Felicity woke up ridiculously early, the kind of early where the world still felt half–asleep. Her body was still buzzing from the night before, and for a few seconds, she just lay there staring at the ceiling, letting everything settle.
She shouldn't have stayed with Leon. She knew that.
But God… she also knew she didn't regret it.
She slipped back into the hostel around 7 a.m., hair still slightly messy from the rushed trip back. She expected the room to be quiet, empty even. But the door swung open to Charity sitting upright on her bed, scrolling through her phone with this small smile on her face — the secret kind.
"Hey," Charity said, barely glancing up. "You're back early."
"Yeah. Hostel rules," Felicity muttered, pretending to look for something in her bag. She tried not to stare, but one notification flashed on Charity's screen before disappearing.
She didn't even want to see the name.
But her brain grabbed it anyway.
Leon.
Her heart did something weird. Not exactly broke — more like twisted.
She forced herself to act normal, grabbed her towel, and hurried to the bathroom.
The moment the door shut, she leaned against it, both hands on her head.
Why is he texting her? Why is she smiling like that? What are they talking about at 7 a.m.?
Her mind was spiraling, and she hated it.
She didn't want to be that girl.
When she came out, Charity was typing again, fingers moving fast, like whatever was happening was juicy.
Something ugly tugged in Felicity's chest.
She wasn't the type to snoop.
But God, the tension under her skin was unbearable.
Before she even talked herself out of it, she dialed Leon.
The phone rang twice before he picked up.
He sounded… off. Tired? Distracted?
"Hey," he whispered, voice low.
"Leon? Can you hear me?" Felicity asked, pressing the phone to her ear.
There were muffled voices on his end. She couldn't make out a single word. Something clattered. A door? A drawer? She had no idea.
"Leon?"
"Hold on, baby. Just— give me a minute. I'll call you back," he said quickly.
And he hung up.
Just like that.
Felicity stared at the phone, stunned.
Who was he talking to?
Why was he whispering?
She looked up. Charity was still texting. Still smiling. Still giggling to herself like whatever she was saying was sweet, not serious.
Felicity felt sick.
Just quietly sick.
Charity later stood and started packing a small bag, humming to herself.
"I'm going home for the weekend," she said. "I just want my own space for a bit."
Felicity nodded. "Safe trip."
Charity tossed her phone into her bag, and for one second before the screen went black, Leon's name glowed again.
Her stomach dropped.
Twice in the span of a morning?
The door closed behind Charity, and Felicity finally let out a breath she'd been holding all day. She sat on her bed and texted Leon.
"You didn't call back."
He replied almost ten minutes later.
Leon:Sorry. Nothing happened. I just slept back.
A lie.
She felt it immediately.
It wasn't even a good lie.
By evening, it was too heavy to ignore. She called him again.
He answered at once.
"Baby—"
"No," she cut him off. "Leon, what exactly is going on between you and Charity?"
He went silent.
Not confused silence — guilty silence.
Felicity's voice shook, not in anger but in exhaustion.
"You told me you two were done. Done. Yet she's messaging you first thing in the morning, and you're texting her like it's nothing. She talks about you with a confidence like she still has you. Like she still… owns you." She laughed bitterly. "And honestly? You're letting her."
Leon exhaled deeply. "Felicity, you're reading too much into things."
"No, Leon. I'm reading exactly what's in front of me," she said. "You're still entertaining her. You don't shut her out. You don't draw lines. And I'm not about to fight with someone you keep giving space to."
He sounded irritated now. "You think I want her?"
"I think you want the attention," she replied quietly. "I think you like how obsessed she is."
Another silence.
Longer.
He didn't deny it.
He couldn't.
So he chose the easy thing — he lied.
"I choose you," he said. "There's nothing between us. Whatever you're thinking, let it go."
Felicity closed her eyes and let herself believe it.
She knew he wasn't telling the whole story… but she wanted him.
She wanted the version of him she got last night — soft, present, desperately in love.
"Then fix it," she whispered. "Because if this continues, I'm done."
He tensed. "Don't say that. Please. Just stay. Let me sort everything out. I'm not losing you."
She swallowed hard.
"Okay."
After the call, she lay back on her pillow, staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe normally. Her birthday was two weeks away. Leon had already insisted she spend that weekend with him, just the two of them, somewhere outside the campus madness.
She wanted that.
She wanted the peace of being with him without walls listening, without Charity in the next bed, without all the secrets hanging over them.
She wanted love without competition.
But somewhere across town, Leon was lying in his own bed, phone against his chest, knowing damn well Charity wasn't done with him…
and knowing Felicity had no idea how deep the mess actually went.
Still, Felicity whispered to herself before sleep claimed her:
"I just hope I'm not being stupid."