Three months after the infamous "Café Showdown" and viral fallout, Eliot Langston was… functional.
Not healed. Not heroic.But not being @'ed on Twitter anymore, which counted for progress.
He and Zoe had quietly decided to "figure things out" at their own pace. Things were okay. Good, even. But Eliot couldn't shake the sense that life had been too quiet lately.
Which is when the universe did what it always did to Eliot.
It punished him for relaxing.
It started with a knock at his apartment door at 9:17 AM on a Sunday.
He opened it in boxers, hair a mess, coffee in hand.
Standing there, suitcase in one hand, sunglasses in the other, was Scarlett Lin.
"Yes," she said before he could even blink. "I am moving in."
He blinked. "I'm sorry. What?"
"Temporary," she added, stepping in without permission, like always. "Just until the reality show wraps. I can't stay at the influencer house anymore. Too much collagen and crypto."
"I—Scarlett. What reality show? Why my apartment?"
"Because yours is the only place not bugged for content," she replied smoothly, setting her suitcase down. "And because I don't trust Airbnb anymore after the 'naked astrology cult' incident."
Eliot pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have other friends. Probably richer ones. With penthouses. With assistants."
"Yes," Scarlett agreed. "But you're the only one whose life is already a cautionary tale. No one will expect me here."
And just like that, the chaos returned.
—
Meanwhile…
Across campus, Rina was staring at a text from Dahlia.
"Heard Scarlett moved in with Eliot. Lol. You okay?"
She didn't respond. Not right away.
Rina wasn't sure what pissed her off more: the fact that it still bothered her… or that Eliot hadn't told her first.
She cracked her knuckles, cracked her neck, and muttered:"If he thinks I'm gonna let her win round two without a fight…"
She was already halfway to his apartment before her brain caught up with her feet.
—
Meanwhile x2…
Zoe, across town, was drawing when her phone lit up with the group chat message no one wanted to see again:
"Emergency." — Scarlett
She sighed, stood, and looked out the window.
The rebound era had officially begun.
Not for them.
For him.
And Zoe had no idea if Eliot was strong enough this time to survive being the main character again.