The next morning began with a jingle so cheery; it could only have been chosen by someone who enjoys chaos.
♪ "Good moooorning, housemates~! It's a brand-new day for loooove!" ♪
Lena groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. She is really a night person.
Ruby, on the other hand, popped up from the bed like toast from a toaster. "Yesss! I love this song!"
"No one should love anything this early," Lena mumbled.
Jessie, in the corner bed, sat up quietly, blinking as if she had never slept. Mikha stretched her arms above her head with a yawn that still looked graceful, and Angela—well, she dramatically sat up and reached for her silk robe like she was about to be filmed immediately.
"Why does the wake-up song sound like a commercial for cereal?" Angela muttered.
"Because love is a cereal," Mikha said with a wink. "Sometimes sweet, sometimes dry."
Everyone laughed—except Lena, who only smiled faintly, her thoughts still lingering on last night. On the hug circle. How she walked away before he could. Did she do it right?
What if he thinks I still like him?
Before she could spiral too far into her thoughts, Ruby pulled the blanket off her.
"No time for moping, sleepyhead. It's breakfast time! And I heard the guys are making it."
"They cook?" Lena blinked.
"Well, one of them's a chef," Ruby said. "Jordan, I think. The cute one with the chill vibe."
Angela slid into slippers. "This I need to see. If a man serves me burnt toast, I'm walking out."
"Liar," Mikha said. "You'll flirt with him even harder."
They all laughed again, the kind of carefree sound that made the house feel like a vacation… for now.
As they made their way downstairs, Lena found herself walking a little slower. Her heart, despite the noise and chatter, was quiet. The boys were already in the kitchen, music playing, and the smell of eggs and toast filling the air.
And Jason was there.
Leaning against the counter. Looking casual. Laughing at something Jayden said.
He had not noticed her yet.
It was Ruby who complained with her.
"You walk slow in the morning, huh."
The kitchen was alive with clatter—plates, laughter, and the occasional sizzle from a pan that Jordan was expertly handling like he was filming a cooking show.
"Chef Jordan at your service," he said with a grin, sliding golden scrambled eggs onto a platter. "Who wants the first plate?"
"Me!" Ruby shot her hand up like a kid in school, already pulling a chair out. "I volunteer as tribute!"
"Same," Angela added, flipping her hair as she sat down. "But I need my toast lightly crisped."
Jayden laughed from the other end of the counter. "Do you want a five-star breakfast or a spa treatment?"
"I want a man who listens." Angela quipped.
The room erupted in laughter.
Lena slipped in quietly behind Mikha, her hands clasped in front of her, scanning the room. The long kitchen island had enough stools for everyone. Jason was standing at the far end, by the coffee machine, mug in hand, watching the others with that calm.
"Lena! Come sit here!" Mikha called, waving her over to the empty seat beside her.
"Thanks." she said softly, sliding in.
"Girls," Jordan said as he wiped his hands, "we made a peace offering breakfast. Eggs, toast, fruit, and sausages. Do not judge too hard. Marcus nearly burned the bread."
Marcus, already munching on his second piece of toast, shrugged. "I love to add characters."
"Charcoal is not a flavor Marcus." Angela replied without missing a beat.
Jason finally moved. He walked past Lena's chair, silent, and placed a small bowl of cut-up fruit near the end of the table— pineapple, mango, and a few strawberries—and then turned around and walked back toward the fridge like he hadn't just sent a grenade into her chest.
Ruby leaned in close, eyebrows raised like she was holding in a secret.
"Still cute even when he is avoiding eye contact, huh?"
Lena blinked. "What?"
"I mean, Jason is cute, cute when he is looking at you." Ruby giggled and popped a grape into her mouth. "But maybe it's cuter how he keeps pretending not to."
Lena glanced down at her plate. "You are delusional. I don't know him personally."
"Exactly," Ruby said. "And Jason looks at you like he's trying not to drown."
"Ruby—"
"I saw him," she insisted, voice playful but low. "Twice. Okay, three times. Full-on lingering stare. And don't tell me I imagined it."
Lena frowned, pushing scrambled eggs around her plate. "Maybe he was just zoned out."
Ruby smirked. "Zoning out while staring at you like you broke his heart, and he still wants to thank you for it? Mm-hmm."
Before Lena could reply, a chime rang out through the kitchen's ceiling speakers.
"Alright, housemates," the automated voice announced cheerily, "after breakfast, we've got your first challenge today. Swimsuits may be involved, so dress accordingly!"
Angela gasped, dropping her fork. "Finally! I've been waiting for this moment. I brought four swimsuit options—each with its own storyline."
"You packed a swimsuit with a storyline?" Mikha asked, half-laughing.
"Excuse me, Mikha, but yes. One is called golden hour goddess, another is oops, I forgot sunscreen but not confidence—"
"I brought two," Mikha said. "But one's more 'cute innocent beach' and the other is 'I'm here to win hearts.'"
"What about you, Lena?" Ruby asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Lena coughed. "I packed... a towel."
Everyone laughed, and even Jason, from his post near the fridge, cracked a tiny smile.
She saw it.
Only for a second—but she saw it.
And somehow, that made her chest flutter and ache all at once.
As the others stood to clean up and rush to the bathrooms, Lena lingered. Her eyes drifted to the bowl of fruit.
He remembered.
Pineapple—her favorite. Mango. A few strawberries, cut just the way she liked them.
She hadn't told anyone here about that. Not even Ruby.