"Ana!"

A squeal floated over the heads of teenagers dancing to the loud music and Anastasia, who had just walked through the front door, barely had time to look for who was calling her when a small body hurtled into her side.

"You made it!" Kaia shouted. "I knew you'd come even though you're two hours late!"

"Yeah, well, Liam wouldn't take no for an answer," she said with a grin as the boy came up from behind and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"All I did was graciously remind you."

"Oh, you mean blow up my phone with 23 missed calls and 82 text messages?"

"You weren't answering!"

"I was at practice!"

He laughed, giving her a big hug before melting into the dancing crowd.

"Come on, everyone else is here, too!" Kaia grabbed ahold of her hand and began to lead her through the house.

It was quite a large house—one that she was familiar with—the ceiling soaring high overhead with a winding staircase and the first kitchen breaking off into two separate living rooms, the more spacious one being used as the dance floor.

In the smaller living room, Asher was belting out Disney karaoke songs on a flat screen with Sebastian and Jasper on the other two microphones as Jenevieve encouraged them loudly in French holding a handful of chicken nuggets. Miriam sat on the couch, quietly watching and Anastasia swore she smiled before they walked into the kitchen where the others were. Logan was leaning against the island and laughing with Stella and Scarlett who were both trying to stuff two pizza slices in their mouths at the same time as Melanie and Abel knocked back shots on the other counter, cheering after every one.

"Hey!" Melanie shouted, downing a shot before going to hug Anastasia. "Look who made it, guys!"

Everyone yelled their greetings over the music and she waved back at them.

"Don't drink too much, Mel!" The girl nodded, kissing her on the cheek before going back over to Abel.

"Basically, the only ones drinking here are Mel, Jen and Abel, but he brought his own alcohol and I made sure they could all sleep over tonight. There's food and drinks in the other room, you already know where everything is."

She patted her on her arm.

"Have fun, okay?"

"I will."

Kaia drifted off to go check on the other partygoers and Anastasia wandered over to sit next to Stella.

"Pishah?" Scarlett offered her a slice with a pizza crust poking out of her mouth.

"Thanks. How was the meeting?"

"It was really good! You should've came, they gave us some deep advice. I mean, can you imagine? Real life Cupids giving us advice on love! It was insane!" Stella said, spreading her arms out wide.

"I'm sorry I missed it," Anastasia giggled before turning to Logan. "It's nice to see you, by the way. You never come out to these things."

"Stella and Jasper pretty much kidnapped me," he muttered.

"Aww, don't pretend like you're not having fun!" Scarlett said, nudging him playfully until he gave her a begrudging smile.

"Okay, yes, I'm having fun."

"Good!" Stella hopped off of her stool. "Are you feeling alright enough to dance a little?"

Logan blushed and looked down at his crutches.

"I—well, I'm feeling a little fine—"

"Then, let's dance! But, you tell me the moment you need to stop, okay?" The boy didn't have enough time to respond as Stella herded him towards the other living room, pumping her arms and doing what looked like the worm standing up. Both girls laughed and Anastasia munched on her pizza, watching them dance with a little grin when Scarlett cleared her throat.

"So, what are your thoughts on love?" She asked in a blunt manner. If it was in any other situation, Scarlett would've been mortified to ask such a question and so openly, but she reminded herself that she was dead and she really had no reason to care about being shy.

"Oh! Well, um...it's okay...I guess."

The young Cupid merely nodded and sipped at her soda as she polished off the rest of her pizza slice. They were left in a sort of awkward silence and Anastasia focused intently on Melanie as she stumbled out of the kitchen and went to karaoke with the others.

"And?"

She sighed.

"It's such a beautiful concept—that two people would be willing to do so much for someone they really cared about. Makes me want to feel something like that, ya know?" She said quietly.

"I do know." Scarlett's tone had changed and she looked up at the girl to see her peering over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go see if I can get Liam to play Just Dance with me."

"Wait—"

"Hey, Ana."

The girl turned to see Samuel standing near the doorway with a faint smile and two cups in his hands.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Hi," she said, a little annoyed that he'd chased off Scarlett before she could ask her questions. The boy was staring at her in an a way that seemed as if he was expecting her to say something and she recoiled, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

"Sammy!" Abel, who had snuck up on him from behind, suddenly bear-tackled him and dragged him back a few steps before whispering in his ear. "Stop staring at her like a creep—I may be a little drunk, but even I can tell."

He raised his voice to address her.

"Anastasia, darling, is he bothering you?"

"Shut up," he hissed as she giggled and shook her head.

"He's alright."

Samuel scowled as the boy planted a kiss on his forehead before sauntering off to terrorize someone else. He walked over to Anastasia, holding out one of the cups to her.

"Lemonade?"

"Oh! Thank you!" Her adoration for the sweet drink and Abel's flair for drama had somewhat broken the ice between them and he sat beside her.

"So, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

Anastasia's face puckered and for a second he thought it was because of the lemonade until she burst out laughing, the drink almost spilling onto the counter.

"You've got some nerve, Grant."

"I'll admit, it gets me places."

"Yeah? Where do you think it'll get you now?"

The girl turned to him with a playful grin when she realized that he was looking at her in an almost serious manner. She didn't know why, but it felt like something was missing—like having him near and talking to him and laughing with him was supposed to be a good thing.

But, she couldn't feel anything.

"I was hoping you'd know." He looked down at his cup before letting out a big breath. "You having fun, at least?"

His causal dismissal disappointed her for some reason and she shrugged.

"Kaia's parties are always fun."

"Yeah, I know. But," he moved a little closer and dropped his head so he was peering up at Anastasia as his dark curls fell over his eyes, "are you having fun?"

"I—"

"Sam!"

The boy probably would've ripped into whoever was interrupting their moment, but was startled to see a worrisome Kaia rush into the kitchen. Her voice was full of panic and Samuel immediately slipped off the stool followed by Anastasia as the girl began to ramble nonsensically.

"K, calm down. What's wrong?" He asked, putting his hands on her shoulders as she took a deep inhale.

"Some boys from Queens are here and I tried to stop them from coming in, but they wouldn't listen and one of them pushed past me—"

"Pushed past you?" He lifted his head to look around for the others. "Where the hell is Liam? Abel, J! Where's Liam?"

"No! Don't start anything!" Kaia hissed. "I just need you guys to make sure they don't hurt anyone or start trouble."

"Kaia, they put their hands on you! They already hurt someone!" Anastasia exclaimed.

"I'm alright, I promise. Don't worry about me. We can ride this out, it'll be fine."

"Right. Yeah, okay," Samuel said absently when Anastasia slipped her hands into his, bringing him back to himself and anchoring the boy as she gave him a reassuring smile.

The size of her hands were small and Samuel was surprised to find that despite being angry, he couldn't help noticing that her hands fit perfectly in his. Before either of them could say anything, Jasper and Abel wandered over.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked, the latter wiggling his brows at Samuel and Anastasia's joined hands.

"A group of guys from Queens High are here. I just need you to keep an eye on them," Kaia said quickly.

"We can do that."

"This is a party, okay? And there's only four of them. I just want people to enjoy themselves. No starting fights—if something happens regardless, don't hit them first—and keep your distance. You can let Liam and the others know, but no instigating. Now," the girl straightened the glow stick crown atop her head, "if you'll excuse me, I have a party to host."

"Come on, Sam!" Jasper said, tugging on his shirt before both he and Abel followed after the girl.

"Oh! Uh, s—sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay," he lightly squeezed her hands and gave her a little smile, "I'll be back."

Anastasia's palms felt strangely empty as he walked out of the kitchen and she sat back down at the counter, trying to sort out her feelings as she absently shook the ice cubes around in her cup. She didn't know how long she was like that, trying to make sense of her own mind, when a voice called out to her.

"Hi there."

A boy with blond hair and bright green eyes had appeared at her elbow with a gentle smile. Anastasia went to return the greeting when she realized he was wearing a dark blue letterman jacket with a patched on "Q".

"Ah, right," he said as he followed her gaze, "I hope this doesn't jeopardize our conversation."

"We weren't exactly having one."

"Fair enough. My name's Jordan."

"Anastasia."

The boy sat down next to her and flashed her a grin.

"So, what brings you to our side of the island?" She asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was sitting in Samuel's chair and it was really bothering her.

"We heard there was gonna be a party, so we decided we'd crash it although it looks like no one really wants us here."

"Too bad you couldn't read the room and leave."

"Whoa, no need for the attitude," he held his hands up, "me and my friends just wanted some fun tonight."

"Well, when one of your friends hurt one of my friends, I think I'm inclined to give you as much attitude as I see fit," she snapped.

Before Jordan could react, Sebastian trudged in with a sleeping Jenevieve on his back.

"This one had a little too much to drink—mind showing me where I can put her? I can't find Kaia."

"Yeah, sure."

Relieved that the Cupid had saved her from what was the most uncomfortable conversation ever, she helped him take a snoring Jen up the stairs and into one of the guest rooms to sleep it off.

"Thanks. I think I'll keep an eye on our inebriated friends. Abel stopped drinking after those guys showed up and Mel is doing okay so far."

"Let me know if you need any more help."

Anastasia followed him back downstairs and her heart almost leapt out of her chest at the sight of a dark-haired boy sitting at the kitchen counter when she instantly realized it wasn't Samuel.

"Hey! She's back!" Jordan cheered, holding out a cup to her. "Your lemonade, ma'am. This is Leo, by the way."

"Thanks."

She looked around the room to find that her friends had all but disappeared and the karaoke was still playing despite their absence.

Anastasia lifted the cup to her lips and was just about to take a sip before it was suddenly knocked out of her hands, the liquid splashing all over Jordan and Leo.

"What the—"

"What did you put in her drink?" Anastasia was stunned as an enraged Miriam surged towards Jordan and grabbed him by the front of his jacket.

"I saw you put something in your pocket, what was it?"

"I don't know what you're talking—"

Smack!

The boy barely registered the slap across his face when she quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of white pills.

"Sick bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?"

At the sound of her yelling, Asher and Scarlett ran into the kitchen just as Leo grabbed ahold of Miriam, prompting Asher to charge and tackle the boy to the ground with his fists swinging wildly. Anastasia could only watch, frozen in shock as the music stopped and more people streamed into the kitchen.

The way Samuel appeared at her side was as if he was summoned there by her thoughts alone and he didn't hesitate to jump into the fight and pull Asher away.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"That jackass tried to attack Miriam!"

"And that jackass," she pointed at Jordan, "tried to drug Anastasia!"

Samuel looked at Anastasia, then at Jordan, then back at her.

He was slowly twisting around the thick rings he had on his fingers when he suddenly curled his hand and swung, slamming his fist into Jordan's jaw. Abel jumped to action as Samuel lunged at the unconscious boy, catching him and dragging him back.

"Sam, no!"

"He deserved that," he snarled at the boy's friends, trying to break free, "acting like a fucking idiot!"

"Look, man, we didn't know he had that on him—"

"Fuck you!"

Kaia, who absolutely did not look happy, suddenly pushed through the crowd.

"Okay, everyone! Party's over! And you morons," she pointed at the four boys, "better get the hell out of my house before I call the cops."

Everyone watched as the three boys quickly left the room, half-carrying, half-dragging their dazed friend along with them before they themselves decided to leave.

"What the hell happened?" Kaia demanded, waving her hand at the people who called out their thanks and goodbyes. "I wasn't even gone that long!"

"No, you should've made them leave the second they got here!" Samuel pushed Abel away. "One of them tried to drug Ana and another of those dipshits attacked Miriam! And never mind the fact that the minute they showed up, they put their hands on you!"

"What?!" Liam said loudly.

"You shouldn't have let them in!"

"Check your tone, Samuel, and get your finger out of my face," Kaia snapped as the boy moved closer to her.

"Hey, come on," Jasper eased his way between them, "the main thing is nobody got hurt. Don't fight, not now."

Samuel drew up short and ran a hand through his hair frustratedly before pushing past them and out the side door onto the patio.

"I'll get him—"

"Actually," Anastasia said quickly, "I can."

She avoided their curious eyes and scuttled out of the house, taking a deep breath of the night air to calm herself.

Samuel plopped down at the top of the stairs with his back to her and his head tilted up to the sky. Anastasia didn't know how to approach him and stood wrestling with herself before slowly moving to sit next to him.

They stared at the stars in silence before he glanced at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Me? Yeah, I'm—I'm fine. Are you okay?"

Samuel let out a short laugh.

"You're the one that almost got drugged and you're asking if I'm okay?" He shook his head. "Crazy."

"How is that crazy? You just punched someone, I think I'm allowed to worry for you," she murmured.

"You're shaking," the boy pointed out in a soft voice.

Anastasia looked down at her hands—they were indeed trembling, something she hadn't taken notice of. For a moment, Samuel gazed at her as if he was trying to memorize every part of her face from the way the moonlight shone on her dark features to the soft gleam of her eyes, twinkling like the stars in the sky.

The boy sighed.

"I know we're all stuck in this bullshit Cupid mess, but I need you to know that that's not the reason I care about you," he said in an abrupt tone.

Anastasia's brows rumpled slightly before understanding what he meant and she slowly nodded.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I'm selfish and I don't know what love is, but what do I know? I'm a senior in high school, for fuck's sake. All I know is that seeing you almost get hurt...it drove me insane. And I never want that to happen to you again, not if I can help it."

He paused as she gave him a small smile and took a deep breath, an almost shaky one at the realization that he was rambling. Samuel didn't know which way to come from or what would be most appropriate, but he couldn't ignore the way he was feeling.

At least, not anymore.

"Thing is, I really do care—I always have. What I feel for you is real...and if I'm being honest, I'm willing to figure this out. With you."

Bathump

"That two people would be willing to do so much for someone they really cared about."

Bathump

"Okay," she said softly.

"Okay? What...what does that mean?"

"It means," she slowly slipped her hand into his, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes as her heart began to beat in a synchronized manner to Samuel's own, "okay."

He squeezed her hand, fighting back an uncontrollable grin.

"...Okay."

Bathump, bathump, bathump.

——————
☀︎ celine's corner ☀︎

and here we have:
(drum roll please)

the first match!

Samuel Grant & Anastasia Mercer

ngl, i lowkey struggled with the last scene, but i thought simplicity would be the way to go. ofc this doesn't mean their story is over—it's merely beginning! thank you for reading, my loves!