Chapter 6: Dense
Eliana Maxine
"Anyway, enough about me. What's everyone doing this summer?" Mica asked, stretching her legs out on the carpet.
I let out a dramatic sigh and flopped back onto the cushions. "Mine's going to be absolutely thrilling. I'll be home, binge-watching K-dramas and reading books all summer long."
Cassie snorted. "Of course you will."
Gladz grinned, nudging my foot playfully with hers. "At least you're consistent."
Cassie looked at me with a smirk. "Why don't you come bar-hopping with me sometime? There's a ton of hotties out there, you'd love it!"
I grinned. "Should I?"
"As if, girl!" Gladz cut in before I could entertain the thought. "You still have a curfew."
The three of them burst out laughing, and I just rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Just wait till I turn twenty. I swear I'll crawl through every single bar in this city."
Cassie laughed. "Can't wait for that, girl."
"You stick with your K-dramas and books for now," Mica teased.
I perked up. "Oh! Speaking of K-dramas, you guys need to watch Lee Soo Hyuk's new series, S-Line. It's so good."
"Ooh, I've been seeing clips of that on my reels," Gladz said, eyes lighting up. "It actually looks interesting."
Mica shrugged. "I might watch it if I have time."
I rolled my eyes. "You always say that, and then you never do."
Mica grinned. "Well, I'm busy being an independent woman, El. Not all of us can afford to emotionally invest in fictional men."
I scoffed. "Well, I'd rather invest in fictional men than deal with the real ones. There are so many cheaters out there these days. Even the ugly ones have the nerve to mess around. The audacity!"
Gladz chuckled. "For real, though. Good thing I'm already with the right guy."
The three of us immediately scoffed at her.
Cassie rolled her eyes. "Look at this chick bragging. You're lucky I love you, or I would've poured this chocolate all over you."
Gladz just stuck her tongue out at her.
Cassie rolled her eyes again, then perked up suddenly. "Anyway! Since we're already talking about boys, guess what? I met someone at one of my go-to bars recently."
"Ooh, spill!" Mica demanded, practically bouncing in her seat.
Cassie sighed dreamily, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "He's hot. Like, really hot. Smart, sexy. The whole damn package."
Gladz raised a brow. "How hot are we talking?"
Cassie sat up straighter, eyes sparkling. "Like, tall. Chiseled jaw. Deep voice. And a smirk that could absolutely ruin your life."
"Oh my God," I groaned, totally invested. "Did you sleep with him?"
Cassie scoffed. "Like hell I'd let that opportunity pass."
Mica leaned in with a sly smirk. "Was he big?"
My cheeks burned, but I leaned in too—I mean, I was curious.
Cassie smirked and flipped her hair with flair. "Oh, he's big. And he's good in bed too. Like, one of my best sex ever."
"How big are we talking? Give us specifics!" Mica practically demanded, wiggling her eyebrows.
Cassie's cheeks flushed as she held up her hands, spreading them apart. Far apart.
My jaw dropped. "Oh my God!"
Mica gawked. "You're lying."
"I swear," Cassie said, still grinning like she won the lottery.
Gladz let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's… impressive."
Mica pretended to wipe a tear. "I'm so proud of you."
Cassie beamed and tossed her hair again, clearly enjoying the attention.
"So, what happened after? Are you two, like, hooking up now?" I asked, totally intrigued.
"Well, I left before he woke up," Cassie replied casually. "Just left him a note with my Instagram handle. Gotta keep the mystery alive."
Mica shook her head, amused. "Classic Cassie move."
Cassie grinned. "I didn't expect him to actually follow me, but he did. We've been DM-ing since, and I'm seeing him again tomorrow."
Gladz nudged her. "Be careful, though. You fall too easily."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm just having fun."
Then Mica turned to Gladz with a teasing grin. "What about you? How's your long-term boyfriend?"
Gladz smiled—that soft, glowing smile you only see in people who've been loved right for years. "We're good. Still solid after all these years."
"No fights? No drama?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Oh, there's always something," she admitted with a small shrug. "But nothing serious. Just the usual stuff couples go through."
"That's good," Mica nodded. "We need at least one of us to have a stable love life."
Cassie groaned loudly, throwing herself back on the couch with a dramatic sigh. "Ugh, I love you guys, but your stable relationship is so boring." She flailed an arm for emphasis. "Where's the heartbreak? The cheating scandals? The unexpected plot twists?"
Gladz chuckled, shaking her head. "Not everyone wants their love life to be a soap opera."
Cassie shot up, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, you're missing out. Love is supposed to be thrilling. The push and pull, the angst, the desperation—" She clutched her chest like some tragic heroine. "Will they? Won't they? It's the spice of life!"
Mica snorted. "Cass, you've been watching too many trashy telenovelas."
Cassie huffed. "Excuse me, I just have a refined taste for romance."
I couldn't help but cringed. "Cass, your version of romance sounds exhausting."
She waved me off. "Pfft. It's only exhausting if you're the sane one in the relationship. Personally, I thrive in the chaos."
We all burst out laughing, but then I noticed Mica looking at me with a knowing smirk on her face.
"What about you and Psalm?"
I froze mid-laugh. "What?"
Cassie's eyes lit up, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh, yes. Let's talk about that."
I looked around at them, completely confused. "Wait, what? Me and Psalm? What are you guys talking about?"
Mica arched a brow, her smirk widening. "C'mon. Isn't there something going on between you two?"
I burst into laughter, waving them off like they'd just told the most ridiculous joke. "What?! No! We're just friends."
The three of them exchanged glances—the kind that screamed oh, she's clueless.
Mica snorted. "Sure, friends. The boy's clearly into you."
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are reading too much into things."
Gladz crossed her arms, giving me that pointed big-sister look. "Seriously, El. How are you this dense?"
Cassie sighed dramatically. "Poor guy."
Mica chuckled. "Honestly, it's his fault too. He doesn't have the guts to make a move."
I stared at them like they'd just started speaking another language. "You're all ridiculous."