𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃

20

Song:
yad- vanna rainelle (cover in english)
slowed + reverb

LEENA

"What did you get?" Lilith asks from beside me as we sit on the couch in the living room. We were waiting for the entire group to arrive since we planned to watch a movie together over at my place.

I had told them that my parents wouldn't be home. And while it was true, I couldn't bring myself to tell them that one of my parent's was buried beneath the ground.

Christmas was yesterday and I had spent it with my dad. He was always working, so for him to finally spend time with me made me extremely happy.

"Some clothes, a necklace, shoes, a new-" she cuts me off with a dramatic sigh. "Okay, I get it. You're rich." How many times did I have to tell her that I wasn't rich? My dad's the rich one, not me.

Even then, I wouldn't exactly call him rich. He just made enough money to live comfortably. It was nothing too crazy.

"I already told you, I'm not rich." I lean back onto the couch and bring the bowl of popcorn along with me, throwing one into my mouth.

"Take a look around, Leena. This looks pretty luxurious to me," she says, gesturing toward the living room, filled with high-end furniture and paintings worthy of being displayed in the Louvre.

"Well, yeah but-" she raises her hand and I take it as a sign to stop talking. Where did this sassiness come from? If I'm being honest, I kinda like it.

I'm about to ask her what she got for Christmas when the doorbell rings. "Finally, took long enough." I get up and walk to the door, pulling it open to see who's on the other side.

My eyes shift to Angel, giving him a quick once-over before moving to the guy standing beside him—Mitch.

Although I was more focused on one of them than the other.

"Come in," I say, stepping aside to let them enter. Mitch greets me briefly before walking straight toward Lilith, who I hadn't even realized had followed me to the door.

I watch as he pulls her in for a hug and presses a kiss to her forehead. In return, she wraps her arms around him.

They're just too cute.

"Nice house." The voice behind me draws my attention, and I turn to face the tall, incredibly handsome guy I had completely forgotten about while watching the two lovebirds.

His parents made the right decision when they chose his name.

"Thanks," I exhale. Lately, being around Angel was making it harder and harder to breathe. Something felt off, and I didn't like it one bit.

At first, the tension between us was manageable, something I could easily brush off or ignore. But now, it feels like everything has shifted. The air around us grows heavy, and conversations that once flowed naturally now feel strained. Moments that should be simple and comfortable quickly turn weird and awkward, leaving me unsure of what to say or do.

I'm not the only one who notices it. I know he does, too.

"Where's Matt?" I expected him to be with the two, but he's nowhere to be found. Reyna isn't here yet, either. "He told me he'd drive here himself," Angel says, moving past me to the living room where Mitch and Lilith are chatting.