The sun wasn't even up yet when Rowan stirred awake.
His alarm buzzed relentlessly. Groggy and still half in a dream, he reached for it and slapped the button. For a moment, he considered just… not moving. But duty called, and unfortunately, duty came with plane tickets.
By 5:40 a.m., he was dragging his suitcase toward the door, yawning like a bear mid-hibernation.
"Don't burn the place down while I'm gone," he muttered, knowing Celeste wouldn't hear him from her room.
She didn't.
She was still sound asleep—tangled in her blanket like a sleepy sea otter, unaware that the next few days would be completely, blissfully Rowan-free.
By the time Celeste woke up, Rowan was already in the clouds—literally.
She stretched, checked her phone, then grinned.
Freedom unlocked.
She dressed in a hurry, grabbed her bag, and practically floated to school. Her day moved like usual—classes, hallway noise, some flirting from Liam she dodged expertly, and the constant vibration of her phone she kept sneakily checking.
Her texts with Ash were short today, but sweet:
Ash [10:33 AM]
Be safe today. Let me know when you're on your way later.
Celeste [10:34 AM]
I will 😘
_______
After school, she didn't go straight to Ash's place.
She went home first—her apartment, now Rowan-less and wonderfully silent. She showered, changed into more comfortable clothes, and stood in front of her closet for way too long.
"This is not a fashion show, Celeste," she told herself.
And yet… two tops, one hoodie, her favorite socks, hair ties, her skincare pouch, a spare charger, and exactly one oversized shirt that suspiciously wasn't hers all went into her bag.
And snacks. Obviously.
When she zipped it up, it was full to the brim.
"Okay," she exhaled, lifting it onto her shoulder. "Time to mooch off my boyfriend."
_______
A quiet knock.
A short pause.
The door opened.
And then… Celeste froze.
Her mouth fell slightly open.
Ash stood in front of her—not in his usual glasses, and not with his usual hair.
His soft silver hair was now cut short. Neat at the sides, his fringe slightly swept, exposing more of his forehead and—holy hell—his lashes were even more noticeable now. He looked… manlier. Not in a forceful way, but in a way that made her brain forget how to function. And no glasses.
That was cheating.
He blinked, eyes warm and surprised.
"Cel… you're here already?"
Celeste didn't answer at first. Her eyes were still busy scanning him up and down.
Then she finally breathed out:
"Where's my panty—ASH."
His entire face turned red. "W–what?! C–Cel!"
"I said what I said," she smirked, walking inside as he stepped back awkwardly. "You can't just greet me with a face like that. Who said you could look this good without a memo?"
Ash rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks already flushing red.
"I, uh… went last weekend. After… that night."
Celeste tilted her head, eyes narrowing playfully. "That night, huh~?"
Ash immediately turned redder, fumbling to explain.
"I-I just thought it was getting long again. I always trimmed it, but this time I thought… maybe a fresh cut would be better. A new look. Clean. Um… sorry if it's weird—"
Celeste interrupted him by suddenly grinning and throwing her bag down on the couch.
"Weird? No way. You look… really good. Like—really really good."
Ash's ears flushed red.
"T-thank you…"
She suddenly dropped her bag on the couch with a satisfied huff.
"You packed like you're staying for a month," Ash mumbled, flustered.
"I pack emotionally, okay?" she replied with a wink.
There was a pause. Then, Celeste leaned back against the counter and raised a brow at him.
"By the way… did you happen to buy something else while you were out?"
Ash blinked.
"H-huh?"
"You know…" she leaned closer, her voice teasing, lips curling. "Like… three packs of condoms?"
His eyes widened instantly, face burning red as he coughed into his mug.
"I—uh—I mean…"
Celeste laughed, amused by his reaction.
"Wait—did you actually?"
Ash slowly, painfully, nodded.
Celeste's eyes shot open, genuinely shocked this time.
"Wait—wait, I was just teasing—You really—!?"
"I just thought it was… better to be prepared," he mumbled, staring at the floor like it might save him.
Celeste was speechless for half a second, then let out a soft laugh, cheeks warming—not from embarrassment, but something close to admiration.
She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest.
"That's kinda cute. Kinda sexy too."
Ash was practically melting.
"Cel…"
She looked up at him, grin still teasing but her eyes sincere.
"Don't worry, I won't use all three packs. Tonight."
"C-Celeste—!"
She laughed again, satisfied.
_________