/Jake/
A ringtone has the power to change everything—one sharp call can twist your life in unimaginable ways.
The piercing chime of my phone cut through the early morning silence, echoing in the room as if it refused to be ignored. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, still half tangled in the warmth of my bed. With a sluggish hand, I reached for the device and pressed it to my ear.
"Hello," I muttered, my voice thick with drowsiness.
"Where are you?" came the voice on the other end—sharp, direct, demanding.
I blinked, my eyes scanning the room lazily from one corner to the other as though confirming I was still in one piece. "In bedroom."
"Whose?" she shot back instantly.
The question froze me. My head went still as the fragments of last night rushed back like a tidal wave. My chest tightened, sleep forgotten in an instant. I jolted upright, fumbling, and my phone slipped from my hand, landing on the bed.
From the speaker came a laugh—low, sharp, and filled with such wicked delight that I could almost see the smirk behind it. A laugh that knew more than it should.
"I knew it," Zara finally said, her voice dripping with triumph. Then, after a deliberate pause: "Now, tell me everything that happened between you two last night."
I snatched the phone back into my hand, holding it tightly this time, as if her voice could escape otherwise. My body sank back onto the bed, blanket pulled instinctively over my lower half. I took a long breath, steadying myself.
There was no escaping her. If I didn't tell Zara, she would carve the truth out of me piece by piece anyway.
So I closed my eyes, braced myself, and prepared to tell her everything.
I was supposed to meet a client near the White Beck River, but at the last moment, the meeting was canceled, leaving me stranded with time on my hands. Since I'd already clocked out, I decided to stay anyway, hoping the river might calm the storm in my mind.
Through the bite of the cold, sharp wind, I walked until I found a spot where I could sit in silence. But as I got closer, a figure caught my eye—sitting at the river's edge, ankles dipped into the water, staring off into the vast night sky.
Something about them pulled at me. As I approached, the distance between us shrank, and slowly, the cold breeze gave way to the faint trace of a familiar, sweet aroma. I was close enough now to see the back of their head, the way the river light touched their silhouette.
They lifted their phone, checking the time, and for a moment, the screen's glow caught my attention. The wallpaper flashed in my vision—familiar. My chest tightened. I knew that wallpaper. I'd seen it before… on Leo's phone.
Curiosity escaped my lips before I could stop myself.
"Leo."
The name cut through the air, and as he turned, our eyes collided. Shock seized him so strongly that he lost his balance, his body tipping dangerously toward the water. Instinct took over—I reached for him, pulled him close, and before I knew it, he was in my arms.
For a moment, neither of us moved. His warmth seeped into me, battling the chill of the night. And then, slowly, he stepped back, regaining his footing, though the ghost of his weight still lingered against me.
We sat down together, side by side, facing the endless stretch of the river. The silence stretched on, heavy yet oddly comforting. And then, out of nowhere, Leo broke into laughter. Not a small laugh, but a loud, uncontrollable one that rang out against the quiet night.
I watched him, confused at first, but then something about the sight of him laughing—unrestrained, alive—pulled a smile from me too. That smile cracked, then broke, until my own laughter spilled out to match his.
We sat there at the riverbank, the cold air wrapping around us, our laughter echoing into the night, loud and unashamed, as if we were the only two people in the world.
We laughed so hard that the weight between us dissolved into the night air, as if the river itself had carried it away. Whatever had happened before—whatever had brought us here—faded into the background. For the first time in days, we felt like ourselves again.
When the laughter finally slowed, hunger nudged its way in. Instead of something grand, we chose a small restaurant near the riverbank, known for its seafood. It wasn't fancy, but it was warm and lively, the kind of place where time slips by unnoticed.
We ate, we laughed, we talked—really talked—until the hours melted away. And when the night grew deeper, he led me back to his condo.
"And he took me to his condo after we had one of the happiest dinners of my life," I finished, wrapping up the story of last night.
"To his condo?" Zara's voice grew sharp with curiosity. "Wait—did you guys…" She paused dramatically, letting the silence stretch. "…do that?"
"Do what?" I arched a brow, pretending not to understand, though her tone said enough.
"You know… the thing people do when someone they love brings them home and—"
"Hold down your dirty thoughts, Zara." I cut her off before she could finish that sentence. "I accepted his offer of allowing me to stay with him."
"You said yes?" Shock exploded through her words.
"Yeah," I admitted with a small sigh. "I figured it'd be easier to get to work with him, and besides…" I hesitated, then added quietly, "I feel safe when I'm with him. And for your information, I'm using his guest room, so stop spinning your wild imagination."
"Ooooh, the air around me has suddenly turned sweet." She practically sang through the line. "And by the way, you don't need to come to the office today. I already applied for your leave. So stay home and spend the day capturing the heart of your king."
"Zara—" I tried to protest, but before I could finish, she ended the call.
Her words kept echoing in my ears, sweeter and more irritating with every second. I was just about to throw my phone onto the bed out of pure frustration when the door to the guest room opened.
Leo stepped in, a soft smile on his face, carrying warmth with him like sunlight.
"Breakfast is ready," he said gently.