Chapter 39

I awoke the next morning to the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains, my body feeling both exhausted and alive in a way that was unfamiliar. The sheets were tangled around me, the night seeming more like a feverish dream than reality. The events played out in my mind, vivid and intense, yet tinged with a sense of unreality. Did I really make love with Alex in such a carnally charged way? In front of everyone?

Slightly embarrassed, I blinked away the last vestiges of sleep, and sat up, looking around my apartment. My clothes from last night were scattered across the floor, a silent testament to the tumultuous evening. I was about to get up when the door to my room creaked open, and Lila poked her head in.

"Good morning," she murmured her voice hushed.

"Morning, " I returned, still trying to piece together the fragments of memory that swirl in my head. "I don't... I can't remember coming home," I admited, the words feeling foreign on my tongue.

Lila nodded, stepping into the