"My life is about to get ruined, again!"
Liam bolted upright, heart hammering against his ribs like it wanted out. Cold sweat plastered his shirt to his back. The cheap alarm clock on the nightstand mocked him, already past eight-thirty.
Yesterday's dungeon run had nearly killed him. Every muscle screamed, his bones felt ground to dust, and his head throbbed with fuzzy static. No wonder he'd slept through both alarms. He groaned, dragging a hand down his face, his stomach dropping like a stone.
He had a shift at Bee Sting. Nine sharp.
No time to think. He ripped off his sleep clothes, yanked on yesterday's grease-and-coffee-stained jeans, and dragged a wrinkled gray t-shirt over his head. No shower. No proper teeth brushing. Just survival mode. He slammed the door so hard the frame rattled and took the stairs two at a time, legs burning, pulse roaring in his ears.
He was still weak. Pathetically weak… and this time, he knew exactly how that ended.
In a world where Awakened ruled everything, guys like him clung to shit jobs just to eat. The unawakened got squeezed harder every month while the city showered cash and status on anyone who signed their soul to an Aeon for power.
But yesterday…
His own System had given him strength. Skills. Loot. No glowing sponsor watching him bleed for entertainment.
His jaw tightened as he ran.
So it's real this time.
That small, dangerous certainty kept him moving even as panic clawed at his chest.
He burst through the front door of Bee Sting. The bell jingled wildly.
Olivia was already there, wiping her hands on her apron. She spotted him and hurried over, voice low. "Boss is pissed. She's waiting in the back. I tried to cover, but… be careful, Liam."
"Thanks, Liv. I owe you." He managed a quick, grateful smile.
She nodded, eyes soft for a beat, then turned back to the counter.
Liam walked straight to the back office, knocked once, and pushed inside.
Beatrix sat on the edge of her desk, legs crossed, glasses perched low. That deliberate mole on her cheek, sharp green eyes, tight ponytail, she looked ready to bury him. She didn't look up at first.
"You're late," she said, each word a blade. "Again. What am I supposed to do with you, Liam?"
His heart raced. "Something came up. Sorry."
She set her clipboard down with a soft click. "I can't keep ignoring this."
Desperation, and a half-remembered instinct, hit him. "How about I make it up to you? I give a pretty decent shoulder massage."
One perfect eyebrow rose. For a second he thought she'd throw him out. Then she sighed. "I've been working nonstop. Fine. Make it quick."
He stepped behind her. His hands found her shoulders, tight as steel cables. Muscle memory from another life took over. Thumbs pressed into the knots, slow, firm circles working down her neck.
She exhaled. Then again. Her head tipped forward. A small, surprised sound escaped her, nothing like the controlled voice she used on everyone else.
A faint chime rang in his head.
[ +1 SP ]
His breath hitched.
So it counts…
Beatrix cleared her throat and straightened. "That's… sufficient. You can go."
He backed toward the door fast. "Thanks. Won't happen again."
The rest of the shift blurred by in a storm of espresso, oat milk, and weekend chaos. When they finally flipped the sign to Closed, the weight on his chest finally started to lift.
It was time.
Time to keep the promise he'd made to himself yesterday.
Time to fix the one thing that had destroyed him in his previous life.
Olivia.
In that other timeline, plagues, monsters, fallen Awakened, she had never left his side. She had loved him through everything… only to die in front of him.
His throat tightened.
Not this time.
He found her as they stepped out of the shop. Heart kicking hard, nerves clawing at him, he forced the words out anyway.
"Hey, Liv… you wanna walk to the public garden with me? Just for a bit. It's nice out."
Olivia glanced at her watch, her anime was airing soon, then looked back at his face. Something in his expression made her pause.
"…Alright."
The evening air was cool. Streetlights flickered on as they walked, arms brushing. Memories slammed into Liam, the two of them on this same path before, laughing, her hand in his…
Then her blood on his hands.
His fist clenched.
Not this time.
Olivia poked his arm. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah. Why?"
She studied him. "Honestly, something about you feels different lately. More… bold?"
"Bold… but is it good?" he asked, voice tight.
She laughed softly. "Very good."
Under one of the big trees at the garden's edge, he stopped and turned to her. His heart slammed against his ribs like it was trying to break free.
Don't screw this up again.
"Olivia. I need to tell you something."
She looked up, curious, waiting.
He took a shaky breath. "I'm in love with you. Honestly. I have been for a while."
Silence stretched.
Olivia's gaze flickered, uncertainty, hesitation, something deeper. For a moment, she looked like she might step back.
Then she exhaled.
"…I accept. On one condition."
Liam's eyes burned. He wiped at them quickly. "What?"
"I want to see your usual smile."
He blinked, then let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Slowly, it came, real this time. Steady. Certain.
She smiled back.
They stood there for a second, awkward, something new settling between them.
Then Olivia tilted her head slightly, a shy grin forming. "Hey. Want to come to my place? We could watch something. Anime, a movie, whatever."
He nodded, feeling lighter than he had in years. "Yeah. I'd like that."
They flagged down a taxi together and slid into the back seat, their shoulders touching.
Her hand rested lightly on his knee the whole ride to her house.
And for the first time since waking up,
Liam wasn't thinking about the past.
Only what came next.