Chapter 136 One thirty six

Chapter 136 One thirty six
Aria’s POV

I stood at the doorway, my hand still resting on the handle, my body completely frozen.

For a second… I thought I had seen wrong.

Like maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. Like if I blinked, the image in front of me would change into something normal,
something I could actually process.

But it didn’t.

Katie and Maeve.

On the bed.

Completely naked.

My breath caught somewhere between my chest and my throat, refusing to move as shock spread through me like a slow, heavy wave.

Everything felt too still.

Too loud and too silent at the same time.
They hadn’t noticed me yet. That somehow made it worse. Because it meant I had walked in on something real. Something unguarded. Something I wasn’t supposed to see.

My fingers tightened slightly against the door.

I should leave.

That was the first thought that came to my mind.

Just… step back, close the door quietly, pretend I had never seen anything.

But my body didn’t listen.

Instead, I stepped in.

That was when they noticed.

The shift was immediate.

Katie’s head snapped toward me first, her eyes widening in pure shock. Maeve followed right after, her entire expression changing in an instant.

Panic and mbarrassment followed by guilt.

They scrambled quickly, grabbing whatever they could, sheets, clothes, anything to cover themselves.

The sudden movement broke whatever spell I had been stuck in. And just like that, everything hit me at once.

The shock.

The confusion.

The overwhelming need to sit down before my legs gave out completely.

I walked in further, not trusting my voice yet, and dropped onto the nearest chair.
My legs were already aching, weak from the tension I didn’t even realize I had been holding.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The room filled with a thick, awkward silence.

I could feel their eyes on me.

But neither of them dared to say anything first.

They couldn’t even look at me properly.
I let out a slow breath, finally finding my voice.

“What… are you both doing?”

It came out calmer than I expected.
But underneath it, there was something else.

Something sharper.

Something questioning.

Neither of them answered immediately.
Maeve looked away.

Katie stared down at her hands.

The silence stretched again.

“And why is Maeve here?” I added, my gaze shifting between them.

That seemed to push Maeve into speaking.

“My apartment was flooded,” she said quickly, her voice slightly unsteady. “That’s why I came to stay here… just for a while.”
I blinked slowly, processing that.

Flooded.

Okay.

That made sense.

But…

My eyes flicked back to both of them, then around the room, then back again.
“Is that why you’re having sex with my roommate?” I asked, raising a brow slightly.

The question landed exactly how I intended it to. Direct and unavoidable.

Maeve immediately looked away again, her cheeks flushing faintly.

Katie let out a quiet breath, like she had been holding it in for too long.

Then she finally spoke.

“I… I’ve had a thing for Maeve for a while now,” she admitted, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “We talked about it… and we decided to try. We’re… together now.”
I stared at her.

Then at Maeve.

Then back at her again.

For a second, I said nothing.

And then…
I laughed out loud.

It slipped out before I could stop it.

Not harsh. Not mocking.

Just… unexpected.

They both looked up at me immediately, confusion replacing some of the embarrassment on their faces.

I shook my head slightly, still smiling faintly.

“Is that why you’re both acting like kids that got caught stealing meat from the pot?” I asked, amusement clear in my voice.

The tension in the room shifted.

Not completely gone. But lighter. Less suffocating now. Katie blinked, clearly not expecting that reaction.

Maeve looked like she didn’t know whether to relax or stay tense.

I leaned back slightly in my seat, crossing my arms loosely.

“You could’ve just said it,” I added. “It’s not a crime.”

Katie let out a small, almost disbelieving laugh.

“You’re… not angry?”

I raised a brow. “Why would I be?”

She hesitated.

“I don’t know… walking in on… that?”

I shrugged lightly.

“Trust me, that’s not the worst thing I’ve seen.”

That seemed to ease her a little more.
Maeve finally looked at me properly this time, though there was still a hint of caution in her expression.

“I didn’t mean to make things awkward,” she said quietly.

“You didn’t,” I replied simply. “You just didn’t expect an audience.”

That earned a small, embarrassed smile from her.

I studied them both for a moment. The way they looked at each other. The subtle closeness, even now. It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t sudden, it was real.

And for some reason… that made something in me feel lighter.

“I’m happy for you both,” I said finally, my voice more genuine this time.

Katie’s eyes softened instantly.

“Really?”

I nodded.

“yeah really.”

The room settled into a more comfortable silence after that.

Not perfect.

But no longer tense.

And just as things started to feel normal again…

My phone buzzed. I glanced down at it.
It was Damien.

I’m on my way to pick you up.

My lips pressed together slightly.
Right.

I typed a quick reply.

Okay.

Then I looked back up at them.

“You might want to… put something on,” I said, gesturing vaguely toward them. 

“Damien is coming.”

Their eyes widened slightly again.

“Now?” Katie asked.

“Yes. Now.”

Maeve let out a quiet laugh, already reaching for her clothes.

“Well… that’s one way to meet him, I guess.”

“Not like this,” I said quickly, shaking my head.

Katie laughed too this time, the earlier tension completely gone as she stood up.
“Okay, okay. Give us a minute.”

I leaned back in my chair, watching them move around the room, grabbing clothes, still exchanging small, shy glances between themselves.

And for the first time since I walked in…

I felt… calm.

Like maybe, just maybe, everything wasn’t as chaotic as it seemed.

At least not at this moment.