Leon's POV
The house is great. It's beautiful — big rooms, plenty of bathrooms, a gorgeous pool, and gardens everywhere you look. It's not so bad, I guess.
Just as I'm taking it all in, Julian interrupts."Come on, let's see how it looks inside!" he says, practically bouncing with excitement.
I stop him for a second."Where is she?" I ask.
"She'll be here in five," Julian says, and right then, a voice calls out from behind us."Sorry I'm late!"
Julian grins. "Right on time."
We head inside. The living room is spacious, the kitchen's decent — nothing fancy, but nice enough. Liv and Cami immediately rush upstairs to check out the rooms, probably to grab the best ones before anyone else does.
Cass tosses his bag onto the couch and flops down dramatically."I call dibs on the room with the best view," he says.
"You mean the room closest to the kitchen," Mason teases, earning a snort from Roman.
"Priorities, bro," Cass grins.
I already know which room I want — the one next to hers.
But when I glance around, she's not even moving. She's just sitting in the corner, head down, fiddling with her phone like she couldn't care less about any of this.
Julian nudges her."Don't you want to go pick your room?" he asks.
She shrugs without even looking up."Pick for me. I'm fine with anything. Just… make sure it has a balcony."
"Top floor it is," JJ says, a little too brightly. He hesitates, looking back at her, concern flashing across his face for just a second.
Liv bounces down the stairs."There's a room with a huge walk-in closet! I'm taking it before one of you guys tries to claim it."
"No one wants your closet, Liv," Roman grumbles.
"Speak for yourself," Cami says, following behind her with a grin. "I want the bathroom with the bathtub. The pink tiles are awful, but I'll survive."
"Pink tiles?" Mason echoes. "Yeah, you can have that."
Everyone laughs a little — everyone except her.
I thought she'd be excited about this. We used to dream about living together like this when we were kids — sneaking around, throwing pool parties, making stupid memories.
But I guess because of me, she's not.
I'm the reason the smile I used to love so much has faded.
Interrupting my thoughts, Cass says loudly,"We need a PS5, speakers, a VR set— the essentials, obviously."
JJ laughs, shaking his head."Maybe we should start with a list of basic things we need first."
Liv claps her hands together excitedly."We need to go to the furniture store! Let's go together! Oh — and we'll need groceries too!"
"I'll have some basic stuff sent over," Cami says, scrolling through her phone. "My parents' company has contacts. I can arrange beds, couches, the boring stuff."
Roman raises an eyebrow."Define basic. Knowing you, it's gonna look like a five-star hotel in here."
Cami smirks."You're welcome."
Mason yawns dramatically."Wake me up when we're fighting over beanbags and gaming chairs."
Julian grins."First mission after settling in: epic movie night. We christen the new house properly."
"I'm down," Liv says. "But first — grocery shopping. Because none of you are surviving on just frozen pizza and cereal."
"Speak for yourself," Cass mutters, earning a playful slap on the back from Roman.
"I call shotgun when we go!" Mason shouts suddenly.
"Not if I get there first!" Liv fires back, already making a race for the door.
Everyone's laughing, arguing over who's driving, what snacks to buy, and what kind of speakers sound 'vibe-y' enough for the living room.
Amidst the laughter, she quietly slips away.No one notices — too busy arguing over snacks and speakers.But I see her.
She leaves the room and makes her way upstairs, her steps light, almost hesitant.I watch her for a second before I follow.After all, I need to talk to her.I have to.
She moves slowly down the hall, peeking into rooms, running her fingers lightly along the door frames, like she's searching for something — maybe a feeling, maybe a memory.Finally, she steps into one of the rooms at the end of the hall.I hesitate for a second, then walk after her.
She's standing by the window when I enter, arms crossed loosely, her gaze somewhere far beyond the garden.The late afternoon light catches the side of her face, making her look even more distant, almost unreachable.
I don't know what came over me.One second I was standing there, fumbling for words —the next, I was moving without thinking.
I walked up behind her, close enough to hear the way her breath hitched.Before she could turn or walk away, I wrapped my arms gently around her waist.
She stiffened instantly, her hands coming up to push me away —but I tightened my hold just a little, not enough to trap her, just enough to ask her to listen.
"Please," I murmured against her hair, my voice breaking more than I wanted it to."Just for some time... let me stay here. Please."
For a moment, she stayed frozen, like she was caught between running and crumbling.Then, slowly, her hands dropped back to her sides.She didn't lean into me — but she didn't pull away either.
It was the tiniest victory. But to me, it felt like breathing after being underwater for too long.
We stayed like that, the world outside the window moving on without us.No words. No explanations.Just the thud of my heart, the quiet rise and fall of her breathing, and a tiny, fragile piece of what we used to be —still somehow alive between us.
Daphne's POV
I hadn't even wanted to come see the house.But Julian had practically dragged me out of bed, promising it would be quick.So here I was — pretending to be busy on my phone,half-listening while everyone else laughed and explored.
It was easier this way. If I didn't look up, if I didn't engage, maybe I could convince myself that none of this mattered.
Maybe I could convince him too.
I knew Leon was watching. I could feel his eyes on me every time I shifted or pretended to scroll.But I didn't look up. I couldn't.
I stood there, frozen, when I suddenly felt his arms wrap around my waist.
He hesitated, almost like he was giving me a chance to pull away — and I almost did.Almost.
But then he whispered, voice rough and broken,"Please... just for some time. Let me stay here. Please."
And I didn't move. I couldn't.
Because a part of me — the part I kept burying under jokes and fake smiles —wanted to stay in his arms too. Just for a while.
But reality crashed in fast and hard. I stepped out of his hold without looking at him.I couldn't. If I did, I might forgive him too easily.
"I'm gonna go pick my room," I said, forcing my voice to sound light, careless."Top floor, balcony. That's all I care about."
As I was turning to leave, Leon caught my wrist.I barely had time to react before I stumbled — and somehow, we both crashed onto the bed, the air whooshing out of me as I landed on top of him.
For a second, I froze. Panic clawed at my chest.I needed to run — to get away before I lost whatever control I had left.But I couldn't. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes. Those stupid, beautiful, familiar eyes.
Memories — the good, the bad, the heartbreaking — came flooding in all at once.The way he used to look at me like I was his whole world. The way he left without looking back.
I pushed against his chest, trying to scramble away.But in one fast, smooth move, Leon flipped us over — and suddenly, he was above me, caging me in with his arms.
"Leon!" I yelled, struggling. "Let me go!"
His voice was low, rough, almost broken as he answered,"This time... I'm not letting you go. Not anymore."
Before I could say anything else, he leaned in — his face inches from mine — his breath warm against my lips.I could feel it — the tension, the pull — so close it made my heart stutter.
His lips were just about to meet mine—And for one reckless second, I almost let him.