Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter XXVIII

The next morning, Sakura opens her eyes to a throbbing headache, as if her brain is being kicked around inside her skull like a soccer ball. She winces at the harsh sunlight and carefully sits up, realizing that something is wrong. Very wrong.

The satin bedsheets, the modern furniture, everything in black and white hues—so minimalistic and without a shred of sentimentality, or any human emotion, really.

Bile rises inside her gut, and it has nothing to do with the amount of alcohol she consumed yesterday. It's because she knows this room. This bed. All too well.

It was her first time, after all.

In panic, she throws off the blanket and sees that she's still in her yesterday's clothes. This calms her down, if only a little.

"Oh, come on, Sakura, I know I'm not the nicest person out there, but I'm not that fucked up to take advantage of someone drunk."

And there she is, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest and that infuriating, cocky smirk plastered on her face.

"Kaname," she mutters through her gritted teeth.

"There's a towel and a set of fresh clothes in the bathroom. Take a shower and meet me for breakfast," Kaname says, like it's an order but then adds a somewhat apologetic 'please'.

Sakura shoots her a seething look. "No, thanks."

She stands up from the bed but a wave of dizziness hits her like a truck, and she falls right back onto the sheets. "Fuck," she mumbles, cradling her forehead with her palm.

Kaname rolls her eyes. "Right, so I'll be waiting in the kitchen," she says and leaves.

As much as Sakura hates it, she realizes that, in her current weak state, she has no choice but to take the woman up on her offer.

She shuffles slowly to the bathroom and takes a quick shower, which eases the tension under her skull.

Beside the sink lies a set of neatly folded clothes—a white button-up and a pair of jeans—and she realizes that these are actually hers. She must have left them at Kaname's place and forgotten about them, which is perfect because for a moment there she feared she'd be forced to wear Kaname's clothes.

She still can't comprehend how it happened that she ended up at Kaname's apartment. What was she even thinking getting drunk like that? It didn't do anything to heal her heartache; it just added a headache on top of it.

She sighs and decides that she'll have to do what she should have already done yesterday—call Chaewon and Yunjin, since apparently she can't be trusted to be left alone.

Putting on the clothes, she stares at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Her face no longer looks as pale and sick as it did when she arrived at her mother's place but there are still faint dark patches under her eyes—a testament to her recent streak of sleepless nights.

The silver necklace hangs from her neck, its leaf pedant shining brightly. She wraps her palm around it, wondering what Kazuha would say if she saw her in such a state. She would probably worry.

A lump forms in her throat as she reminds herself of Kazuha's soft eyes looking into hers with concern and love.

Maybe she would stay, she thinks but quickly dismisses the thought. Kazuha has made her choice, and she is better off without her anyway. No matter how much it hurts her, she has to accept it.

She hides the necklace under the button-up and leaves the bathroom.

Kaname is sitting by the dining table, scrolling through her phone and drinking coffee, when Sakura enters the kitchen. For a second, she just considers bolting out of the apartment but the smell of fresh bread rolls and toast stirs her hungry stomach and she begrudgingly takes a seat across the woman.