𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝟏𝟓 | 𝚮𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭

I woke up feeling completely drained. My head throbbed with the remnants of yesterday's activities, and my entire body ached as if I'd hardly slept. Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed, hoping a long, hot shower might wash away the exhaustion clinging to me. Afterward, as I toweled off, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were ringed with dark circles, giving me a look that was somewhere between "insomniac" and "panda." Not ideal. With a sigh, I reached for my makeup bag, determined to cover up the evidence of last night's wear and tear.

Once I was dressed and somewhat presentable, I went downstairs, expecting to see Max and Charles since I'd promised to drive them to the airport. But when I arrived, the house was quiet. It didn't take long to realize they'd already left without so much as a goodbye. My mood soured, but I shook it off—I didn't want the day to be defined by a missed farewell. I quickly pulled out my phone and sent a message to Léo, hoping he was free.

Sophie
Good morning drunky, how are you doing?

Léo
Hey, it could be better. What's up?

Sophie
Did you have fun yesterday? Anyway, any plans for today? Can we meet?

Léo
Yeah, I did actually. My friends are never going to believe me when I say I hang out with them. Sure, let's meet, you now know where I live right? Meet me there at 11?

Sophie
Sure, see you then!

With plans in place, I made my way to the kitchen and started chopping up some fresh fruit for breakfast. Just as I began eating, Arthur stumbled down the stairs, looking worse for wear.

"How can you even think about food right now?" he groaned, wrinkling his nose at the sight of my plate. "Even looking at food makes me feel sick."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have had so much to drink last night."

Arthur glared, but I could see the humor beneath his scowl. "Didn't you overdo it too? Léo mentioned you had a rough moment yourself."

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, though I couldn't help but laugh at his teasing.

Seeing his obvious hangover, I gathered some fruit, a bottle of water, and an aspirin for him, setting it all in front of him with a smirk. "Here, you need this more than I do."

Once Arthur was taken care of, I went upstairs to gather my things. I realized I'd misplaced my small bag from last night—the one with my wallet and all my cards. I searched everywhere but couldn't find it, so I gave up for the moment. With a final call downstairs to Arthur, I grabbed my keys and left.

"Going on another date?" Arthur called after me with a grin.

"Funny, Arthur. Very funny," I replied, rolling my eyes as I closed the door behind me.

The drive to Léo's place took about ten minutes. When I arrived, I parked in the driveway and rang the doorbell. Wyatt, Léo's housemate, answered.

"Hey, Sophie. Léo will be down in a minute," Wyatt said, gesturing toward the living room. I nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable as I stepped inside. I kept my eyes on the floor, avoiding Wyatt's gaze. A few moments later, Léo came down the stairs, looking slightly better than I'd expected. Just as we were about to leave, Wyatt reached out and grabbed my arm gently.

"Wait," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you yesterday. I was actually trying to return this." He held out my missing bag, looking slightly sheepish.

"Oh...thanks," I replied, relief flooding through me. "I'm sorry too. I misjudged you, and that wasn't fair. I have a history that makes me... cautious. But that doesn't excuse my reaction."