Olivia woke up slowly, the haze of the night still lingering in the back of her mind. She could hear the soft hum of the city outside, the distant sounds of cars and people moving, but it felt muffled, as if the world was moving in slow motion. Her head pounded, a dull throb behind her eyes, and her body felt heavy, like she had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
She shifted slightly, realizing that she wasn’t in her own bed. The sheets she was tangled in smelled faintly of Simon—of his cologne and something darker, more primal. It was a scent that made her stomach tighten, a reminder of the night before, a night that felt as distant as a dream but as sharp as a fresh wound.
As her mind cleared, the memories of the club hit her in a rush—dancing with that stranger, t
