He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103

(Daisy’s POV)

“Hey Aria, I was wondering if you can-”

I stopped.

My thumb hovered over the screen like it had just realized it was about to commit something irreversible.

I stared at the message.

Then I stared at it some more.

Then I squinted at it, like maybe if I looked hard enough, it would tell me if this was a good idea or a social crime punishable by embarrassment.

Is this too soon?

That question came quietly.

Then louder.

Then aggressively.

Is this too soon?

Are we even there yet?

Is there a “come over to my house and help me not fail academically” stage in friendship? Or is that, like, level ten? And we are currently… what? Level three? Level two? Tutorial stage?

I blinked.

What if she’s busy?

What if she has something important to do?

What if she says yes… and regrets it immediately?

What if she screenshots this message and sends it to a group chat titled “People Who Need to Relax”?

I inhaled.

Then exhaled slowly.

“No,” 1 muttered.

Absolutely not.

I deleted the message.

Gone.

Erased.

I dropped my phone beside me like it had betrayed me personally and leaned back against the bed.

“I can do this.”

I nodded once, like I believed myself.

“It’s just math.”

Numbers.

Symbols.

Letters that decided to become dramatic and join the equation like they had something to prove.

I sat up straighter.

“I am smarter than numbers.”

“…Okay, maybe not all numbers.”

Another pause.

“Calculus is suspicious.”

I frowned slightly.

“If numbers had personalities, calculus would definitely be the villain.”

I stared at nothing for a second.

Then shook my head.

“No. No negativity. We are not doing that.”

I clapped once, softly.

“I can do this.”

Did I believe it?

Not entirely.

Was I still going to say it?

Yes.

Because confidence is sometimes just lying to yourself with conviction.

I pushed myself off the bed, grabbed a towel, and headed to the bathroom.

The shower helped.

Not in a magical, life-changing way, but in a “my brain is slightly less chaotic now” way.

Water hit my skin, and for a few minutes, everything else quieted.

Tomorrow.

Competition.

I needed to show up.

I needed to try.

That was it.

I stepped out, got dressed in something comfortable, and returned to my room, feeling… not confident, but at least not spiraling.

I gathered my things.

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