Afterlight (Fanfiction) - EDITING ✓

chapter nine

Chloe

     I opened my eyes slowly, exhaustion pulling at my limbs like I had run a marathon in my sleep. My gaze shifted around the room, and there he was—Justin. Standing in the kitchen, his back to me, his posture rigid with barely contained irritation. Beside him, a blonde girl munched casually on green grapes, her eyes flicking between him and me, completely unaware of the tension building in the air.

"Leave." The words cut through the silence of the room, a rasping command that felt too heavy for the morning light.

I glanced at the clock—6:06 a.m. Why was he always such a goddamn morning person?

The girl chewed thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on me with a look I couldn't quite place. "But—" She began to speak softly, trailing off as she popped another grape into her mouth.

Justin didn't even acknowledge her. His eyes remained fixed on something beyond her, a storm brewing in his dark gaze. The girl tried, of course. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, but Justin flinched away, shrugging her off with a movement that was all too practiced. His gaze didn't leave her as she stuffed another grape into her mouth and looked back over her shoulder at me, as if she could somehow sense that I wasn't all that impressed.

Think again, sweetheart.

She didn't seem to care. With a slight huff, she pushed her chair back and strutted toward me. Her movements were confident, calculated. She had that "it" factor—like a girl who knew how to be wanted. She lowered herself to the floor beside me, kneeling so that she was eye-level with me, her gaze full of curiosity.

"I haven't seen you around," she said, a playful grin curling on her lips. The same cherry perfume from last night still clung to her skin, mixing with the sharp edge of her wild, tousled hair.

"Julia," I said, forcing a smile as I tucked my hair into a ponytail. "I'm staying with Justin for a few days."

Her eyes flicked over to Justin, and she flashed him a grin full of teeth that looked too perfect to be real.

"Aww, she calls you by your full name!" she teased, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. Justin just rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. He moved toward the door, already signaling he was done with this little interaction.

Her attention, however, stayed fixed on me. "I'm Laura," she added, her eyes widening just a touch.

I nodded, giving her a tight smile. Tension crackled between us—unspoken, but palpable. Neither of us let go of the fake smiles plastered on our faces, but the air felt thick, as if at any moment it could turn. Justin, ever the observer, was clearly growing tired of the scene.

"Time's up," Justin said, his voice flat as he held the door open, a silent invitation for her to leave.

She made no move to leave immediately, her voice rising in that playful whine, "Aren't you going to drive me home?" She swayed her hips in that way girls like her always did, her short shorts riding up just enough to make her presence impossible to ignore.

"You've got legs, you can walk," Justin replied coolly, shutting the door behind her without another word. His face hardened as he sighed, brushing a hand through his disheveled hair.

I watched him, somehow oddly fascinated by the way he navigated the world like he owned it, even when it clearly didn't want him. He walked back into the kitchen, like it was just another day, another girl, another mistake, another... everything. He opened his laptop without care, typing away at something that seemed to bore him to death. He looked like he hadn't slept in days—his hair messy, eyes bloodshot, his body sagging with fatigue.