Leons POV
The Lyrs were out of town for some business thing, so we all decided to crash here and party—just like old times. The housekeepers had the day off, which meant the entire place was ours.
After hours of swimming and cannonballs, we finally left the pool. The girls wanted a change of scenery and headed to a spa—massages, facials, whatever. We guys stayed back, cracked open some snacks, and played video games.
Liv told me Daphne didn't want to stay home, and Cami suggested they go pamper themselves. But I knew the truth. She just wanted a reason to avoid me. And I don't even blame her.
What does bother me is how much it hurts when she ignores me.
Even when I'm mad at her, I can't seem to return the favor. I want her to talk to me—but I sure as hell won't apologize first.
"Everything okay?" Roman interrupts my spiral. "You seem tense. Does my sister have anything to do with that?"
I laugh. "She always does, doesn't she? Things okay with you two lately? After that rooftop talk?"
Roman shrugs. "Good… for now. But she's been weird lately. Doesn't argue with Mom and Dad anymore, just quietly obeys. She's barely home, always somewhere else in her head. And you know what's the weirdest thing?"
He pauses.
"She barely smiles, Leon. It's like... she's not her. I miss the old Daphne. She used to make us laugh. She was brutally honest, no filter. Loud, messy, alive. Now it's like she's just... pretending. Like she's here but not really."
I sigh. "Yeah. I know. I probably pissed her off again, and I don't even know what I did. I just know I need to apologize—but I won't. I just... can't, Ro. I hate seeing her like this. Sad. Quiet. And worst of all—not talking to me."
Roman doesn't respond right away. But someone else does.
"Sorry to interrupt," JJ says, stepping into the room. "I overheard you two."
He gives me a look.
"But seriously, Leo. You really don't know where you messed up?"
I look away, jaw clenched.
JJ crosses his arms. "You're always telling her she's wrong. But is she? Has she ever loved anyone else but you? Everyone knows it's always been you. And yeah, we all know you feel the same. But the truth is... neither of you knows how to talk about it."
He shifts his gaze to Roman.
"And Ro, she's not being weird for no reason. She's hurting. She listens to your parents now because she feels guilty. That's her way of saying sorry. Quietly. Without words."
He sighs, softer this time.
"She's changed, yeah. But pain changes people. Just... be nice to her, okay? You guys aren't the only ones hurting."
Then, as if the emotional whiplash wasn't enough, he casually adds, "Anyway—I actually came to ask what you guys want for lunch. The girls said they'll pick something up on the way back."
I blink.
"Anything works," I mumble.
Julian suddenly stands. "I need to have a word with Roman," he says, nodding toward the hallway.
They leave. I'm alone now, staring at the carpet like it has answers.
Should I apologize?
I used to. Every time. So why can't I do it now?
Maybe because this time... it matters. And things aren't as simple as they used to be.
Nothing is.
Daphne's POV
I felt… relaxed, finally. The massage helped, sure—but more than that, I think we girls actually cleared the air today. There was still some leftover tension, sure, but it felt like we finally stopped pretending everything was fine.
We vented. Dumped everything.
I told them how I've been deliberately avoiding Leon. How the boys still won't really talk to me. How I feel like I'm walking around with a scarlet letter or something.
Liv confessed about the guy she dated—someone she thought was a walking green flag. But of course, he turned out to be a fraud, all performative niceness and zero actual soul.
Cami, meanwhile, caught Cassian hooking up with some random girl. Messy, very Cass.
We laughed when we talked about Mason still being a chaotic bad boy. And apparently—surprise, surprise—Roman hasn't dated anyone since I left.
But then Cami hesitated a little. Her voice dropped when she said, "Leon… dated someone. For a while."
I just nodded. "That's cool," I said. "We're friends. Friends can date whoever they want."
Lie.
We moved on to talking about my life in Europe. Pierre. All of it. They asked questions, I gave half-truths. Not because I didn't trust them—but because some stories were just too complicated to explain over iced coffee and manicures.
Still, it felt good. Like maybe we were patching things up.
And yeah, I was a little sad about Leon. Not heartbroken, not shattered—just… that quiet kind of sad that sits in your chest and doesn't move. But I'd had flings too, so who was I to care? We were friends. It shouldn't matter who he dates. Right?
It's not like I hadn't seen him with girls before.
I snap out of my spiral and glance up at the girls. "Should we grab food? The chefs are off today. Feels better than just ordering in."
We call the guys. They say anything's fine.
"Pizza," Cami declares. "Mess-free, no plates, and it'll shut the beasts up."
Liv and I laugh. "Pizza it is."
We got home with a lot of food—like, arms-full, bags-tearing, stomach-growling kind of food. Mason and Cassian met us at the gate and helped carry everything inside like true cavemen heroes.
The eight of us crashed in the home theatre. It's this ridiculously oversized room with plush sofa beds—like, literal couches that unfold into comfy beds once you pull the levers. A rich kid's dream. Or in our case, a reunion headquarters.
We dumped the food on the center table, and Liv clapped her hands like a kindergarten teacher. "Okay! We have one classic cheese, two pepperoni, and one meat lover's. Pounce in, beasts."
She didn't need to say it twice.
We put on Harry Potter—yes, all of them. The whole franchise. We decided that whoever fell asleep first would be given a dirty dare in the morning. Because of course we did. Some traditions never die.
At some point, Cassian knocked out first. Mid-movie. Mid-chew, even. His head just lolled to the side like a sad potato.
We were still going strong around 4:30, though eyelids were drooping. I think I passed out somewhere around the part where Voldemort starts giving long speeches again.
I curled up beside Julian on one of the sofa beds. He always radiated this calm warmth that made it easy to breathe. Safe. Leon was already drooling besides me it was funny.
The Morning After
I was already up by the time the sun poured in through the big windows. The theatre was silent, pizza boxes gone. I guess the cleaning staff had already stopped by—quiet as ever, like shadows with gloves.
I slipped away to brush my teeth, pulled my hair into a lazy ponytail, and made my way to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mary," I said softly.
She smiled, hands already busy with breakfast. She's been with our family since we were kids. Always knew how to make the best garlic eggs and strongest coffee.
"Could you make me a cup, please?"
"Of course, Miss Daphne."
I reminded her and the others to take the next two days off—we'd be fine on our own. We needed space anyway, and they deserved the break.
After changing into something more comfortable, I wandered downstairs, cup in hand, and walked toward the patio. The pool shimmered under the morning light, almost too calm for the chaos we lived in.
I curled up in one of the lounge chairs, just breathing in the quiet.
"A penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice said.
Leon.
He sat beside me without asking, then casually rested his head on my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I tried pushing him off. Once. Twice. Then again with an exaggerated sigh. He didn't budge. And eventually… I gave in.
He talked. I didn't respond.
But then, after a beat of silence, his voice softened.
"You know… it's been a long time since I saw your face first thing in the morning."
My chest tightened a little—but I didn't say a word. I just stared at the water, willing my heart to chill out.
Because the truth was… I missed that too.
I didn't say anything at first.
Leon didn't move. He just lay there, head on my lap, looking up at the sky like it held answers we couldn't find in each other.
"You were always the first to wake up," he murmured. "Used to drag us out of bed on Saturdays, remember?"
I smiled a little, despite myself. "You hated it."
"You made pancakes," he said. "I couldn't stay mad."
A pause.
"And now?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Can you stay mad now?"
His eyes flicked up toward mine. There was a flicker of something—regret, maybe. Or guilt.
"No," he said. "But I'm still going to pretend like I can."
I rolled my eyes and brushed a leaf off his hoodie. "You're so annoyingly dramatic."
"And you're pretending none of this affects you," he said, eyes narrowing just slightly.
Before I could respond, the glass door behind us slid open with a loud schhhhk and—
"Well, well, well," Cassian said, yawning. "Look who's cozy this fine morning."
Leon groaned but didn't move. I swatted his arm, gently this time.
Cassian flopped into the pool chair across from us and stretched like a cat. "So, are we ready for the Dirty Dare of Doom, or do I have time to chug some juice and recover from my public execution?"
I blinked. "You actually remember falling asleep first?"
"Barely. But Mason already made a list of possible dares and I'm scared."
Leon smirked. "You should be."
Cass groaned. "Fine. Just… don't make it anything that'll get me banned from the estate."
I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize my mother would rather ban Roman and me than ever lay a finger on you or Camille, right?"
Cass flashed that smug, golden-boy grin of his. "Perks of being the favorite."
"Must be nice," Roman's voice floated in from inside, followed by the sound of him half-jogging down the stairs.
Leon stretched with a groan. "Okay, I need to brush my teeth before anyone dares to speak to me again."
"I'll join you," Roman added, yawning as he followed Leon inside.
Cassian turned to me with a lazy smile. "Hey, Daph, any chance I could convince you to get me a coffee? I don't trust Roman with my caffeine ratios."
I rolled my eyes. "Spoiled much?"
He just grinned.
Still, I got up, walked into the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later with his coffee—just the way he liked it. I handed it to him and sat next to him on the chair. The silence between us felt… new. Not cold, not exactly awkward. Just a little off.
I glanced at him, then looked away. "Cass… are you still angry at me? And just pretending to be nice?"
He looked surprised. "What?"
I kept my eyes on the pool water. "I mean… you've been sweet, but I know I hurt all of you. I left. I didn't explain. It's fine if you're still mad. I just… I need to know."
Cass took a sip of his coffee, then set the cup down on the table beside us. "Daph," he said, turning toward me, "come on. Have you ever seen me really angry?"
I didn't answer.
He nudged me lightly. "Exactly. And I could never be pissed at you. You're the little one of the family, remember? You're like… the glue that kept us from losing our minds completely."
I finally looked at him. "So, you're not angry?"
His expression softened. "I'm just a bit disappointed. You could've told me something. Anything."
"I know." My voice wavered. "I should've made things right sooner. I'm sorry, Cass."
He pulled me into a warm hug without another word.
And for a moment, just for a moment, I felt like maybe—not everything was broken.
We were all seated around the long patio table, plates full with whatever Mary had whipped up—fluffy eggs, crispy hash browns, waffles that melted in your mouth. I didn't even know I was starving until the first bite.
Roman was chugging orange juice like he hadn't had water in days, Leon was buttering his toast with one hand and scrolling on his phone with the other, and Cami was making sure Liv didn't spike her coffee again.
Everything felt almost normal.
Until—
"TIME FOR THE DAAARE!" Mason yelled, practically kicking open the back doors like he was announcing the apocalypse. "Cass, Cass, you're in deep shit, baby!"
Cass nearly choked on his waffle. "What the hell, man? I'm eating!"
"That won't save you now," Mason said, dramatically holding up a piece of paper. "A dare is a dare, and rules are rules. You fell asleep first, Mr. Lancaster."
"I was emotionally exhausted," Cass muttered. "That should qualify for immunity."
"Unfortunately," Liv said, sipping her coffee like it was tea in a Victorian courtroom, "emotional damage is not a valid exemption."
Cass turned to me, pleading. "Daph. You wouldn't let them do this to me, right?"
I smiled sweetly. "Depends. How strong was that coffee I brought you?"
Cass groaned and dropped his head onto the table. "I knew this day would come."
Cass groaned and dropped his head onto the table. "I knew this day would come."
Mason clapped him on the back. "Be glad we love you. That list had way worse options."
Cami grinned. "And you're lucky we're saving those for the next victim."
Cass raised a finger without lifting his head. "If it's Roman, I'm volunteering to pick his dare."
Roman smirked. "Bring it, pretty boy."
Leon finally looked up from his plate. "Can we just let Cass eat his last meal in peace before total humiliation?"
"Fine, ten-minute truce," Liv declared, sipping her coffee like royalty.
I sat back in my chair, letting the laughter and low chatter float around me like music. Maybe we weren't all fixed yet. Maybe we were still figuring things out. But for now—for just a moment—it felt good.
Whole.
Like us again.
Even if someone was about to be dared into something completely ridiculous.
And that, I guess, was our brand of peace.