17:27
Lukas was sprawled out on the couch, enjoying the rare peace of his home, when the obnoxious sound of the phone ringing shattered the silence. He groaned, dragging himself to his feet and snatching the phone from the table.
"Hello?"
"LUKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Lukas blinked, holding the phone slightly away from his ear. "Who the hell is this?"
"It's me, Soren! Dude, we've been friends for years, and you can't recognize my voice? Rude."
"To be fair, you never call, and you sound way different on the phone," Lukas shot back, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, wanna hang out? I'm bored as hell"
"I don't know... I might just stay home today."
"Perfect. We'll hang out at your place."
"No."
"Good. I'll call Steph and Ivy to join us. See you soon."
"Soren, don't–"
Before Lukas could even finish, Soren hung up. Lukas groaned, staring at the phone like it had betrayed him. He tried messaging Soren, but, unsurprisingly, his texts were ignored.
The bathroom door creaked open, and Claire strolled out into the living room.
"Hey," she said nonchalantly.
Lukas turned to her. "Hey, Claire, can you, I don't know, maybe not stay home today?"
She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Why?"
"Some friends are coming over, and I REALLY don't want them to see you."
Her smirk widened into a grin. "Oh, I'm definitely staying now. Any guys? Are they hot?"
"Please, Claire."
"Why should I?"
"Please."
"Yeah, still staying," she said with a wink before collapsing onto the couch.
"I hate you so much."
Claire just laughed softly, clearly enjoying his suffering.
---
19:36
The pair were silently glued to their phones when a knock echoed through the house. Claire sprang to her feet and opened the door, revealing two guys and a girl standing outside.
"Hello—wait, who the hell are you?" Soren asked, staring at her.
"Lukas's roommate," Claire replied, leaning against the doorframe.
"Damn," Steph muttered, giving Soren a knowing look.
Soren nodded, his eyes briefly flicking over her. Claire crossed her arms, unamused.
"Is Luke home?" Soren finally asked.
Claire stepped aside. "Yeah, come in."
The group entered, spotting Lukas still sprawled on the couch. Soren immediately threw himself down next to him.
"Your girlfriend?" he asked, nodding toward Claire.
"Not even sure she's a girl," Lukas muttered.
Steph sat down beside Soren. "Have you seen her boobs? Lucky bastard."
Lukas groaned, refusing to dignify that with a response. Meanwhile, Claire and Ivy lingered by the door. Claire couldn't help but notice Ivy's quiet stare.
"So... what's up?" Claire asked.
"Are you his girlfriend?" Ivy asked, her tone flat.
Claire snorted. "No, I have standards."
"Very well then."
An awkward silence settled between them until Soren called out. "Hey, Ivy! Brunette girl! Wanna watch some movies?"
Ivy nodded, moving to the couch and sitting next to Lukas, while Claire followed reluctantly. She shot Ivy a brief glance but said nothing.
"What are we watching?" Steph asked.
"Horror?" Soren suggested.
"Too early for that," Lukas said.
"Comedy?"
"What about romance?" Steph added with a wink at Soren.
Soren's getting the hint. "oh, yeah. A romance could work. What do you guys think?"
"Sure," Lukas said.
"Mhm," Ivy hummed in agreement.
"They're corny, but whatever," Claire muttered.
Four movies later, the group finally realized how late it had gotten.
---
00:57
Steph yawned, stretching. "I think I'm gonna head home. I've got work tomorrow."
"Do you," Lukas said, giving him a half-hearted wave. "Goodnight."
"Same here," Soren said, standing up. "Practice at six."
"Take care," Lukas said as the two guys left, leaving him alone with Ivy and Claire.
"Hey," he said, turning to Ivy. "It's late. Shouldn't you head home?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Want me to walk you back? It's dark out."
She nodded. "Sure."
As she grabbed her jacket, Claire watched them from the couch, trying to seem indifferent. She failed miserably, her eyes flicking between them.
"You ready?" Lukas asked, standing by the door.
"Yeah," Ivy said.
As the two of them left, Claire threw herself onto the couch, burying her face in a pillow.
"That damn bitch," she muttered, rolling onto her side.
After several minutes of grumbling nonsense to herself, she finally settled down, trying to sleep.
When Lukas returned, he found her sprawled out on the couch, seemingly asleep. He quietly passed her on the way to his room, not noticing the small smile that crept onto her face as she drifted off.