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➤ Content Warnings:
-emotional distress
-unspoken feelings
-mentions of past trauma
-angst
-hopelessness
-friendship tension
-romantic uncertainty
-Guilt & Regret

♫ Song of the Chapter:
"Softcore" by The Neighbourhood

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Chapter 34

"Daniel! There are towels in the bathroom. Don't. Forget. To. Use. Them," Sean called out, emphasizing each word like he was speaking to a toddler.

"Yeah, yeah..." Daniel muttered beside me, dripping with annoyance.

I shook my head, already knowing how this would go.

The last time Daniel forgot to use the towels, he'd walked straight out of the bathroom, dripping wet, leaving a trail of water behind him like a damn flood. Sean had nearly slipped and cracked his skull open, catching himself at the last second with a furious glare.

"Are you serious, dude?" Sean had groaned, arms thrown up as he took in the puddles soaking into the carpet.

Daniel had just shrugged, completely unbothered. "I forgot," he'd said, rubbing his sopping wet hair against his sleeve instead of, you know, the towel hanging right there.

"You forgot?" Sean had looked about two seconds from losing it, while I had been too busy laughing.

"You're cleaning this up," Sean had ordered, throwing a towel at Daniel's face.

Daniel had groaned dramatically, but he'd cleaned it up anyway—complaining the entire time.

Snapping back to the present, I smirked to myself.

Yeah, Sean had every reason to remind him this time.

Beside me, Daniel rummaged through Sean's—well, now his—backpack now, his face twisting in disgust as he pulled out a small blue plastic wrapper.

"Ugh, Sean! There's a condom in my bag... Gross!" He held it between two fingers like it was some kind of toxic waste.

Sean groaned, already knowing who was responsible. "Zaira," he muttered, dragging my name out like an accusation.

I grinned, leaning back. "What? Thought you might need it for that party on Friday."

Sean stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at me. For a moment, his expression hardened, something unspoken passing between us.

Neither of us needed to say it—why we never made it to that party. It hung in the air, a reminder of everything that had shifted in an instant.

He tensed, running a hand over his face before sighing. "Yeah, well... that didn't happen."

I tilted my head slightly, keeping my voice light but playful. "Still, you wouldn't stop talking about Jenn before."

Sean's eyes narrowed a bit, and he shifted awkwardly, a rare discomfort showing. "I know. And honestly, I don't even know why I kept bringing her up," he admitted, his voice quiet, almost distant. "It was like I was trying to convince myself of something that... wasn't really there."

I frowned. "What do you mean? You were always talking about how cool and pretty she was."

He shrugged, eyes darting away. "I was just... I don't know, trying to make myself think I liked her. But it was never really about her."