"And why exactly would you think I'd feel better hearing you've kissed your other friends too?" Matthew asked lazily.
Ava blinked at him. "You asked for the truth so I told you the truth."
Then she pointed at herself seriously. "But I'm not a player."
Matthew raised a brow.
"If I'm chasing someone," Ava continued calmly, "I don't mess around with other people."
Matthew watched her quietly for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Until you lose interest."
His tone stayed casual. "So what am I exactly? Something interesting you date for a week or maybe a month before getting bored and leaving?"
Ava leaned back against the couch.
"Well," she admitted honestly, "that was originally the plan."
Felix who was sitting nearby immediately looked like he wanted to physically cover Ava's mouth.
Sister. Must you say every single thought out loud?
Felix almost felt secondhand stress listening to her.
But surprisingly Matthew didn't look angry.
If anything—
He looked more interested now.
Ava looked at him calmly beneath the dim movie lights.
"Then I realized you're way more interesting than you look."
Matthew stayed silent briefly.
Then laughed softly under his breath.
"I have pride too, Ava."
His gaze shifted toward the movie screen before returning to her.
"And ego."
He spoke lazily. "Being someone's temporary obsession or trophy doesn't sound very appealing to me."
Ava immediately leaned closer.
"Then why don't I just make you mine exclusively?"
Her fingers traced lightly across his face naturally like she already belonged there.
"Seriously," Ava continued softly, "the actual player here is you not me."
Matthew looked amused.
"You know yourself very well too."Ava added
A small smile finally appeared on Matthew's lips.
"Fine."
Ava eyes lit up instantly.
"We can be friends for now."
Matthew spoke calmly while resting against the couch.
"You're unique." He glanced at her slowly. "Not every day you meet a special type of crazy."
Rick immediately started laughing nearby.
Ava looked offended. "That sounded rude."
Matthew ignored her completely.
"But." His tone became calmer. "Friends need boundaries."
Ava suddenly had a bad feeling.
Matthew started counting lazily on his fingers.
"No sneaking into my house."
Ava's expression changed slightly.
"No stalking."
She looked personally attacked now.
"No random kissing."
Ava looked devastated.
"And absolutely none of whatever nonsense you normally do."
Matthew looked at her calmly. "Friends don't kiss."
Then he added lazily,
"And I'm not like your other friends."
Ava narrowed her eyes slightly.
Matthew continued without shame at all.
"I come first."
Felix nearly choked nearby.
Matthew looked completely calm while saying outrageous things.
"I don't care if they've known you longer."
His eyes met hers directly.
"I want first place."
Ava blinked.
"The important position," Matthew continued smoothly. "Because I'm special."
Rick covered his face laughing silently.
Kai looked impressed. "...He's actually worse than Ava."
Matthew lifted one hand lazily in front of Ava like some high-maintenance prince making demands.
"And since you're supposedly chasing me," he continued, "your role is obvious."
Ava stared at him.
"Block other people from getting close to me."
He tilted his head slightly. "Deal or no deal?"
Ava's lips twitched violently.
Fuck.
And here she thought she was shameless.
Why was this man acting like some difficult princess?
Matthew calmly waited for her answer looking completely unbothered.
Meanwhile Ava suddenly felt challenged spiritually.
"...Sure," Ava answered finally while smiling brightly.
"Anything my sweet boyfriend says."
"Friend," Matthew corrected instantly.
Ava ignored that correction completely.
Internally however—
She already knew following those boundaries would be impossible.
Stop kissing him? Stop getting close to him?
She would rather change her entire identity.
She liked his scent. His skin. His reactions. Even invading his personal space was so addictive.
As for Matthew demanding special treatment above her best friends
Ava thought about it seriously for exactly two seconds.
Her friends would understand.
Bae before friends right?
If Ava's friends ever found out she had willingly lowered their ranking because of Matthew they would probably curse her for the rest of the year.
After the movie ended, the group headed toward one of the most famous restaurants in the third district.
The restaurant itself was owned by a politician's wife.
And just like Ava had described earlier—
It looked exactly like an ordinary street-food shop dropped into the middle of a luxury district.
The outside looked simple and lively with warm lantern lights hanging above open cooking stations while the scent of grilled meat and spices filled the air.
People could even see chefs cooking openly behind glass counters like a normal roadside food stall.
But the moment someone stepped inside—
The luxury became terrifyingly obvious.
The wooden tables alone probably cost more than some people's houses.
The chairs were handmade luxury imports.
The decorations looked casual at first glance until someone noticed the antique carvings, rare marble flooring, and artwork hanging casually on the walls worth millions.
Even the plates and cups were custom-made crystal and silver designs.
The funniest part however—
The chefs themselves were world-class luxury chefs personally hired and trained specifically to learn how to make authentic street food properly.
The politician's wife had apparently opened the restaurant purely because she found the idea entertaining.
So the food prices were considered "affordable."
Affordable for rich people anyway.
The group entered one of the private dining sections while servers quickly brought drinks and menus over.
"Damn," Big V muttered while leaning back comfortably. "Today was actually interesting."
"Not gonna lie," Rick agreed immediately.
Kai stretched lazily beside Derek. "My social battery is somehow alive. That's shocking."
"Tomorrow's Sunday already," Jay said while looking at the date on his phone.
"And it's the first of October," Philip added.
Rick immediately sat up straighter. "Oh right."
"The worldwide holiday starts tomorrow too," Kai said.
After the Great Continental War decades ago, the six surviving nations had created one shared holiday celebrated across the world every October first.
A day meant for peace, family reunions, remembrance, and unity after the war nearly destroyed modern civilization and the growth of new beginning It was called Unity Day.
"Happy Unity Day in advance," Felix said while raising his drink slightly.
The others nodded.
"Happy Unity Day."
Big V smiled slightly. "I'm spending the holiday with family first."
"Same," Derek replied lazily.
Rick groaned dramatically. "One full week off finally."
He nearly looked emotional. "I needed this holiday."
Big V smirked slightly. "Not me."
Everyone looked at him.
"I'm spending most of it with my girlfriend."
Philip immediately made fake vomiting noises.
"Not Sunday though," V added calmly.
"Sunday is family day. Even major businesses and government offices close tomorrow. After that I'm flying out of the country Monday morning."
"What people do for love," Philip sighed dramatically.
"Hm." Felix nodded seriously. "Philip can't relate."
Everyone burst into laughter instantly.
Philip looked offended. "I can absolutely relate."
"No," Jay replied calmly. "You emotionally awkward."
Before Philip could continue defending himself
Felix suddenly remembered something.
"Wait." He looked thoughtful. "I can still go on that date with those five girls during the break."
Everyone went silent.
Kai blinked. "...Five?"
"The holiday classes don't start until the second week of October anyway," Felix continued proudly.
Philip immediately pointed at him. "Then I'm following you."
Felix's lips twitched violently. "Why are you attached to me like a curse?"
Before another argument could start
The waitresses finally arrived carrying trays after trays of food.
The rich spicy aroma instantly filled the private room.
Lamb seekh kebabs rested on metal platters still sizzling from heat.
Junglee maas soaked in rich spicy sauce sat beside baskets of buttery garlic naan.
Kadai shrimp served over fragrant rice released clouds of steam while crispy pani puri topped with spicy mint water were arranged beautifully on glowing trays.
Tawa goat.
Gobi chicken.
Butter chicken dumplings.
Butter chicken wings.
Boxes of bright orange jalebi dripping with syrup.
And finally
Eighteen bottles of chilled fruit beer.
"Damn," Jay muttered honestly. "This looks amazing."
Even Matthew glanced at the food properly this time.
The group split the drinks evenly with two fruit beers per person.
Well Almost.
Matthew only took one.
Ava copied him immediately and only grabbed one too.
Everyone quickly started eating while conversations mixed together noisily around the table.
Rick and Jay were already fighting over grilled chicken.
Philip kept stealing food from Felix plate and getting smacked for it.
Kai fed Derek one of the dumplings absentmindedly while watching something on his phone.
Meanwhile Ava naturally reached over and started eating directly from Matthew's plate.
Matthew looked down at her hand silently.
Ava looked completely unashamed.
"What?" she asked casually while chewing. "We're friends now."
Then she nodded seriously.
"Friends should share everything together."
Matthew rolled his eyes immediately.
"That's not how friendship works."
Ava ignored him completely and stole another piece anyway.
Jay ordered an orange iced tea before calmly taking the fifth fruit beer out of Rick's hand. He replaced it with the iced tea instead.
"I don't want it," Rick complained immediately, putting the tea down and reaching back for the beer.
Jay lightly slapped his hand away with his free hand.
"Look at your cheeks." Jay sounded amused. "They're already red. You're getting tipsy."
"I'm not tipsy."
"Mhm." Jay leaned slightly closer. "Be a good boy and drink this instead."he coaxed
Rick turned his face away dramatically when Jay brought the cup toward his lips. "I don't want it. Why don't you drink it yourself? The food is spicy. Fruit beer matches better."
Jay stared at him for two seconds before casually taking a sip from the iced tea.
"See?" he said calmly. "Not poisoned."
Rick still looked unconvinced.
Jay sighed softly like he was dealing with a difficult child. "Come on. Yes it's fruit beer but you can still get drunk from it."
He glanced at the empty bottles beside Rick.
"You already drank five. I only drank two."
Rick paused slightly.
Jay lowered his voice lazily. "Do you want to go home drunk?"
Rick immediately looked offended. "I'm not drunk."
"Your father and elder brother would absolutely beat your ass if they saw you like this."
Rick looked horrified for half a second.
Jay almost laughed.
Then before Rick could escape again, Jay held the back of his head lightly and tilted it back just enough to press the cup properly against his lips.
"Drink."
Rick struggled dramatically for appearance sake before finally drinking the orange iced tea.
Jay only let go after the cup was empty.
Rick looked betrayed.
"I don't want to talk to you again."
He picked up a butter chicken wing aggressively while pouting.
Jay shook his head helplessly at the childish behavior.
This idiot really didn't realize he was already close to getting drunk.
Meanwhile Ava's phone vibrated from a new notification.
She casually opened her messages while eating from Matthew's plate again despite his obvious annoyance.
Entering Jake's chat, she saw a new message.
Jake: Well don't get angry at me. I gave your brother your spare key.
Ava blinked slowly.
Then blinked again.
"...What?"
Ava's eyes widened.
Ava: you did WHAT
Jake replied almost instantly.
Jake: I was trying to get in touch with you. Your brother came to me. Damn he hacked your phone and knew where you stay already.
Another message appeared immediately after.
Jake: He texted me asking for your spare key. I refused I did baby but well... you know he threatened me.
Jake: And you know how scared I am of my grandparents.
Jake: He also had proof of what I did so... sorry.
Matthew glanced sideways at Ava.
She was aggressively biting the spoon in her hand while typing with the other one.
Then Matthew calmly went back to eating his food like none of this involved him.
Ava typed furiously.
Ava: so you betrayed me because you are scared of your grandparents sending you to military school?
Ava: fine then get ready to go because I'm texting your dad right now.
Ava: let's see how pleased he is hearing you helped someone steal a spare key and illegally access another person's apartment inside HIS condo building in Silver Arc District.
Jake instantly started spamming messages.
Jake: you would not dare
Jake: Ava
Jake: Ava baby
Jake: Ancestors great one please
Ava ignored every single one.
Instead she directly entered her brother's social media page.
The moment she opened his newest post her eye twitched violently.
The picture showed her brother casually standing beside the massive glass balcony window of her apartment.
Outside the balcony stretched the breathtaking night scenery of Silver Arc District.
Glowing mountain ranges surrounded the district like shadows beneath the night sky while silver-blue lights lined the roads below like rivers of stars.
Waterfalls flowed down the dark cliffs in the distance illuminated softly by hidden lights while hovering transport rails curved through the mountains connecting different luxury districts together.
The entire view looked peaceful, futuristic and ridiculously expensive.
Inside the room however looked even worse to Ava.
Warm golden lights reflected across the modern luxury interior.
Dark marble floors. Soft grey walls.
Minimalist decorations mixed with expensive furniture.
The once-empty guest room now looked completely lived in.
A comfortable dark couch had been added near the window along with shelves, plants and decorative lights.
The bed itself had been redesigned with expensive blankets and pillows.
Ava zoomed into the picture slowly.
Then froze.
A pink neck pillow sat tossed carelessly across the bed.
Her neck pillow.
Silence.
"..."
That bastard.
Her idiotic brother didn't just sneak into her apartment he redecorated the guest room too.
Like he owned the place.
At that exact moment she saw another notification appeared from her apartment security system.
ACCESS NOTICE: Keycard access detected.
Ava opened the full notification.
Then nearly died from anger.
Because she suddenly remembered something very important.
Her apartment security system wasn't configured to require her fingerprint alongside the keycard.
Meaning—
If someone had the access card.
The door would open.
"...Fucking bastards," Ava cursed under her breath.
Then suddenly she paused.
So this is how Matthew felt this morning when she sneaked in.
Karma really was a bitch.
Ava slowly stood up from her chair.
Everyone looked toward her immediately.
"I'm going home," Ava announced calmly despite the murderous aura around her. "Goodnight guys."
Then before Matthew could react
She leaned down quickly and kissed his cheek.
Matthew froze.
Ava immediately ran.
Straight out of the restaurant toward the condo buildings located across the road before anyone could stop her.
Philip looked emotional. "Young love."
"Shut up," Matthew said coldly while touching the side of his face slightly.
"What happened?" Kai asked while watching Ava disappear outside almost like she was running to war.
Matthew shrugged calmly. "Maybe she had something to do."
V laughed lightly. "That girl definitely looks like she's about to commit a crime."
The group continued eating while ordering another round of beer this time actual beer instead of fruit beer.
Kai frowned slightly when he noticed Derek's side of the table.
Several empty bottles already sat there.
Derek casually opened another bottle.
Right as he lifted it
He looked up.
Kai was staring directly at him while eating quietly.
Then Kai's gaze slowly lowered toward the beer bottle in Derek's hand.
Then back to Derek again.
The meaning was very clear.
Drop it.
Derek froze for one second before awkwardly shaking the bottle slightly with a smile.
As if trying to negotiate.
Just one cup.
Kai slowly placed his spoon down.
Then looked at him silently.
The expression on his face practically screamed:
Drink it if you dare.
Derek instantly put the beer back down.
He rubbed his nose awkwardly before sitting straighter.
V noticed immediately. "Aren't you drinking anymore?"
Derek glanced toward Kai first before replying seriously, "No. I've drank enough."
Kai finally continued eating again.
V laughed before turning toward Matthew. "What about you? We should celebrate."
Matthew looked up lazily. "Celebrate what?"
"The fact your admirer finally got promoted to friend status," V teased.
Felix nearly choked laughing.
Matthew looked completely unbothered. "Only one cup."
V nodded dramatically before pouring him a glass.
Then he poured one for Jay too.
Rick immediately stared at Jay accusingly. "You let him drink beer but gave me orange juice?"
Without even blinking Jay calmly pushed another glass of orange juice toward Rick.
Rick looked betrayed again.
Meanwhile Derek slowly started reaching toward another beer bottle when suddenly—
A cold glass of water appeared in front of him instead.
Kai calmly took the beer bottle away before replacing it with the water.
Derek stared at it.
Then at Kai.
Kai raised one eyebrow slightly.
Derek silently picked up the water and drank it.
The entire table went quiet briefly.
Philip looked amazed. "...This is true love."he joked
"We're not dating," Kai replied instantly.
"Yet," Rick added while grinning.
Kai ignored him completely while casually picking up one of the fruit beers for himself instead.
Derek looked at the beer in Kai's hand.
Then at the water in his own.
"...This feels unfair."
Kai took a calm sip. "You already drank enough."
Derek clicked his tongue but didn't argue further.
The group raised their glasses together anyway.
Beer. Fruit beer. Orange juice. Water.
"Cheers."