The club was alive.
Lights flashed in different colors, music thumped loud and deep, people laughed, danced, shouted, lived. The air smelled like perfume, alcohol, and freedom.
For a moment, Lily felt like she was twenty again. Like life wasn’t so complicated.
They moved toward the bar, and that’s when Lily suddenly stopped.
Her eyes landed on a familiar face.
“Noah,” she said. “She’s here.”
Riyana followed her gaze.
Noah was sitting at the bar, holding a drink, laughing while talking to someone beside her.
“Let’s go,” Lily said, already pulling Riyana with her.
They walked through the crowd and reached the bar.
“Noah!” Lily called out.
Noah turned, blinked once, then broke into a wide grin.
“Oh my god,” Noah laughed. “Look who finally decided to live.”
She stood up and hugged Lily tightly, then looked at Riyana with curiosity.
“And you must be Riyana,” Noah said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Riyana smiled politely.
“Nice to meet you,” she replied.
They sat together, ordered drinks, and the night slowly unfolded.
For a while, no one talked about David. Or Jabco. Or past pain.
They talked about silly things. Old memories. Bad movies. Embarrassing moments. Dreams that had been buried under responsibilities.
Riyana laughed more than she had in a long time.
It was already close to midnight when Lily finally reached her apartment.
The hallway lights looked blurry to her. Everything felt like it was moving, slow and soft, like she was walking inside water. She fumbled with her phone, trying to steady herself, then lifted her hand to press the door password.
But before she could touch the keypad, the door suddenly opened from inside.
A tall figure appeared in front of her.
Her vision took a few seconds to focus.
“Oh,” she smiled foolishly when she recognized him. “Hi… Mr. Hardison.”
She lifted her hand to wave at him, but the movement threw her off balance. Her body swayed, and the next second she stumbled forward, crashing straight into him.
“Oops,” she laughed in a drunken voice. “Sorry.”
She tried to stand properly, tried to pull herself back, but her legs refused to listen. They felt like they didn’t belong to her anymore.
David’s face darkened the moment he saw her condition.
The smell of alcohol hit him hard.
Before Lily could even understand what was happening, David bent down, lifted her, and threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing.
“Hey....” she protested weakly, then laughed again. “Haha… my apartment is spinning. Why is it so… woo....”
She suddenly covered her mouth.
“I need to throw up…” she mumbled, lightly hitting his back.
David ignored her completely.


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