I awaken with a pounding headache, feeling as if my head is echoing last night's beats from the sound system. Grimacing, I clutch my head and sit up, surveying my surroundings more closely.

Suddenly, I bolt upright. "Shit!" I exclaim, hastily grabbing my phone from the bedside table and dialing Vivian's number. I can hear the phone ringing in the adjacent room, so I stumble out of bed and make my way to Matty's room. A sigh of relief escapes me as I see Vivian sleeping peacefully in the small bed.

Glancing at myself in the mirror, I realize I'm no longer wearing the dress from last night but instead a t-shirt and shorts. Descending the stairs, I follow the scent of sausages and eggs to the kitchen. There, I find Eugene standing at the stove, preparing breakfast, which begins to bring me back to my senses. Sluggishly, I make my way to the island and take a seat on a stool.

"Good morning," Eugene greets, his back still turned to me.

"Morning," I mumble, my voice barely audible.

"No, it's not a good morning," he retorts, now facing me and gripping the edge of the counter tightly. "What's wrong with you? Did you even think of Matty when you decided to get drunk and let some random guy touch you?" he admonishes, his voice rising.

"I'm sorry," I offer weakly.

A tense silence settles between us as he turns around, placing a plate of sausages and eggs in front of me along with a glass of water and a tablet. I take the tablet and swallow it with the water.

"I didn't let that guy touch me; I pushed him away," I defend myself.

"No," Eugene counters, setting down his fork. "You didn't even have the strength to push him. I had to intervene."

"You? How did you even know where we were?" I inquire, attempting to change the subject, knowing full well my strength was insufficient to repel the guy.

"Everyone knew it was the only club opening last night, so I came over because I was worried," he explains.

"Worried?" I tease.

"Jones, not now. I'm not in the mood," he replies tersely.

After that, I quietly eat my breakfast. He was worried, I can't help but smile to myself.

"Where's Jake?" I suddenly remember, breaking the silence.

"He took Matty to his place," Eugene answers.

"And when did you arrive?" I press further.

He looks at me and sighs. Initially, I don't understand his silence, but then it dawns on me: he stayed with me here the entire night.

"Where did you sleep?" I ask him.

"On the couch," he replies.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, covering my face with my hands.

"It's fine. Look, I won't tell you not to party, but next time, just don't drink too much," he advises.

I nod in agreement.

"You know, that guy looked a lot like Lance," I mention casually.

"Yeah, he was," Eugene confirms.

Choking on my sausage, I cough and drink the water from the table. Eugene comes over, patting me on the back.

"He was?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

He nods, and the realization hits me: that bastard had tried to take advantage of me. How could he do such a despicable thing? It infuriated me to think of how many other girls he might have targeted and gotten away with it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demand, turning my gaze to Eugene, who is looking down at me.

I understand what he's referring to, but I feign ignorance, hoping to diffuse the tension. "Tell me what?" I respond with furrowed brows.

"Drop the act, Jones. You know exactly what I'm talking about," he retorts.

I sigh. "It's not a big deal. They were just trying to provoke me," I dismiss, though Eugene doesn't seem convinced.

"It is a big deal," he insists, showing me the pages of my book that were scribbled on. "This shouldn't be happening to anyone, least of all my own girlfriend."

"Fake," I correct him.

He shakes his head in defeat, just as we hear the door click.

Matty comes running in and hugs me tightly. I return the embrace, but before I can pull away, I'm enveloped in another set of arms. I recognize the bear hug instantly.

Glancing at Eugene, I catch a glimpse of rage in his eyes for a split second.

"I'm fine, Jake," I reassure him.

He releases me and cups my face in his hands. "Don't ever do that again," he implores.

I nod with a smile. Matty watches us, clearly confused, but I offer him a reassuring smile too, and he settles on the sofa to watch Harry Potter.

As Jake washes the dishes and Eugene stands leaning on the island, texting someone rapidly, I suddenly remember to ask, "Who changed my clothes?"

When I look up, I see Jake's gaze directed at Eugene, who in turn looks at the ground and then back at me. I meet his eyes, realizing with embarrassment that it was him. Of course, to the outside world, this might seem normal since we're "dating," but we're not. Yet, when he referred to me as his girlfriend, it gave me butterflies.

I try to avoid making eye contact with Eugene for as long as possible, and he does the same. Eventually, we're interrupted by Matty yelling from his room. I rush upstairs, and after assessing Vivian's seemingly lifeless form in bed.

"Is she dead?" he asks.

"Should I start preparing the coffin?" Eugene quips, and we both chuckle.

"Jade?" I hear Jake call out, prompting us to head downstairs. "I'm heading home. If you need anything, just come over or call me," he says, moving closer to me and planting a peck on my cheek—something he's never done before. I nod in response, smiling.

"I'm heading home too. Got some business calls to make," Eugene adds, his tone serious.

"Sure, boyfriend," I quip, waving at him.

He looks at me with a straight face before approaching and kissing my other cheek. I hold my cheek, feeling his lips linger, unsure of how to react.

As he waits for a response, interpreting my silence as approval, he smiles and heads to his car, which roars off into the silent morning.

I stand there frozen, still holding my hand to my face. Whether from the morning cold or Eugene's unexpected display of affection, I'm flushed red, and his presence lingers in my mind.