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Rhys hated his life.
He hated his friends. He hated himself and he hated his inability to put his phone on silent when he went to bed after a full 36 hours of cramming for his last exam.
And despite all the hatred, he rolled over in his bed, groping for his phone on his bedside table. As soon as the screen lid up, he cursed loudly, feeling like his eyes had been burned beyond repair.
After blinking away most of the pain and a couple of tears, he finally could read the onslaught of text messages that kept coming.
Before he could unlock his phone, it started vibrating again. And again.
His heart leapt as a thousand thoughts about accidents came to his mind. He sat up, managing to unlock his phone with shaking hands and saw the last message.
He wasn’t quite sure, if he was still asleep. Because none of the words made any sense.
And then he just pointed at my right boob and even the professor began laughing! THE NERVE!
He had to read that text again, before deciding that he needed more context. He scrolled up to the beginning of the conversation, seeing an unknown number.
IT HAPPENED AGAIN, read the first message. It was accompanied by a few different emojis but Rhys skipped over them.
I swear why do I have to dream about this every night? Rhys was feeling a little calmer now that he understood that whatever was the problem, it seemed to just have been a dream.
And whoever had that nightmare didn’t seem to be one of his friends or family.
Still, now that he was awake and had a fair amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins, he just figured, he might read on.
This time I wasn’t even wearing my polka dotted bra!!!
I was completely naked!
and for whatever reason Tamlin was RiGHT THERE in the front seat
glaring at me! as if he had any right to do that!!
ugh! now I’m even mad when I dream of him. I HATE HIM SO MUCH!
Finally Rhys reached the end of the messages. And just as he finally understood the part about someone pointing the sender’s right boob, another message popped up.
Aren’t you going to say anything?????
Rhys wasn’t sure what to do. He was fairly certain the person was a girl. And that she was probably in the same position as he was right now. Sitting on her bed in the middle of the night. Probably still reeling from her nightmare. What he didn’t understand was, how or why she was texting him.
She either was somehow half asleep and had picked the wrong number or.. actually, he didn’t have another explanation.
And then everything clicked.
She had mentioned Tamlin. And she had Rhys’ number in her phone. But he didn’t have her’s saved. She hated Tamlin. Rhys’ insides clenched as his sleep and panic addled mind finally put everything together.
This was Feyre.
Feyre Archeron.
And somehow, instead of writing to (he assumed) Lucien, she had somehow accidentally texted him.
Which wasn’t at all surprising because he himself had put his number into her phone a couple weeks ago and had never gotten hers in return.
Rhys sat up straighter, took his phone into both hands and looked at the screen as if it might give him the answers he was looking for.
He really should say something.
Maybe, act like he was Lucien. But maybe she hadn’t meant to text Lucien, maybe it had been for someone Rhys didn’t know.
And it didn’t seem fair to lie.
So, biting the inside of his cheek, he typed: Sorry, I would say something to calm you down but I’m not certain you meant to text me
He waited for a full minute.
And then his heart skipped when his phone started actually ringing.
He picked up and the first thing he heard was a panicked, “Who the hell are you?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at the incredulity in her voice.
And then she began cursing. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Of all the people!” She grumbled and he could hear her shifting around and grumbling something more that was unintelligible to him.
“Should I be flattered that the sound of me laughing is enough for you to know who I am?”
“I can’t believe this!” She said, sounding almost like she was talking to herself more than him. “This is worse than the dream.”
Rhys hummed softly. Still grinning, despite himself. “Oh, as someone who’s just heard about the dream, I have to say it’s not. I mean, I don’t mean to pry, but is there something funny about your right boob or was that just the dream-”
“Shut the hell up!” Feyre cut him off, her voice going shrill and he could almost imagine how her eyes would look. Murderous, that steely grey piercing him right in the heart.
“Sorry, sorry.” He said after a while in which she didn’t say anything else. He was suddenly afraid that he might have pushed too far. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Why can’t you just shut up?” She asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Why can’t you just.. I don’t know, be polite and act like you haven’t just been witnessing one of the most embarrassing moments of my life?”
Rhys didn’t say anything, at least not immediately. He was trying to find the right words. “Again, sorry. But why don’t we try something else? Why don’t you tell me about why you’ve had that nightmare? I mean, I know you’re one of the best students in all of your classes, so academic fear can’t be it.”
She sighed, loud and deep and then a dull thud - like someone letting themselves fall against a headboard - came over the line.
“You’re a prick.” She said, her voice much softer and quieter now. “But a prick, who knows how to make people forgive them.”
He smiled to himself, leaning back against his headboard and waiting.
Feyre sighed again. “I have a presentation tomorrow. In Lit class and as you’ve probably guessed my stupid ex-boyfriend is here and the Prof wants the other students to discuss and criticise our presentations.”
Rhys gritted his teeth. He was half tempted to ask what it had to do with her left boob, but bit his tongue. “Cassian is in that class, too. I’m sure if you asked nicely, he would love to shut Tamlin up for you.”
And then Rhys heard something, he had never thought he would hear.
Feyre laughed.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t a laugh. It was more like a huff. But filled with amusement.
And Rhys’ heart went wild at the sound.
He couldn’t help but grin.
“I don’t think Cassian would just get up in the middle of class and shut him up right in front of our professor.” Feyre said, mimicking Rhys’ own words and tone but adding a hint of doubt and sarcasm to it.
“Oh.” Rhys said, chuckling. “Then you don’t know Cassian at all. With the right motivation, he’ll do anything.”
“What kind of motivation?” She asked, sounding amused and suspicious at once.
And this time, he couldn’t help himself. “Probably you agreeing to go out on a date with him.”
Feyre huffed that not-quite laugh again and Rhys immediately regretted having said that. What if she actually went on a date with Cassian. What if- Her next words didn’t help him out of his downward spiral. They actually had the opposite effect.
“And how would you feel if I did that, Rhysand?”
It was a weird feeling. Something that felt like needing to throw up and laugh at the same time. His stomach was in knots and his throat felt tight. His lungs somehow didn’t have enough air but didn’t seem to want to inhale deeply, either.
“I-” Rhys began, for once speechless.
This time, when Feyre laughed, it was a real laugh. Something, Rhys had never heard before. A rich, honeyed sound that filled his heart and soul with joy even if the cause had been his lack of eloquence.
“Don’t worry, if I’m going to go on a date with one of your friend group, it’s going to be you.”
Rhys was almost 200% sure that he must have fallen asleep or had never woken up in the first place. Something like slap sounded from the other side of the line and Feyre’s next words were muffled, “Forget that! I didn’t mean to say that!”
But Rhys was grinning now. Full on and he was sitting bolt upright in his bed, staring at nothing but seeing stars nonetheless.
“Feyre Archeron.” He said, his voice almost shaking with excitement. “Did you just admit that you like me.”
“Oh my god.” She said, her voice still muffled and Rhys could almost see one of her hands clamped over her mouth and those blue, blue eyes wide with shock.
“Well, when are you free?” He said giddily and ready to jump out of bed to go right now. “Tomorrow? On Friday? Right now?”
“Stop!” Feyre said, hand finally removed from her mouth. Oh, that mouth. Rhys suddenly didn’t feel guilty anymore about his countless daydreams of pulling her into his arms and kissing that mouth and those full, pink lips.
“I said if I were to, no that I would.” She said, but Rhys could hear the smile in her voice. And despite all of his hopes, he had never thought that Feyre did actually like him back. This revelation gave him to strength to be bolder than he had been before. Then again, it had been bold of him to put his number into her phone with a wink and an offer to call him anytime.
“Well, yeah.” He said. “This is me asking you out, isn’t it? So-”
He let the sentence hang in the air and then Feyre let out something like a strangled laugh and said, “Fine. But promise me, that you won’t ever tell anyone about my dream.”
“I promise.” Rhys said, grinning broadly and then added, “So, tomorrow after Lit class? We could grab coffee, or lunch or whatever you feel like.”
“Alright.” Feyre said, her voice soft once more.
“And if Tamlin dares to say anything during your presentation, I’ll help Cassian shut him up.” Rhys said and thought to himself that he probably would never get used to the way Feyre’s laugh made him feel.