I woke up feeling… drained.
Not just physically, but mentally too. The memory of the party, the rooftop, and that guy kept replaying in my head like a loop I couldn't pause. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, it always came back.
I took a deep breath, convincing myself that it was over. That night was behind me.
I got ready for university, carefully choosing an outfit that wouldn't attract too much attention. Something normal. Simple. My hair was neatly tied back, and my face looked fresh and clean.
I didn't want anything that reminded me of that night.
Or worse made anyone ask questions.
When I arrived at the café near campus, Chloe and Mika were already there. The moment they spotted me, smiling as if everything was perfectly normal.
"Morning, Sam!" Chloe chirped brightly. "You survived last Saturday night, huh?"
I forced a small smile as I pulled out a chair.
"Yeah… survived," I murmured.
Mika gave me a brief, knowing look.
But thankfully, she didn't say anything.
Somehow, she seemed to sense I didn't want to talk about it.
And honestly…
I didn't.
Not now.
Not in front of everyone.
I was about to sit down when I noticed France entering the café with someone unfamiliar beside him.
France spotted us almost immediately and waved before heading toward our table.
"Oh, by the way, girls," he said casually as they approached. "This is Mark."
The three of us turned to look at him at the same time.
But Mika's reaction was the most obvious.
Mark had slightly slanted eyes, fair skin, and he was almost as tall as France. There was something about him—his quiet confidence, the relaxed way he stood—that made him look effortlessly charming.
Honestly, if someone told me he was Korean, I would have believed it instantly.
And judging by the way Mika was staring at him…
Yeah.
She was definitely impressed.
"Hello…" Mika greeted quickly, standing up and extending her hand a little too eagerly.
Mark looked slightly surprised at her sudden enthusiasm, but he smiled politely and shook her hand.
The moment their hands touched, Mika's posture changed.
She straightened up.
Her smile softened.
Suddenly she looked very aware of herself.
Meanwhile, Chloe and I simply waved from our seats.
Because Mika still hadn't let go of his hand.
Mark noticed it too, and a faint, slightly awkward smile appeared on his face.
"Uh… nice to meet you," he said gently.
"Oh—right!" Mika quickly released his hand as if she had just remembered basic manners. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Sorry."
France chuckled quietly beside them.
"So you're the ones France was talking about last Saturday night," Mark said with a friendly smile, glancing between us.
"Sorry I didn't get to meet you then. If I had known…"
His voice trailed off as his eyes landed on Mika again.
For a brief moment, they simply stared at each other.
And suddenly, the confident Mika we all knew seemed to disappear.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared down at the table like it had suddenly become very interesting.
"W-well… you're here now," she said softly.
Mark smiled again.
This time it looked warmer.
For some reason, the air around the table felt different.
Like something subtle had shifted.
Chloe leaned closer to me and whispered quietly,
"Wow…"
She paused for dramatic effect.
"That was fast."
I bit back a laugh.
Mika clearly had no idea how obvious she was being.
After we finished ordering and picked up our coffee, we knew we couldn't stay long. Classes were about to start, and we still had to head back inside campus.
"Well… we should probably get going," Chloe said, checking the time on her phone.
France nodded. "Yeah, same here."
Mark glanced at us for a moment before speaking.
"Hey… if you guys are free later, maybe we can meet again during lunch."
Mika looked slightly surprised.
But the small smile forming on her face was impossible to miss.
"Lunch?" she repeated.
"Yeah," Mark said casually, though he suddenly looked a little shy.
"That sounds nice," Chloe said quickly, nudging Mika lightly with her elbow.
Mika tried to hide her reaction by taking a sip of her coffee, but the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her.
"Sure," she said, trying to sound calm. "We can meet there."
Mark smiled, clearly pleased with the answer.
"Alright then. See you later."
We exchanged quick goodbyes before heading toward the campus gates.
As we walked away, Chloe immediately leaned closer to Mika with a mischievous grin.
"Well, well… someone just got invited to lunch."
Mika tried to act annoyed, but the smile she was trying so hard to hide said everything.
I couldn't help but laugh softly.
For a moment, the heavy thoughts in my head faded away.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
Today wouldn't be as difficult as I thought.
...........................…..
By the time our last morning class ended, the campus was loud and crowded. Students flooded the walkways, laughing, talking, rushing past each other.
"Finally," Chloe groaned, stretching her arms dramatically. "I'm starving."
"You're always starving," Mika said, rolling her eyes.
"That's not the point."
I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. Their usual bickering felt oddly comforting.
For once, my mind wasn't wandering somewhere else.
"Well," Chloe added, bumping Mika's shoulder with a mischievous grin, "someone's about to see her lunch date again."
Mika froze.
"It's not a lunch date!" she said quickly, her cheeks turning bright red.
"Sure," Chloe replied with an exaggerated nod. "Totally not."
I bit back a smile as Mika looked like she wanted to disappear.
When we arrived at the restaurant, France and Mark were already sitting near the window. France spotted us first and lifted a hand.
"Hey! Over here."
We walked over and slid into the empty chairs.
"You guys made it," France said casually.
Mark smiled politely, but his eyes drifted straight to Mika.
"Hi."
"Hi," Mika replied softly, suddenly very focused on her cup.
Chloe leaned closer to me and whispered, barely containing her grin.
"This is adorable."
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing.
The conversation flowed easily after that. We talked about the weekend, where we usually hung out, and how we ended up at France's party.
I relaxed in my seat, half listening as Chloe kept talking.
Then—
A voice suddenly cut through the table.
"Hey! What do we have here?"
A guy appeared out of nowhere and casually draped an arm over Mark's shoulder.
Everyone at the table froze.
We all turned to look at him.
And for a second—
No one said a word.
He was… stunning.
Tall.
Confident.
And impossibly attractive.
"Oh! My bad," he said playfully, raising both hands. "I didn't know France and Mark had a date here."
"Hey, Ryan! Get over here!" he suddenly shouted across the restaurant.
"What date?!" France hissed, glaring at him.
Great… this is getting awkward.
I shifted in my seat, my cheeks warming slightly.
But then something else caught my attention.
Another guy was walking toward our table.
At first I only noticed his height.
Then the way he walked—calm, confident, effortless.
And when he got closer—
Wow.
He was probably the most attractive guy I had ever seen.
My mouth parted slightly as I stared.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp features. The kind of presence that made people instinctively look twice.
Then suddenly—
Realization hit me like a slap.
"Hey, Lance. Stop it."
His voice was low and calm. Rough around the edges, but strangely smooth.
Then his eyes lifted.
And met mine.
I froze.
Completely.
Because the man standing in front of me was—
Oh shit.
It's him.
I might not remember every detail from that night…
But the face of that arrogant jerk?
Impossible to forget.
"Y-you?!" we both blurted at the same time…