Julian Pov
The guys looked like they were on the verge of filing a human rights complaint — Roman was glued to his phone, Cassian was in the middle of his millionth sigh, and Mason had leaned back like he was contemplating his entire existence. Me? I was thriving. But then Daphne stepped out. And for a second — the world actually paused. That skirt clung to her like it was custom stitched by the gods. Her walk? Deadly. And just when I turned to make a snarky comment, I caught Leon. Staring. Not blinking. Eyes locked on her like she was a damn mirage. I smirked. Oh. Now this was getting interesting. "Well, well, Vaillaint," I whispered, leaning toward him, "should I fetch you a napkin, or are you planning to keep drooling on that Prada bench?"
Leon coughed, playing it cool. "Didn't know they sold desperation in skirt form."
Daphne didn't miss a beat. "Didn't know you could talk with your mouth full of denial."
Roman scoffed, voice thick with judgment. "That skirt's so short, it's basically a belt. Figures — Europe changes people."
Daphne didn't even blink. She just smiled, cool and collected. "You noticing how short it is means you still care, huh?" She adjusted the hem just slightly. "Don't worry, Roman — my jacket's going to cover it. Eventually."
His face tightened. "No, it means I still know what a Lyr should and shouldn't look like."
The air thinned. Liv's mouth opened, ready to strike, but Mason stepped in with a grin, trying to lighten it. "Sooo... are you girls wearing similar tops, or is Daphne just outdressing everyone on purpose?"
Liv sighed, still glaring at Roman. "We coordinated. Not cloned."
Cassian let out a low whistle. "Mission accomplished either way."
I clapped my hands, cutting through the tension. "Okay, can we grab a bite or something? I'm starving. Then we can hit the road, maybe enter a club, get absolutely wasted — you know, something normal."
Cami threw her hands up. "Let's go shopping again!"
The boys groaned in unison. "NO. Not again."
She laughed. "Just kidding, losers."
Roman crossed his arms, voice sharp. "Did you even ask if any of us were free? Typical you, Julian — always dragging everyone into your plans like the world revolves around you."
I scoffed, more to myself. Like I even wanted you here. But I kept my smile and said, loud and clear, "Nobody's forcing you, Roman. You can obviously refuse. Like you did two years back. Typical Roman, isn't it?"
Daphne shot me a look. "Julian. Shut up."
Cass leaned forward, curious. "Wait... what happened two years back?"
I flicked my wrist. "Oh, nothing. Just that he refused to be my boyfriend."
Roman choked on his coffee.
Daphne laughed. "Julian, you really can't make the same joke twice in a day."
"Facts," Cass added, grinning. "There's only so many times we can laugh at your trauma, bro."
The table burst into laughter — except Roman, of course. He stayed quiet, stiff. I smiled to myself. Yeah, it still kind of stung.
Mason leaned in. "Alright, alright. Enough drama. I need food before I emotionally collapse."
We hit a warm Japanese place tucked into a corner block, glowing in soft red lights. We ordered rounds of tempura shrimp, sushi rolls (spicy tuna, eel avocado, salmon nigiri — my usuals), yakisoba, miso ramen, chicken karage, and gyoza. Sake flowed. Plum wine, too. Cass added highballs to the mix because "alcohol is therapy if you believe hard enough." The table buzzed — full of noise, loaded glances, and unsaid things marinated in soy sauce and history.
Before we could wrap up our meals, I cleared my throat and stood up slightly, glass in hand. "Okay, so... before we head out, there's something I've been meaning to tell you guys."
Daphne immediately looked nervous, but didn't stop me.
"So, while we were away... we were bored most days. You know, partying, making questionable life choices, getting drunk—"
Cassian gasped dramatically. "You guys had sex, didn't you?"
Leon practically choked, looking like he was two seconds away from launching chopsticks at my face.
"Cass!" Daphne snapped, visibly disgusted. "No! Ew! Let him finish!"
I laughed awkwardly. "Thanks for that, Cass. Anyway—no. Gross. What we did do was open a small bar. Just for fun at first."
"Because you were bored?" Roman muttered.
"Yeah," I said honestly. "At first, it was just an experiment. But then it worked. Like… really worked. One bar turned into three, then five, and soon we had a whole vibe going. Turns out we're decent at building atmospheres people actually enjoy."
"We now have a few branches," Daphne added, her voice calmer. "Some here, too. A couple restaurants followed. So yeah… we sort of own a business together now."
Leon raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "So what? Business isn't booming? You want investment? I'll bite—only if I get equity."
Daphne scoffed, her tone sharp. "We're not looking for investment. We're doing just fine on our own, thanks."
Roman rolled his eyes. "Okay, but why even bring it up? What's the point? Just so you could flex about building a business with Daddy's credit card?"
Daphne's face tightened, but I stepped in first. "That's not fair, Roman. We used our own money. No handouts, no family involvement. Just two bored kids trying not to lose our minds and accidentally creating something real."
"If we didn't tell you, you'd have a problem with that too," Daphne added. "So really, what were we supposed to do?"
"I told you not to bring it up," she snapped at me suddenly. "Because I knew this would happen."
"Oh please," Roman cut in, his voice rising. "You said you were sorry. Everyone said you were sorry. But here you are—bragging about the one thing that probably hurt the most. You left without a word. And now you're proud of what you built while cutting us out?"
There was silence for a beat, thick and tense.
Daphne stepped forward, eyes glinting. "Ro I left without telling you because I knew you'd be angry. Because I knew it would hurt either way. If I had told you I was building something without you—you'd have been just as pissed. Don't act like this is about the business. It's about the fact that I didn't ask you."
Roman clenched his jaw. "Yeah. You're right. You didn't."
He stood up, his tone colder than I'd ever heard. "You don't get to leave, come back, throw everything in our faces, and expect us to be fine. And never—never—call me 'Ro' again."
"Ro—Ro, that's all I've ever called you," Daphne said, voice cracking slightly. "Ever since I can remember. How do you expect me to just… not say it now? Just suddenly change?"
She stepped closer, eyes wide with frustration. "Yes, I left. Yes, I'm guilty. Fine. What now? Hang me? Put me on death row? What the actual fuck do you want from me?"
Her voice trembled, but she didn't stop. "If you're expecting me to beg you, then I won't. I'm not going to get on my knees and crawl for forgiveness. All I can do is apologize. And if that's not enough for you... then I'm sorry. I really am. But there's nothing more I can do. Okay?"
Before Roman could even open his mouth, Leon stood up so abruptly his chair screeched against the floor.
"Enough," he snapped, glaring at Daphne. "Do you even hear yourself? You left. You didn't call. You didn't explain. And now you're acting like we're the problem because we're not throwing a damn parade?"
His voice shook with restrained fury. "Do you have any idea what that did to him? To all of us? Roman kept waiting for you to show up, to call, to say something. And you didn't. You just disappeared like we meant nothing."
He paused, jaw clenched, eyes burning into hers. "You say you're sorry, but all I hear is 'get over it.' Like we're supposed to flip a switch and forget you ghosted us for two years while you went and played businesswoman in Europe."
He looked her dead in the eye. "You don't get to walk back in here and pretend like an apology fixes everything."
Leon's words hung in the air like smoke—sharp, bitter, suffocating. The table had gone dead silent. No one moved. Roman still hadn't said a word.
So I stood.
"Alright," I said, my voice softer than usual. "That's enough."
All eyes turned to me, but I wasn't smiling. No sass. No jokes.
"I get it. You're angry. All of you. Hell, I am too," I admitted, eyes flicking to Daphne, then Roman, then Leon. "But yelling at each other in a Japanese restaurant isn't going to fix two years of silence."
Leon scoffed, but I cut him off gently. "She's not pretending like everything's fine. She knows she messed up. And yeah, maybe she didn't say it perfectly — because none of us ever do."
I turned to Roman. "But you know what hurts just as much as someone leaving?" My voice wavered for a second. "Coming back and realizing no one waited for you."
Roman's expression cracked for just a second, like a flash of lightning behind storm clouds.
"I'm not saying forgive her right now," I added, looking between the two of them. "But maybe… just try to understand. Because this?" I gestured to the table — to the mess. "This isn't who we are. Not really."
Daphne's voice cut through the tension like glass.
"I don't need forgiveness anymore," she said quietly, but it landed louder than any shout. "I'm tired of asking for it again and again… and I don't feel like explaining. Not really."
She looked at Leon now, eyes sharp but hollow. "And you—why is it always me? Why am I always the one explaining, or apologizing, when I wasn't the only one at fault?"
A beat passed. Her hands trembled slightly, but her voice didn't falter.
"I'm done here."
She turned to Julian, offering the softest crack of a smile. "Sorry, Jules. You can tell them your thing—I'm leaving. I know what you're going to say anyway."
She stepped back, ready to go.
Leon's chair scraped as he stood up. "Typical Daphne behavior. Just leave. That's what you're good at, isn't it?"
"Enough!" Julian's voice rang out, louder than it had been all night. "Daphne, stay. I need you here."
His voice cracked on the last word.
I turned to Cass, tossing him a smirk. "Okay, so… about the sex thing? Didn't happen with Daphne, sorry to break the fantasy."
Cass groaned. "Man, you guys are so boring."
I chuckled, then let out a breath. "But… I did meet someone."
That got their attention — subtle shifts, eyes flicking to mine. I didn't mind.
"We're not a thing. Don't plan on being one. I was just… figuring things out. Exploring a bit. And somewhere in that chaos, I found someone who made me feel—" My gaze flicked to Roman, "—like I mattered. Like I didn't have to hide parts of myself to be treated with respect."
I paused, the weight of the words settling in just the right way.
"But before I go further, just know — I'm still the same Julian. Still loud, dramatic, gorgeous, and annoying in the best way. This doesn't change anything."
I smiled, a little more sincerely. "And… I'm only able to say this because Pierre gave me the courage to."
Mason raised an eyebrow. "Weird name. Pierre or whatever. Sounds like a girl."
I laughed. "Because he's not a girl, Mason."
The table went quiet.
"I like guys. I always have. Daph's known for a while. And now you do too."
I didn't look away. Not this time.
"I'm not asking for anything. Just figured it was time to stop pretending."
There was a beat of silence after I said it. Then Cass leaned forward, his eyes wide.
"Bro… that's actually kinda awesome," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Also explains why you were always better dressed than all of us combined."
I snorted. "It's called taste, Cass. Something you've been lacking since birth."
Mason gave a small shrug. "Hey, as long as you're happy, man. Doesn't change a thing for me."
Leon let out a low whistle. "Wow," he said. "Honestly? Respect. Took guts to say that." He met my eyes, sincere. "You're still my guy, Julian. Don't ever doubt that."
Everyone looked toward Roman next — but he didn't say anything for a second. Just reached for his glass, took a sip, and muttered, "Cool. Good for you."
The shift in tone was instant.
Daphne, still clearly seething, crossed her arms and didn't even look at the rest of them. She turned only toward me, voice sharp but soft enough that it was only for me to hear. "At least someone isn't ashamed of you."
Her words hung in the air, loaded, as her gaze lingered just a moment too long on Roman before she looked away again.
I didn't say anything back. I just smiled — small, grateful, and a little broken. Because in that moment, I realized something:
Coming out wasn't the scariest part.
Being seen… was.
But I'd finally let myself be seen.
And somehow, that was enough.
Cass's voice still rang in the air as we finally stood, scraping chairs against the polished floor.
Daphne didn't say much, but she didn't storm off either. Progress, maybe.
Roman stayed silent, unreadable, his jaw locked tight. Leon shoved his hands into his pockets like he was trying to bury the last fifteen minutes.
And me? I just wanted to keep everyone from falling apart.
"Alright," I said, forcing a grin. "Let's take Cass to one of our places and hope he doesn't get us banned from our own club."
Cass saluted dramatically. "No promises."
Mason threw an arm around him. "I'll keep him in check."
Daphne glanced at me, something soft flickering behind her eyes. "Julian—thanks."
I gave her a nod. "Always."
As we stepped out into the night air, I had a feeling we were nowhere near fixing everything.
But at least… we weren't done trying.