Adeline.
I face-planted into my bed on Friday night, utterly exhausted from chasing models, photographers, and deadlines for our upcoming campaign. But it was that sweet, sweet exhaustion that comes from knowing I'd nailed everything just the way I wanted.
As my body melted into the soft mattress, my bones turned to jelly, and I contorted myself into weird, zombie-like stretches until I finally relaxed. I ditched my phone, letting it collect dust beside me, and conked out like a corpse.
No fancy meditation or ASMR for me - just pure, unadulterated sleep coma. And honestly, it was glorious!
Saturday morning, Soph's voice pierced through my sleep-fogged brain. "We're ready to leave!" she chirped. I cracked open one eye, wincing at the bright light, and mumbled, "Wha...where?"
Soph's patient tone hinted at amusement. "Your house, remember?"
My brain slowly rebooted. "Oh yeah! My house...right." Then panic set in. "What time is it?!"
"9:30!" Soph replied, chuckling.
I shot up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "You should've called me earlier!" I grumbled.
Soph's laughter echoed through the phone. "Uh, we did! Multiple times! You just hummed and mumbled 'yeah'...basically, you were a zombie on the phone, dummy!"
The bed was just too tempting. I snuggled back in, declaring, "I'm marrying this bed! It's the love of my life!"
Soph raised an eyebrow. "What about your Eryx?"
I sat up, feigning offense. "My Eryx? When did he become mine?!"
Soph just stared, her expression unreadable. I shrugged, playing it cool. "I'll go get ready!"
"Great," she said dryly, walking out of the room.
Ugh, going home was great and all, but could we skip the getting-ready-and-traveling part? Teleporting from this bed to my bed at home sounded like the perfect plan.
***
As we walked into my home, everything felt radiant - like a warm hug. You know, that cozy aesthetic? Mom was cooking up a storm, Dad was "helping" by taste-testing, and we were all lounging in our comfiest homie outfits.
The scene was set: gossiping with Mom and Dad like we were all teenagers again, laughter echoing, and good-natured teasing flying around. No social media, no TV - just us, unfiltered and unplugged.
Emily was missing, but Soph and Liv fit right in, like family. Soph had Mom wrapped around her finger, while Liv had Dad's attention with her bold spirit. Mom adored sweet girls, while Dad cheered on smart, daring ones. Me? I'm still figuring out which category I fit into!
Emily, of course, was the ultimate sweetheart and brainiac. Liv and Soph, though? They were more than friends - they were family. I swear, Mom and Dad love them just as much as they love me! (Maybe even more?) And honestly, that warms my heart.
As we lounged in my room, sprawled on the bed like a trio of lazy cats, I thought to myself, "Can you believe we're adults? Like, what even is that?"
Soph leaned against the wall, and we chatted about everything and nothing. But soon, the conversation turned to Eryx.
"His brother and a friend are coming too!" I said, feeling cozy in Soph's lap.
Liv's eyes widened like a cartoon character's. "So he's not coming alone?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I told you about them on the way here," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
Liv shook her head. "I didn't catch that."
YOU ARE READING
Beyond The Lie
RomanceShe took a step closer, her eyes blazing with anger. "You want to know what's really unfair? It's that you're mad at me for doing what you should have done in the first place. You should have come to talk to me, should have made an effort. But no, i...
