There were glittery party hats strewn across every surface, half-deflated balloons clinging to life, and a mysterious shoe sitting in the kitchen sink (probably Rob's). The living room was a battlefield of crumpled blankets, empty glasses, and one very confused-looking Josh wrapped in fairy lights, blinking like he'd just been reborn.
Lou shuffled out from her bedroom, eyes barely open, wearing a hoodie with "Don't Talk To Me Until 2025" scribbled on the back in Sharpie. She paused in the doorway, surveyed the room, and groaned.
"Who invited chaos?"
"You did," Ophelia mumbled from the couch, buried under a duvet with only her head poking out. "And you let it sleep over."
Robert sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, sunglasses on despite the cloudy skies outside, sipping instant coffee from a wine glass. "I had a dream that the pigeons came inside and staged a coup. Honestly? Felt possible."
"Don't start," Ava said, emerging from the kitchen with two mugs. "No birds before breakfast."
Audrey trudged in behind her, hair in a messy bun, already pulling open cupboards. "Do we have food that isn't just crisps and regret?"
Ryan popped up from behind the couch like a haunted puppet. "I found a stale croissant and a single jelly bean."
"Put it on a plate," Lou said. "We're doing brunch."
There was laughter—tired, scratchy-throated, but real.
Elijah appeared from the hallway, ruffling his hair and squinting like the light offended him. He gave a vague wave and beelined for the kitchen.
"Morning, sunshine," Robert called.
Eli grunted in reply and opened the fridge. "Who brought a half-eaten lasagna?"
"That was mine!" Ava shouted. "My midnight snack turned into a social event."
"You shared it with the entire party," Josh said from the corner, still tangled in lights. "You gave a toast to pasta."
"Fair," Ava muttered.
Ophelia sat up a little straighter as Elijah passed her the kettle. "Tea?"
"Always."
Their fingers brushed, barely, but both of them felt it.
The others were too caught up in trying to toast bread on the radiator to notice, which gave Ophelia and Elijah the rarest thing: a moment alone.
