𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧' 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 ─────⋆⋅★𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘺

𝟐𝟓. 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭

"Where are you going? You can't be seen back here!" Suki hissed, her eyes darting to the door as Drew began to open it, his arm draped casually around her shoulders like he had every right to be there.

He paused, frowning slightly, then shrugged as if the answer were obvious. "I can't be seen with my girlfriend?" His voice was light, teasing, like this was all a game and she was the one making up rules no one cared about.

She rolled her eyes, grabbing a baseball cap from the vanity and shoving it onto his head, tugging it down low to cover his eyes. "The whole 'girlfriend' bit is gonna get old real quick," she said, pushing him playfully away, trying to sound annoyed, but there was a smile on her lips that betrayed her.

Drew, though, wasn't about to let her off that easy. He leaned in again, his hand sliding to her chin, thumb grazing her jawline as he kissed her softly. "Hmm, but this won't," he whispered, kissing her again, this time lingering just a bit longer.

She let herself melt into it, just for a moment, before pulling back with a smirk. "Go wait in the car. Be discreet." Her voice was firmer now, but underneath it, there was the edge of anxiety, the kind of nervous energy that only built when your life had been plastered across every gossip site for months.

Drew studied her, his eyes softening as he caught her chewing her cheek. He reached up, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It's different now, Suki," he said, his tone shifting from playful to something deeper, something real. "We're together. I'm not hiding that I'm in love with you." Before she could react or argue, he tossed the cap back onto her dresser and threw open the door, striding out like he had no shame in the world.

She barely had time to slam the door shut behind him before she collapsed against it, exhaling a heavy, anxious breath. Her heart raced, half from the heat between them, half from the fear that everything would come crashing down again, that the scrutiny, the rumours, the chaos of the outside world would swallow them whole.

But then—the knock at the door came before she had time to think, time to catch her breath.

"SUKI!" Madelyn's voice boomed from the other side, all exasperated and motherly, like she'd just caught her teenage daughter sneaking out past curfew. "Open up, right now!"

Before Suki could even move, the door swung open, and in stormed not just Madelyn, but Gracie too.

"Surprise, bitch!" Gracie hollered, bounding into the room with the energy of someone who'd had too much caffeine and not enough sleep. She wrapped Suki in a hug so tight it nearly knocked the breath out of her, and Suki, still stunned, let out a scream of laughter as they squeezed her into a group hug.

"Oh my god, I missed you!" Suki cried, pulling back for just a second before throwing herself back into their arms, like they were her anchor and she hadn't realized just how much she needed them until this exact moment.

"You're glowing!" Gracie pulled back first, taking a step back to survey the room, her eyes landing on the rumpled sheets, the scattered makeup on the vanity, and then finally on Suki's disheveled hair.

"Girl, that wasn't who I think it was leaving here... right?" Gracie's eyes widened, flicking back and forth between the evidence of chaos and Suki's post-Drew state.

Suki felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Girl..." Madelyn chimed in, her arms crossing over her chest as she cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. "What the fuck?" Her expression was frozen in shock for a beat before her lips spread into the biggest, most mischievous grin Suki had ever seen. And that's when both of them erupted into high-pitched squeals, jumping up and down like they were back in high school.