Healing (A Conan Gray x Fem OC) Book 2

millie's pov

the second we step out of the bedroom, the apartment is dead silent.

which is weird. it's never silent.

there's always something—music playing from someone's phone, the sound of liv's bracelets clinking as she talks with her hands, madi and iris bickering over something stupid, tate humming a song she's working on, emily clattering around in the kitchen like she owns the place. but right now? nothing. just five people sitting around the living room, very much not looking at us.

until liv does. and she grins.

"so, guys..." she drawls, dragging out the words like she's been waiting for this exact moment. "how was your sleep?"

i freeze. conan stiffens beside me.

tate immediately snorts, slapping a hand over her mouth like she wasn't supposed to make a sound. madi smacks her arm anyway. emily just sips her coffee, very deliberately not looking at me. iris? iris is straight-up staring at us with the biggest, most satisfied smirk on her face.

and just like that, the floodgates open.

"yeah, did you guys sleep well?" madi chimes in, all faux innocence. "or, you know, at all?"

"heard some interesting sounds coming from that room last night," iris adds, grinning.

i swear my soul leaves my body.

"okay, nope," i mutter, turning right back toward the bedroom.

but conan's hand catches mine before i can make a break for it. "millie, no," he says under his breath, and even though he sounds pained, he's also—annoyingly—fighting back a laugh.

"millie, yes," i hiss back, but he just tugs me forward, steering us toward the kitchen like we're not actively walking into a war zone.

liv leans forward, eyes practically gleaming. "oh my god, are you guys holding hands? that is so cute."

"no, it's survival," i deadpan, yanking my hand away.

"you guys, i am literally so happy for you," tate says, clutching her heart dramatically. "you guys wouldn't even speak to each other! now look at you! character development."

"oh my god, shut up."

"what changed, babe?" iris teases. "was it the muscles? it was the muscles, wasn't it?"

"millie's always been a sucker for his arms," madi agrees.

emily nods, taking another sip of coffee. "yeah, remember last year at the beach? she literally almost fell over when he took his shirt off."

"i did not!"

conan, the traitor, just raises an eyebrow at me like, really?

my face is so hot i might actually pass out. "why are we talking about this?" i demand. "why are you guys even awake? don't you all usually sleep in?"

liv shrugs. "yeah, but someone kept us up."

conan finally groans, rubbing a hand down his face. "okay, we get it. can you all move on now?"

"oh, absolutely not," tate says.

"nope," madi agrees. "this is literally the best thing to happen in weeks."

"months," liv corrects.

iris gestures between me and conan. "so, like... what's this now? are you guys back together? just a one-time thing? friends with benefits? enemies with benefits?"