Daphne's POV
I flopped down next to Liv, annoyed and exhausted.
Mason let out an awkward laugh. "Guess it's his time of the month."
The room erupted into laughter after a beat. Roman stood up and walked outside—probably going to talk to Leon.
The guys had gone out to grab some beers. Julian had planned a karaoke night or something, and now he was apparently sleeping because he "needed it." I rolled my eyes, grabbed a marker, and drew a mustache on his face. He always said he wanted to grow one someday—so I figured I'd help him out early.
The girls were all knocked out in my room—we were drained. But sleep doesn't come easy for me. Not these days.
I stepped out to the pool area and lit a cigarette. My thoughts, unsurprisingly, went straight to Leon. Because of course they did. He's the only problem that ever seems to exist in my life.
We've always been close—friends first, best friends later. And somehow, somewhere along the way, something shifted. Out of everyone, my eyes were always on him. And his? They were always on me.
We knew there were feelings. Everyone around us knew too. We don't even remember how it started, or when. But we were each other's firsts. First kiss. First everything.
But he never wanted a relationship. He was clear about that from the start. Whatever we had—it was supposed to be a one-time thing.
Leaving was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but one of the biggest reasons I left was to forget him. I didn't want some perfect fairytale. I just wanted him. But I knew it wouldn't happen.
I thought exploring other people was always an option—that we both understood that. So why is it suddenly a problem that I was with someone else?
I never cared about whoever he might've been involved with. But him—he makes it seem like I betrayed him or something. He's so annoying sometimes.
He didn't want me. Not after all my attempts. So I gave up the idea of us.
But what I don't understand is… why can't I give up my love for him?
I don't know. I really don't.
"Come on, princess, pass me one too. I seem to need it," JJ interrupted my thoughts.
I laughed, eyeing the marker mustache on his face. "So… what happened? Things with Roman?"
He sighed, dropping beside me. "Both surprisingly okay… and still weird. You know, whenever I talk about Pierre—or even to him—Roman gets all jealous. Like, dude, you broke up with me. It's so annoying."
"Tell me about it," I muttered. "Two best friends break our hearts and somehow we're the ones who end up feeling guilty. Sometimes I want to take a knife and—"
"Kill both of them," Julian finished dramatically, yelling. "SAME. SAME. That day, I genuinely wanted to throw my phone at Roman's face. And today? Leon. For getting jealous. Like—why? Why is he allowed to feel anything?"
"They're such big red flags," I said, shaking my head. "Annoying and narcissistic. But at the end of the day… we're also their friends."
Julian groaned. "Ugh, Daphne. It's so messed up. Forget it. Even when they drive us insane, we still love them. They're still… family. We just keep pretending nothing ever happened."
"JJ, you know I can pretend. I've been doing it for a while. But how long can I really keep it up, huh?" I exhaled, watching the smoke swirl. "Every time something goes wrong, it's suddenly my fault. If I date someone else, I'm the villain. But he's the one who told me to move on, right?"
Julian nodded silently.
"I'm trying to move on," I whispered. "I can't keep sitting here, bending backwards to fix his insecurities. I'm always the one who apologizes. But that one time I asked for an apology? He couldn't even give me that."
"God," Julian muttered, "they really did a number on us. Sometimes I feel like loving them was the biggest mistake."
"Sometimes?" I raised a brow.
Julian chuckled darkly. "Okay, fine. Most times."
Unbeknownst to us, footsteps shifted softly against the pool deck.
Leon stood just outside the patio light, frozen. He'd heard enough—maybe too much. His jaw clenched, his expression unreadable. He turned before either of us could notice, disappearing into the shadows the same way he came.
But Roman didn't.
He stepped out, arms crossed, slow claps dripping with sarcasm. "Wow. Standing ovation, Jules. Really. Top-tier dramatics."
Julian jumped, nearly falling off the lounge chair. "Shit, Roman."
I stiffened, my cigarette burning forgotten between my fingers.
Roman's eyes didn't leave mine. "You done trashing us yet, or should I come back in five?"
"Roman—" I started.
"No, it's fine. Really," he cut in, sharper than I expected. "I just think you've already done plenty to crush his feelings for the night, Daph. He heard everything. Everything."
Guilt curled in my stomach like smoke.
Roman stepped closer, his voice lowering—less harsh now, but firm. "Look, I get it. You're hurting. So is he. But sometimes… watch what you say before you say it. Especially when you know who might be listening."
He didn't wait for a response. He just walked off, his words echoing into the silence.
Julian looked at me, wide-eyed. "Shit. That was…"
"I know," I said quietly. "I know."
Back inside, laughter had returned. The guys were in full clown mode, practically crying as they made fun of Julian's very artistic, very crooked mustache.
"Oh my god, Jules," Mason wheezed, pointing at him. "You look like a bootleg 80s villain."
"Or like a cartoon detective who lost his day job," Cassian added, trying not to spill his soda.
Julian groaned, rubbing at his face. "Whoever did this better be ready for payback. Serious payback."
I couldn't help it—I burst out laughing.
He paused mid-sentence and turned toward me. "It was you, wasn't it?"
I bit my lip, giving him the most innocent look I could muster.
Julian squinted. "Oh, just wait. I'm gonna do something way worse. Something legendary."
"I'm actually terrified," I said, still laughing. "Should I sleep with one eye open?"
"Sleep with both open, honey."
Everyone cracked up—except Leon.
He was sunk into the far corner of the couch, a beer in hand, another empty one on the table beside him. He didn't laugh. Didn't even look up. Just kept drinking.
"Dude," Liv called out, raising a brow. "Slow down."
He didn't flinch. Just cracked open another bottle.
A brief, awkward pause. The tension settled again like fog creeping back into a sunny room.
Roman and I exchanged a look.
Julian's smirk faded.
Cassian cleared his throat. "Sooo… karaoke still on or what?"
The karaoke died down to drunken humming. We barely sang—just drank. But Leon? He stayed silent, slouched with that same stupid bottle in hand. His eyes were dull, his jaw tight. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Come with me," I said, tugging at his wrist.
He didn't protest. Just followed, slow and heavy, back out to the pool. The water shimmered like it knew something was about to break.
I stopped and turned to him.
"You okay?" I asked. "Look, I didn't mean what I said earlier. I was just angry—"
Leon laughed—sharp, bitter. "So now you care, huh?"
My stomach dropped.
"Well, Leon, news flash—I always cared," I snapped. "You never did. You never will."
His eyes narrowed. "Right. And caring looks like what? Running off to Europe? Sleeping with Luca? That other guy—what's-his-name—Idk? Did you fly across continents just to fuck someone new?"
I flinched. "That's enough."
"No, no. You brought this up, Daph. Let's talk. Let's finally talk."
"You wanna talk?" My voice shook. "Fine. Even you were in some messed-up situationship. I saw it. Did I say anything? You told me to move on. You said you didn't love me. You made it clear."
I was pacing now, my heart racing.
"And wasn't it the same damn day I caught you kissing someone else?" My voice cracked. "That's the day everything changed. That's why I left."
He blinked, hard. "Come on, Daph. I was going through something. It didn't mean anything. You can't blame me for what happened to you."
I laughed, stunned. "Unbelievable."
"And stop blaming me for your shit! You left because you wanted to leave."
"You can't come and go from my life like it's some damn vacation!" I shouted. "You don't get to decide when you want to care and when you don't, Leon!"
"You left!" he screamed back. "You left me, Daph!"
"No," I said, stepping closer, voice low and fiery. "You lost me way before I ever got on that plane."
The shouting echoed against the walls, bounced off the pool tiles, sliced through the night.
And then—
"Yo! What the hell is going on?" Roman's voice rang out as the door slammed open.
Cassian, Mason, and Julian followed, wide-eyed and tense.
Leon backed away, chest heaving, eyes glassy. I stood there, fists clenched, everything inside me shaking.
Leon rubbed his temples, voice thick. "She blames me. Says I'm the reason she left."
Mason frowned. "Dude, that's not fair—"
Leon cut him off. "Isn't it? I ruined her."
Roman crossed his arms. "Maybe you did her a favor, Leon."
Julian's eyes snapped to Roman. "What the hell, Roman?"
Roman shrugged. "She left because she wanted to. She always does. Nothing new."
Julian stepped forward, angry. "You can't just throw her under the bus like that."
Roman's tone turned sharper. "I'm not. She always does this—blames everyone but herself."
Cassian jumped in, trying to ease the tension. "Enough, both of you. This is pointless."
My voice shook, but I held steady. "No. No, it's not. Because none of you even care to hear me."
Liv and Cami stayed quiet, glancing between each other—unsure, not against me, just unsure.
I turned on Roman. "You all think I'm the problem. But none of you even asked why I left. You just assumed. All of you."
Roman met my eyes with a cold look. "Maybe you should've said something earlier."
I laughed bitterly. "Oh, right. Like I'm the only one who's ever hurt someone."
Julian moved closer, his voice soft but firm. "You don't have to explain yourself to them, Daph."
I looked at him, my voice raw. "I shouldn't have to. But apparently, I'm always the one in the wrong."
I grabbed the keys.
"If you can't even trust me enough to figure out what's really going on... it's better we don't stay friends at all."
The door slammed behind me.
I kicked the car door shut, but didn't start the engine. I just sat there, breathing. Burning.
Then, without a second thought, I got out and walked over to where my bike was parked. The cool metal frame grounded me in the middle of the storm inside my head.
I pedaled hard down the road, the wind slicing through my hair, sharp against my skin. Every push forward felt like a rebellion. I needed to get away. From the house. From them. From everything that made my chest feel tight.
Julian's voice echoed in my head, but I pushed it away. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear anyone anymore.
The night air wrapped around me, quiet and cold, offering a strange kind of comfort. No judgment. No questions.
I needed to be alone. If they couldn't trust me enough to understand, then what was the point of staying?
I rode faster. My thoughts blurred into the wind, until, for the first time in forever, I felt like I was escaping something. Even if I didn't know what.
Eventually, my legs ached and the heaviness in my chest began to lift. The beach found me, like it always did. A safe haven. A place that never asked for more than I could give. I dropped my bike and walked barefoot onto the cool sand, letting the wind tangle through my hair.
I played my favorite song, and the tears came—silent at first, then all at once. I didn't stop them. I let them fall. Let the waves crash in rhythm with the pieces of me breaking apart.
Time slipped away. When the sky began to darken, I finally turned back and rode to the little room above JJ's bar. It wasn't home. But it was mine—for now. I needed to find a real place soon, something just for me.
My phone lit up with several missed calls from Julian. Guilt clawed at my stomach, so I called him back.
"Daph?" His voice was tight, anxious. "Where are you? Just come home, okay? I'm worried."
I could hear the quiet shuffling in the background. People. Maybe he already knew where I was.
"I'm fine," I said, barely above a whisper. "Just staying at a friend's for a few days. Don't worry. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Daph, come on—"
"Tomorrow, JJ." I hung up before I could change my mind.
Seconds later, Roman's name flashed across my screen. I stared at it, jaw clenched tight. Then I hit decline. Blocked the number without flinching.
I wasn't ready to face them. Not after tonight. Maybe not for a long time.
Sleep never came.
I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours before reaching for the half-finished bottle on the shelf. One sip. Then another. Then another.
The burn in my throat dulled the rest.
Alone in that quiet little room, I drank my pain away—one memory at a time.
And for just a moment, the ache in my chest went quiet.
Not sleep. Just numbness.
And for now, that would have to be enough.