Falling for Josh Carter

Leah's POV

The world slowed to a crawl.

One second, I was walking to school, my headphones in, the cool autumn air brushing against my skin. The next, I heard the screech of tires, the sharp blare of a horn, and my body locked in place as fear paralyzed me.

I couldn't move.

The car was too close, moving too fast. My heart slammed against my ribs, my breath caught somewhere in my throat, and in that frozen moment, I thought-This is it. This is how I die.

But then-arms. Strong, firm arms wrapped around me, yanking me back with a force that sent me colliding against a solid chest. A rush of warmth. The scent of something deep, musky, expensive. A heartbeat, steady and calm, right beneath my ear.

I gasped, my body trembling, my hands fisting into fabric-his fabric.

"Are you okay?" A voice, deep and rich, laced with something unreadable.

I lifted my gaze, and-oh.

The world, which had been on the verge of crumbling, suddenly stilled.

He was beautiful. Devastatingly, unfairly beautiful.

Dark brown hair, just tousled enough to look effortless. A sharp jawline, strong cheekbones, piercing eyes-God, those eyes. A shade of hazel so intense it felt like they could see right through me. His lips were slightly parted, brows drawn in concern, and for a ridiculous second, I forgot how to breathe.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "I... I-"

Before I could get a proper word out, he was already moving, already stepping away like I was nothing more than a momentary inconvenience. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "You should be more careful."

Then, just like that, he turned away.

And I stood there, heart still hammering, pulse still erratic, watching as he walked off like he hadn't just saved my life.

Like he hadn't just knocked the air from my lungs with a single glance.

I stayed there for a long moment, my fingers still curled into the ghost of where his shirt had been, my mind replaying the deep timbre of his voice, the way his touch had burned through my uniform.

And then I shook myself. You're being ridiculous, Leah.

With one last look in the direction he had disappeared, I forced my legs to move again, my heart still struggling to settle.

.............................

My heart was still racing when I walked through the front door.

I kicked off my shoes absentmindedly, still replaying the morning's events in my head-the screech of tires, the strong arms that had yanked me back, the deep voice that had sent a strange shiver down my spine. Him.

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him all day.

Not just because he had saved me, but because there was something about him-something commanding, magnetic, impossible to ignore. He had barely looked at me, barely acknowledged me, yet my mind was trapped in the memory of his hazel eyes, the way his hand had gripped my arm so effortlessly, the way my body had reacted to his presence like it had been wired to do so.

I shook my head. You're being ridiculous, Leah.

I exhaled and stepped into the living room, expecting to see my brother, Ryan, sprawled on the couch watching basketball or playing video games. What I didn't expect was him.

The same him I had spent the last several hours trying to push out of my thoughts.

Sitting on my couch. Laughing with my brother.

I froze mid-step. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might crack.

What. The. Hell.

He looked different now. More relaxed. His posture was lazy, his long legs stretched out in front of him, an easy grin playing on his lips as he clinked a beer bottle against Ryan's. His hair was still tousled, but in a way that seemed intentional, like he had run his fingers through it a thousand times.

And then, as if sensing my presence, he turned his head.

And those hazel eyes-those same goddamn hazel eyes-landed on me.

For a second, time stopped.

I felt the floor shift beneath me, my breath tangling in my throat as the weight of his gaze pressed against my skin. Did he recognize me? Did he remember pulling me back from the street just hours ago?

His brows pulled together slightly, like he was trying to place me.

And then-nothing.

Just like that, his expression smoothed out, completely indifferent. Detached. Like I was just a stranger, someone not worth a second glance.

Like he didn't even remember me.

My stomach twisted into a hard knot.

"Leah!" Ryan grinned, completely oblivious to the internal meltdown I was having. "Finally home, huh? Come here, I want you to meet someone."

I already know him.

I already know the way his voice sounds

Leah's POV

I already knew him.

I already knew the way his voice sounded-low and smooth, the kind that lingered in your mind long after it was gone. I already knew the way he smelled-clean, expensive, like something untouchable. I already knew the way his presence could consume a room without effort, the way he could make everything else fade into the background.

And yet, he didn't seem to notice me

To him, I was no one.

Ryan gestured toward him, still grinning. "Leah, this is Josh Carter-my best friend from college."

Josh leaned back against the couch, his beer bottle resting lazily on his thigh, and gave me a polite, indifferent nod. "Hey."

That was it.

No recognition. No acknowledgment.

Not even a flicker of memory in those hazel eyes.

The very same eyes that had looked right at me this morning as he pulled me away from death.

For a second, I considered saying something-telling him that we had already met, that he had saved my life. Maybe then he would look at me properly, really see me.

But something stopped me.

The way he looked so effortlessly at ease in my brother's presence, the way he carried himself with a quiet, untouchable confidence, the way he had already dismissed me as just another girl in the room.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

If he didn't remember, then maybe I wouldn't remind him.

"Leah," Ryan said again, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Aren't you going to say hi?"

I forced my lips into something that resembled a smile. "Hi."

Josh nodded again, his expression unreadable. He didn't even try to hold the conversation, didn't ask me anything, didn't seem remotely interested. Instead, he turned back to Ryan, immediately engaging in whatever conversation they had been having before I walked in.

And just like that, I faded into the background.

Like I always did.

I stood there for a second, gripping the strap of my schoolbag, feeling stupid. For standing there, for expecting something different, for feeling a ridiculous sense of disappointment when I shouldn't have.

Ryan didn't notice. He was too busy laughing at something Josh had said. But I noticed.

I noticed how easily I had been overlooked.

How effortlessly he had brushed past me, like I was nothing more than a passing shadow in his world.

I turned away before either of them could see the heat crawling up my neck. "I have homework," I mumbled, even though neither of them was paying attention anymore. "I'll be in my room."

Ryan made some absentminded noise of acknowledgment, but Josh said nothing.

Hours Later

I stared at my textbook, but the words blurred together into a meaningless mess.

I had been sitting at my desk for over an hour, pretending to study, but my mind was trapped somewhere else. Somewhere downstairs.

Every few minutes, I would hear their voices drift up from the living room-Josh's deep and smooth, Ryan's lighthearted and familiar. The sounds of clinking bottles

Leah's POV

I slammed my textbook shut and exhaled, rubbing the heels of my hands against my eyes. I had been staring at the same physics equation for the past twenty minutes, and it still wasn't making sense. Not because I didn't understand the material-I did. But because my brain had been stuck on something else.

Or rather, someone else.

Josh Carter.

I sighed and dropped my head onto my desk. This was ridiculous.

It wasn't like I had a reason to be thinking about him. It wasn't like I was in love with him or anything.

But that didn't stop my mind from replaying the moment I had walked into the living room earlier that evening, completely unsuspecting, only to see him sitting there-the guy who had pulled me out of the street that morning, the guy I hadn't been able to stop thinking about for hours.

I groaned and reached for my phone, needing a distraction.

Leila: You alive?

I smiled despite myself.

Leila Carter. My best friend, my human diary, my voice of reason.

We had been inseparable since middle school, brought together by our shared love of fantasy novels, obscure documentaries, and an unshakable commitment to academic excellence.

Unlike me, Leila was effortlessly cool-the kind of girl who could build a robot from scratch and ace a chemistry exam without studying but also show up to school in combat boots and a Star Wars hoodie and somehow make it look like a fashion statement.

She was also the only person who would understand my current mental spiral.

Me: Barely. You won't believe what happened today.

Leila: You got kidnapped by aliens? Finally realized that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell?

Me: Worse. Ryan's best friend is here.

Leila: And...?

Me: And he's the guy who saved me from getting hit by a car this morning.

Leila: ... Are you serious?

Me: Dead serious.

Leila: Is he hot?

I hesitated for exactly two seconds before responding.

Me: Unfortunately.

Her reply came instantly.

Leila: Oh no. My condolences.

I laughed, sinking deeper into my chair.

Me: I don't have a crush on him.

Leila: You say that like you're trying to convince yourself.

I groaned.

Me: It's not a crush. It's just... you know when you meet someone and you can't stop thinking about them, but not in a romantic way? Just in a 'wow, that person exists' kind of way?

Leila: Leah. That's literally the definition of a crush.

I threw my phone onto my bed and flopped back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Maybe she was right.

Maybe I was curious about him. Maybe there was something about Josh Carter that had caught my attention in a way I couldn't explain.

But it wasn't serious.

It wasn't like I was in danger of falling for him.

Right?

Later That Night

After finishing my homework and reading a few chapters of my book, I wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. The house was quiet-Ryan had probably gone to bed, and Josh had either left or was still hanging around somewhere.

I opened the fridge, grabbed a water bottle, and turned-only to nearly crash into a solid wall of muscle.

I gasped, stepping back. Josh.

He was standing right there, looking just as composed and unaffected as he had earlier, his hazel eyes flicking down to me briefly before shifting toward the fridge.

"You're still up?" His voice was deep, rough with sleep.

I hesitated, gripping my water bottle. "Yeah. Couldn't sleep."

Josh just nodded, like my answer didn't require a response, and reached into the fridge for a bottle of his own.

I expected him to leave after that. To walk past me without another word, just like he had earlier.

But then, just as he was about to turn away, he glanced at me again-really glanced at me this time.

"You good?"

The question caught me off guard.

It wasn't much. Just two words. But something about the way he said it-casual, uninterested, yet strangely thoughtful-made my stomach do a weird little flip.

I forced myself to nod. "Yeah. Just thinking about school."

His brows lifted slightly, like he wasn't expecting that answer. "Ryan says you're a genius."

I blinked. Ryan talks about me?

"I-I wouldn't say that," I stammered, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. "I just... I like school, I guess."

Josh hummed, like he was assessing me for the first time, then took a sip of his water. "What are you studying?"

I hesitated. "Physics, mostly."

That seemed to catch his interest. His head tilted slightly. "You into science?"

"Yeah. I want to major in astrophysics."

Josh let out a low whistle, his expression almost amused. "Damn. Guess Ryan wasn't exaggerating."

I felt my cheeks warm. I wasn't used to people actually caring about my academic interests, much less someone like Josh Carter.

He didn't say anything else after that-just gave me a small nod, like he was silently acknowledging something, before stepping past me and disappearing down the hall.

I stood there for a long moment, gripping my water bottle, feeling completely thrown off balance.

Josh Carter had actually spoken to me.

And worse?

I kind of wanted him to do it again.