Part 2 — The Celebration Night

It had been a few days since the four had moved in together. Miraculously, no one had killed anyone, which was a small victory in itself considering the Tala-Julia dynamic. The apartment had settled into a somewhat functional rhythm: laundry days that were mostly respected, dish duty schedules half-followed, and the AC-heater debates turning into passive-aggressive thermostat wars.

Tonight, however, was different.

In a sudden burst of sentiment—or maybe stupidity—all four roommates, or should I say Julia on behalf of herself and the other three, decided they deserved a celebration for surviving the first week. A small bar three blocks away became the destination, and before long, drinks were ordered, shots lined up, and the mood was suspiciously… cheerful.

Julia, of course, was already tipsy after one beer. "To tolerating your dumb faces for the rest of the year!" she cheered, raising her glass dramatically.

Tala raised a brow. "That's rich coming from the most intolerable one here."

"Oh please," Julia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're only still here because I haven't dumped you yet."

Kai took a slow sip from his glass, barely reacting. "This is what we're celebrating?" he muttered.

"I think they're cute," Hilary whispered, leaning toward him. "In a psychotic way."

"They're something," Kai deadpanned.

Tala didn't respond to Julia's jab. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and smirked. "You couldn't dump me even if I gave you step-by-step instructions."

"Oh, you wanna bet?" Julia shot back.

"You wouldn't last two hours without me."

Hilary blinked as she turned to Kai. "Should we stop them?"

Kai didn't even flinch. "Don't. Let them tire each other out."

Hilary's lips twitched. "What if they never do?"

"They won't," Kai said without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Julia was now leaning across the table, pointing at Tala with wild gestures. "You're lucky I'm loyal. Otherwise, I'd be with someone who actually appreciates me."

"Someone with brain damage then," Tala muttered into his drink.

Hilary gasped in amused horror. "You two are the definition of a toxic rom-com."

Kai nodded, raising his glass. "Heavy on the toxic."

The drinks kept coming, and Julia kept… escalating. She was now giggling at her own jokes, roasting Tala with increasing creativity. Tala, on the other hand, wasn't even angry—just mildly entertained and trying not to snort into his beer.

"You know what," Julia slurred, "you're, like, lucky I love you. Because if I didn't—"

"You'd still be annoying," Tala cut in.

Julia looked offended for a grand total of two seconds before bursting into laughter.

Hilary sighed dreamily. "They're so... chaotic. But kind of sweet?"

Kai blinked at her. "Are we watching the same couple?"

Hilary shrugged, cheeks flushed from just one drink. "They fight like an old married couple."

"An old married couple from hell." Kai muttered.

Eventually, it became very obvious that Julia was not going to make it home unaided. She had started singing dramatically while holding her beer like a microphone. Tala stood, sighed, and muttered something about suffering.

He bent down and pulled her up effortlessly as she giggled and leaned her entire weight on him.

"See I'm light as a feather—"

"You're heavier than a whale," he muttered.

Julia pouted. "You're so mean. But hey you love this whale." She giggled again.

Tala's lips twitched. "Unwillingly."

Kai stood too, stretching slightly. "We'll follow behind. Try not to drop her."

"No promises," Tala replied dryly.

Hilary waved at the remaining drinks regretfully before following Kai and Tala out.

The walk home was filled with giggles—mostly Julia's. She refused to stop talking, whether it was about how pretty the night sky looked or why the birds looked sus (there were no birds). Tala barely acknowledged her rambling, simply adjusted her weight and kept walking like this was just another Tuesday.

By the time they reached the apartment, Julia was halfway into a rant about why cucumbers shouldn't be in sandwiches when Tala opened the front door with his foot.

Hilary rubbed her temples. "She's... on another level tonight."

Kai sighed. "And she still has the energy to rant about vegetables. Impressive."

As they stepped inside, Tala didn't even hesitate. He walked straight toward his room, carrying Julia like she was some tragic yet annoying princess.

Hilary's brows furrowed. "Wait—she's my roommate."

Tala paused at the door, turning to look at her.

"She wouldn't let you sleep when she's drunk," he said flatly. "I'll take care of her for the night."

Hilary opened her mouth, then closed it. "I mean sure… she is your girlfriend afterall."

"Exactly," Tala muttered, nudging the door open further. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Hilary said, blinking as the door shut behind him with a gentle click.

She stood there for a moment, stunned. The apartment felt oddly quiet now. Shaking her head, she retreated to her room and changed into something more comfortable—an oversized shirt and pajama shorts. After flopping onto her bed and scrolling her phone for a bit, she realized she was oddly thirsty. She got up and padded out quietly toward the kitchen.

But what she saw near the living room made her freeze.

Kai. Shirtless. With a towel around his neck, damp hair dripping slightly, fresh from the shower. His toned back was facing her, and as he turned slightly to grab his phone, the full sight hit her like a truck.

Her brain short-circuited.

Kai blinked at her calmly. "Didn't think anyone would still be up."

Hilary was sure her mouth opened, but no words came out for a solid three seconds. Then finally—"Water. I… wanted water."

Kai nodded, completely unaffected, and wiped his hair with the towel. "Kitchen's still there."

"Thanks," she said, voice an octave higher than usual.

Kai tilted his head, seemingly amused. "You good?"

"I—yep. I'm—good. Very. Good." She mentally smacked herself. "I mean fine. I mean—yes."

There was a pause. Kai raised an eyebrow slightly before offering her the smallest smirk. "Goodnight, Hilary."

She almost tripped on air as she grabbed a glass of water and nodded. "Goodnight, Kai."

He turned and walked back toward his room without another word, while Hilary stood in the kitchen, holding the glass like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

She whispered to herself, "Why do you look like a damn Greek god at midnight? What the hell."

She took a sip and internally screamed again.

Yup.

Things were definitely not going back to normal anytime soon.

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END

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That's all for this part guys!... Hope y'all enjoyed the little KaiHil tension buildup XD there's gonna be more awkwardness, chaos and a bit of romance in the upcoming chapters, sooooo stay tuned! Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the reviews, and I'll see ya in part 3 ;)