55  okay wow i see we're exposing here
⤷ madisonbaileybabe  it's not even THAT spicy dude
⤷ user  😭

user she went camping with the cast i am so jealous

⤷ user  get a life

user wait she and drew look kinda cute together

⤷ user  OMG RIGHT
⤷ user  THEY LOOK SO GOODDD
⤷ author  so true cuz that manip is the best one i made yet
⤷ user  no!!! drew & daniela 4ever!!!

carlaciagrant ❤️

user THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US WITH THESE

user she's trying so hard to be famous

user stop using drew for clout smh

⤷ user  they're friends...

rudeth  why am i not included in these smh

⤷ lovesaige  cuz you'd steal the spotlight
⤷ rudeth  ok fair

drewstarkey good times

⤷ lovesaige thanks for not making me regret riding you
          comment is ♥ by @drewstarkey.
⤷ lovesaige with you*
⤷ user OH MY GOD???
⤷ madelyncline  I AM WHEEZING
⤷ jonathandavissofficial  okay i did NOT expect that 😵

MESSAGES | PRIVATE
╭・␥ 📱 ★﹒active now

participants:
drew starkey ⤑ future bf
saige halley ⤑ saige

TODAY 3:13 PM

future bf
hey
what are you up to?

saige
nothing much
just trying to live life to the fullest
you?

future bf
same
so, i've got some ingredients here
just screaming to be used
how about we bake something together?

saige
now?

future bf
yeah, if you're up for it.

saige
you can just tell me you missed me, you know?

future bf
where's the fun in that?

saige
HAHA 🙄
okay fine

future bf
you want me to pick you up?

saige
i've got it
i'll be there in a min
don't miss me too much

future bf
okay
i'll wait

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

    "Alright, so what exactly are we doing first?" Drew turned to Saige, who was cutting open the flour bag. "I've never baked banana bread before." He adds, as a matter of fact, flashing her a sheepish look.

    "Step one: don't panic." Saige grinned, her tone light as she set the flour aside and slid the ripe bananas in front of him. "Step two: mash these like you've never mashed before."

    He raised an eyebrow, half-smiling as he grabbed the fruit. "Right," he muttered, peeling each of them. "I'll mash them so good, they won't even know what hit 'em."

    Saige couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her throat at his choice of words. "You make everything sound dirty."

    "It was unintentional." Drew chuckled playfully, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

    As Drew continued working on the bananas, Saige moved around his kitchen, analyzing the tools and equipment he had laying around. She then preheated the oven, the faint whirring filling the otherwise quiet atmosphere between them.

    She glanced back at Drew, who was now mixing the dry ingredients together. "Do you even like banana bread? Or are you just doing this to please me?" She teased, leaning against the counter, watching him whisk the ingredients like it was an Olympic sport.

    "I'm all about bananas," he replied with a smirk, halting his mixing to lean against the counter, as well. He watched her earnestly, his smirk growing. "And maybe the second one, too."

    Saige rolled her eyes at his comment but she could not deny the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. There was just something in the way he looked at her that made her feel some type of way.

    "But I've only tried it like... once before," Drew added, with a shrug, resuming his work. "Alright, I'm done with this. Let me mix them together." He said, grabbing the wet ingredients from Saige and pouring the dry one in it. "This honestly feels like a big responsibility. How are you so calm about this? Jesus."

    Saige let out a soft laugh, shaking her head at him. "Drew, be so for real. We're making banana bread, not saving the world."

    "Got you." Drew nodded seriously, his brows furrowed in concentration as he stirred, careful not to overmix.

    She looked at him with amusement in her eyes. "You're really putting your heart and soul into this."

    "Only because you're watching." He smirked. "Gotta impress the expert, right?"

    Saige couldn't help but shriek inwardly at the way he was making her feel at this moment. It was like he was making up for all the times he was being dense about her obvious flirting towards him.

    "When was the last time you baked?" Saige changed the subject as she obtained the bowl from Drew who was patently tired from mixing. She carefully poured the batter into the loaf pan, spreading the mixture evenly.

    Drew let out an over-exaggerated sigh. "The time I set off the smoke alarm," he said, now sitting on the bar stool. "Wasn't exactly my proudest moment."

    Saige snorted at that. "Classic." Then, she set the pan in the oven, the door shutting with a soft click. Drew watched the entire process, his gaze focused on her movements. "Is it bad timing to confess I love baking but I don't know how to cook?" She turned to him.

    Drew look at her with feign surprise. "Really?"

    "Well, I can cook," she said, almost immediately. "Just the basics."

    "Yeah?" Drew cooed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Like eggs?"

    Saige gasped dramatically. "Exactly!" She laughed, her voice light as she smacked him with the back of her hand. "Want me to cook you a five-star scrambled egg?"

    Drew chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Maybe next time, we'll cook something," he suggested. "My territory." He added, his brows wiggling in an attempt to provoke her.

    Saige couldn't help but smile, feeling a tug in her chest. "Deal." She said, her voice softer now.

    After the two of them headed to his living room to watch the pilot episode of OBX—much to Drew's dismay—the banana bread was finally ready to be devoured. Then, at the last minute, they both decided to hang out in the rooftop. They brought blankets, drinks, and the warm loaf of freshly baked banana bread to the rooftop, heading out into the cool evening air.

    It was almost dark outside which meant they had missed the sunset. The city below sparkled with life but on the rooftop, it felt like an escape from it. Rooftops were their thing now. There was just something about the stillness of the night; the peaceful silence that made all of it comfortable. Though it was something they'd done a few times already, tonight felt somewhat different.

    Saige had not realized that vulnerability came in all forms—sometimes in quiet moments, a lingering look, fleeting glances, and the courage to stay with someone despite knowing their heart still belonged to someone else.

    Still, she sat with Drew, allowing herself to feel the moment; to cherish it.

    For her, vulnerability was more than just baring your weaknesses. Sometimes, it ws about being there for someone; letting them in and risking the possibility of heartbreak just to be there for them.

    The afternoon Saige and Drew spent together, up to this moment where they both sat noiselessly, just observing the city lights and the blurred image of cars passing by the streets, was almost effortless. Just two people enjoying each other's company.

"I don't care if we talk about nothing," he had said when Saige joked about them not having anything to talk about. "I just want to talk to you."

It was moments like this that made Saige rethink everything. For her, it was perfect. She wanted him to understand that relationships didn't have to hurt—that love didn't have to be complicated. But she held back, letting him realize it on his own.

    As the night carried on, they both began conversing about their deepest thoughts.

    "You ever notice how heartbreak feels different every time?" Drew said, taking a sip from his beer. "It's like grief, right? Sometimes it's sharp, unbearable. Other times, it's... numb. Empty."

"Yeah, it's weird." Saige replied, shifting comfortably in her position. "It's always there though. For you to carry."

"Yeah," Drew muttered quietly, his gaze still on the night sky above them. "It's worse when it's quiet. Makes you realize how much it's taking up space in your mind."

"That's the worst." Saige agreed, taking a quick glance at him. His focus was still rooted at the skyas if he was trying to memorize the stars in his mind.

"Do you think it's possible to... fully get over someone?"

Saige's breath hitched in her throat. "I... guess so. It's different for everyone. For me, I just... learned to live with it." She shrugged, hoping it made sense. "It gets easier as the days go by." She added.

Drew nodded, taking another sip, before lookimg back at Saige, a lazy smile plastered on his lips. "I had a great day today."

"You mean, a great half-day." Saige joked.

"Yeah." Drew chuckled.

    Moments of silence passed between them, and they let it be. Saige hadn't realized how much was left unspoken in that silence. Then, she heard Drew sigh deeply, prompting her to look at him.

    "Everything okay?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

    Drew looked down for a moment, contemplating whether or not to share something so deep and personal to Saige. "Daniela and I... were toxic." He finally spoke, each word felt like poison to him.

    Saige felt her throat tighten at his confession. She had thought they were the perfect couple. It was like what Raella said that they just clicked.

    "Yeah," he chuckled bitterly. "At first, I didn't think we were. Hell, I didn't want to think we were. But I've just realized now that the signs were all there."

    Saige listened intently, not bothering to speak up, as if urging him to continue.

    "You know that feeling when you love someone so much, that no matter how much they hurt you, it was fine," his voice cracked and Saige felt her heart was being crushed at that. "As long as they stay." He adds.

    Saige's heart twisted painfully. She knew that feeling all too well. It was what she lived every day with him.

Finally, after a long stretch of silence, Drew exhaled, his voice quiet but heavy. "When she broke up with me," he began, his words faltering for a moment as if the pain was still fresh. "She said a lot of things. That I was too much. That I was... suffocating her."

Saige's gaze softened, her heart aching for him. "She said that to you?"

Drew nodded, his eyes filled with frustration and pain. "She said I was trying too hard, always trying to make things perfect, always wanting more. And it... killed me. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do."

"I'm sorry," Saige murmured. "That's... messed up, Drew."

"She left me that day. I didn't even had the chance to tell her what I wanted." Drew chuckled bitterly. "Fuck, I don't even know why I'm telling you this right now," He shook his head as if to rid the thoughts. "It was supposed to be a fun night between us. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," she turned to face him, resting a hand on his arm, in a comforting way. "I'm here to listen, okay?"

His expression pained. "I don't know why I still love her, Saige." He admitted. "What she did hurt me but I still love her and it's messing me up so much that insomnia's gonna be the death of me." He chuckled.

Saige nodded, feeling a wave of nausea threaten to overwhelm her. There it was. He had said it. He still loved her. She fought back the tears threatening to escape but she swallowed hard, forcing herself to get it together because this wasn't about her. It was about him.

"It's just different," Drew continued, his voice quieter. "You and her."

"I know." Saige whispered, immediately, her voice barely audible. But then what he said next shocked her to the core.

"I love her, Saige. I do. But with you, it's... easier to breathe. It feels good." He hesitated, rubbing the corner of his nose and sniffing. "Everything feels easier with you but... I don't know. She gets me. We have history."

"Drew," she started, but he interrupted her.

"God, I'm sorry, that was selfish as fuck." He murmured, his voice filled with guilt. "I wanted to be honest with you because you're... important to me. You deserve that."

Saige nodded, even if it felt like the air had been knocked out of her.

"Right," Drew nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Now that that's out there, uh..." He lets out a soft, self-deprecating laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I should apologize for trauma-dumping."

Saige tilted her head, a playful grin on her lips. "Trauma-dumping? And here I thought we were having a moment." She teased, nudging him lightly. Her heart felt like it was about to be ripped out of her chest.

Drew looked down between his feet, with a smile on his face, then he diverts his gaze back to her, his eyes filled with appreciation. "Thanks. For being here. I mean it."

"Always." And Saige had meant that. Even when she was drowning in her own pain.

GWYN'S NOTE.
ఌ︎
drew needs to make up his mind asap!!

ALSO THANK YOU FOR 4K READS WHAT??? ya'll-

thank you so much for all the love you're giving to this book & to saige! i literally love reading all your comments it makes me blush djdjd <3

don't forget to vote and comment! x