Chapter 176 A new day

Chapter 176 A new day
Golden sunlight slipped through the curtains, stretching across the living room floor until it reached the sofa.

The apartment was still.

Ryan was the first to wake. He blinked a few times, rubbing sleep from his eyes before instinctively looking around the room.

His gaze landed on the sofa. He paused.

Nathan was still asleep, lying on his side with one arm wrapped protectively around Amelia. Sometime during the night, she had unconsciously moved closer, her head tucked beneath his chin while one of her hands rested lightly against his chest.

Neither of them looked uncomfortable. If anything, they looked like two people who had finally found a moment of peace after carrying too much fear.

Ryan watched them for a few seconds before a slow grin spread across his face. He reached for the throw pillow beside him and tossed it gently toward the sofa.

It landed near Nathan's feet. Nathan frowned in his sleep before slowly opening one eye.

Ryan folded his arms with exaggerated disappointment. "You know," he said, keeping his voice low enough not to wake Amelia immediately, "there was a perfectly good bedroom in this apartment."

Nathan looked at him sleepily. "So?"

Ryan gestured dramatically toward the sofa. "And yet the two of you decided to cuddle here where the rest of us had front-row seats."

Nathan glanced down. Only then did he realize Amelia was still asleep against him. A small smile appeared on his face.

Ryan shook his head. "I woke up this morning feeling unbelievably single."

Nathan chuckled softly. "That sounds like a personal problem."

"It absolutely is." Ryan sighed dramatically. "You could've at least spared me the emotional damage."

Nathan carefully lifted a hand and brushed a loose strand of hair away from Amelia's face. She stirred slightly but didn't wake.

His smile softened. He leaned down and pressed the gentlest kiss against her forehead. The movement was so light it barely disturbed her.

A few seconds later, Amelia blinked awake. She looked up, still half asleep, and met Nathan's eyes.

For a brief moment, neither of them remembered Ryan was watching.

Good morning," Nathan said quietly.

She smiled drowsily. "Good morning."

Ryan cleared his throat as loudly as he could. "I hate interrupting this beautiful scene." He paused deliberately. "Actually, that's not true. I'm enjoying it."

Amelia's eyes widened. She immediately noticed where she was and sat up so quickly the blanket nearly slipped onto the floor.

"Oh..." Her cheeks flushed a deep pink. "I..."

Nathan couldn't stop laughing.

Ryan pointed at both of them. "Exactly."

Before either of them could think of a response, a sleepy voice drifted in from the hallway.

"Why is everyone awake so early?"

Mira appeared a moment later, her hair tied into a messy bun and one slipper somehow missing.

She looked from Ryan to Nathan, then to Amelia.
A slow smile spread across her face. "Oh." She nodded knowingly. "So that's why."

Amelia covered her face with both hands. "Can today restart?"

"Unfortunately," Mira replied cheerfully, "I've already seen everything."

Nathan laughed again. "You've just seen two people sleeping."

"I've seen romance."

"You've seen a sofa."

"I've seen romance on a sofa."

Ryan pointed toward the kitchen. "Please feed us before you start writing poetry."

"I'm already making breakfast." Mira disappeared into the kitchen, and within minutes the apartment filled with the comforting smell of butter, toasted bread and eggs sizzling in a frying pan.

The familiar sounds of plates clinking and a kettle boiling slowly replaced the heaviness that had hung over the apartment the night before.

By the time breakfast was ready, everyone had gathered around the small dining table.Nobody mentioned the examination paper.

Ryan took another bite before setting his fork down.
"Alright." His expression became serious again. "We've got work to do."

Nathan looked up.

Ryan pulled out his phone. "I'm heading to the Security Unit as soon as they open." He looked at Amelia reassuringly. "I'll request every camera angle covering that corridor."

Mira nodded. "I'll stop by the hostel afterward."
She smiled gently at Amelia. "You've still got clothes, toiletries and about half your life sitting in that room."

Amelia gave a small nod. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Ryan was already scrolling through his contacts. "I'm calling a few of the guys."

Nathan frowned. "What for?"

"Because this stopped being your problem yesterday." He pressed the phone to his ear. "They'll help."

Within half an hour, two of Nathan's teammates arrived at the apartment.

Another joined through a video call before promising he'd be on campus within the hour.

Ryan quickly explained everything. Nobody interrupted him. When he finished, the room fell silent.

One of the teammates leaned forward. "I'll keep an eye on Connor."

Another nodded immediately. "And I'll watch Tessa."

"If either of them does anything unusual," Ryan said, "I want to know immediately."

"You'll know."

The third teammate folded his arms. "They won't realize they're being watched."

Nathan looked around the room. For the first time since everything had happened, he realized he wasn't fighting alone.

After everyone agreed on what they would do, Ryan stood and picked up his car keys. He looked at Nathan and Amelia. Then a mischievous grin slowly appeared. "Right."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

Ryan jingled the keys in his hand. "Mira and I are leaving."

Mira looked at him. "We are?"

"We are now."

She caught on almost instantly. "Oh."

Ryan nodded toward the sofa. "The two of you have been through enough in the last twenty-four hours." He walked toward the door. "So while we're busy chasing security footage and suspects." He pointed back at Nathan and Amelia."You've got the entire apartment."

Nathan already knew where this was going.

Ryan opened the door with a dramatic flourish. "So if you intend to spend the morning cuddled up on that sofa again" He grinned shamelessly. "At least this time you won't have an audience."

Mira burst into laughter as she followed him outside. "You are unbelievable."

Ryan shrugged. "I prefer observant."

The front door closed behind them. Silence settled over the apartment once more.

Nathan looked at Amelia.

A faint smile slowly tugged at the corners of her lips. Nathan couldn't help smiling back.

The distant hum of traffic drifted through the slightly open kitchen window, accompanied by the occasional chirping of birds outside.

Nathan gathered the empty breakfast plates and carried them into the sink.

Amelia automatically stood to help him.

"You should sit down," Nathan said gently without looking back. "You've barely rested."

"I've done enough sitting."

"You've barely eaten either."

"I wasn't hungry."

Nathan rinsed one of the plates before setting it aside. "You don't have to keep pretending you're alright."

She fell quiet. After a moment, she joined him anyway, reaching for a towel to dry the dishes as he washed them.

When the last plate had been put away, Nathan turned to find Amelia still standing there, absentmindedly folding the kitchen towel over and over in her hands.

She looked smaller somehow, emotionally. As though the confidence everyone admired had been worn thin over the past day.

Nathan walked over slowly. "You're thinking again."