The Finish Line Kiss - Lando Norris

✦˚₊‧⁺˖ chapter 24 ˖⁺‧₊˚✦

⊹★⋆💋｡°⋆✮🏎️✮⊹★🏁⋆｡ °⋆

Zoe woke up in her room, her head pounding and her mouth dry as sandpaper. She groaned, squinting against the faint sunlight creeping through the curtains. The muffled sound of the city outside felt like it was reverberating inside her skull. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, fumbling slightly, and squinted at the screen.

10:32 AM.

Her notifications were a mix of missed calls, blurry tagged photos, and a few messages from her group chat that she was too groggy to decipher. She tossed the phone back onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow, letting out a muffled groan.

Her memories of the previous night were scattered—a blur of laughter, drinks, and loud music. She could faintly recall Carlos handing her water and Shira pulling her onto the dance floor, insisting on "just one more song." There was something about Daniel and a joke she couldn't quite remember but knew had left her laughing until her stomach hurt.

Now, though, none of it felt fun. The pounding in her head, the unease in her stomach, and the overwhelming sense of guilt that always seemed to surface after a night like this were too much to handle. She sat up slowly, clutching her head as the room spun for a moment.

"Ugh, never again," she muttered to herself, though she knew she didn't mean it.

With a deep breath, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and shuffled to the kitchen. The apartment was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator. She grabbed a glass of water and downed it in a few gulps, grimacing as the cold liquid hit her empty stomach. She knew she needed coffee, but the thought of the effort it would take to make it felt monumental.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, and she glanced at it, wincing at the brightness of the screen. It was a message from Shira:

"You alive? Brunch at noon. Don't flake."

Zoe sighed, setting the phone back down without replying. She wasn't sure she had the energy for brunch, or for people, but she also knew Shira would probably show up at her door if she didn't make an appearance.

Dragging herself back to the bedroom, Zoe glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her makeup smudged from the night before, and she looked as exhausted as she felt. But somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice reminded her that today was a new day. Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage it.

She grabbed her robe, tied it loosely around her waist, and sat back down on the bed. "Alright, Zoe," she muttered to herself. "Get it together."

Zoe popped an aspirin into her mouth and downed it with the last of her water, wincing at the bitter aftertaste. She stood there for a moment, leaning against the kitchen counter, letting the pill work its way into her system. Her head still throbbed, but the act of taking the pill felt like the first small step toward feeling human again.

Looking around, she noticed the mess from the whirlwind of the past week: a jacket draped over a chair, empty coffee mugs scattered on various surfaces, and her shoes haphazardly kicked off in the corner. The sight of it made her feel even more disheveled.

"Right," she said to herself, clapping her hands together softly. "Let's fix this."

She grabbed her wireless speaker, scrolling through her phone until she landed on a playlist. The opening beats of a mellow indie track filled the room, just enough to keep her company without worsening her headache.