Chapter 4: A New Day, Same Thoughts

Rose woke up around noon, groggy and tangled in her sheets. Her phone buzzed as she picked it up—several missed calls from Henry. Why did he call? she wondered, still half-asleep. Maybe he had gone to his house to pick something up. Most weekends, he stayed at her place anyway.

She returned the call, and Henry's voice came through, warm and teasing.

"Just waking up now, sleeping beauty?"

He laughed softly before continuing. "I knocked on your door before I left this morning but didn't get a response, so I let you sleep."

Actually, he thought to himself, I didn't want to walk in again and risk seeing you in lingerie. I'm not sure I'd be able to stop myself this time.

"I'm heading to Tony's place," he added casually. "There's a pool party going on. Sophie's already there—she said she tried calling you. You probably missed it."

"Yeah, I saw she called," Rose said as she sat up, her voice still laced with sleep. "I'll call her back once we hang up. I'll meet you at Tony's house."

After the call ended, Rose dialed Sophie immediately.

"Sophie!!!" her friend's excited scream nearly shattered her eardrum. Rose pulled the phone away from her ear.

"You slept till noon?" Sophie gasped. "That's a first. What's going on with you?"

Rose rolled her eyes as she got out of bed. "I didn't sleep much last night. I just managed to get some rest this morning," she said, trying to sound casual—but as she said it, flashes of Henry's touch and that moment in his room rushed back through her mind.

She started brushing her teeth with one hand, still holding the phone with the other.

Rose had met Sophie at Prestige University, during their second week on campus. While walking through the library, Rose had noticed Sophie reading one of her favorite novels, The Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Curious and excited, she walked up and introduced herself. They hit it off immediately, bonding over their shared love of romance novels. Turns out, Sophie was also in the same department. They exchanged numbers, and a new friendship was born.

Still, no one ever came close to Henry. He had been in her life since childhood—they had even chosen to attend the same university together, a plan they made years ago. Their bond was special, different.

Back in the present, Rose multitasked—still chatting with Sophie while going through her closet. She picked a short-sleeved fitted dress that showed off just the right amount of cleavage. The fabric hugged her curves perfectly. Her eyes lingered on herself in the mirror longer than usual.

Despite the back-and-forth with Sophie, she kept the events of yesterday to herself. She couldn't bring herself to tell her friend—not yet. Not until she figured out what it all meant.

When she was finally ready, she ended the call, took one last look in the mirror, then grabbed her phone to order a ride to Tony's house.

Let's see what this pool party turns into, she thought, taking a deep breath.