Veronica stirred, squinting as the morning light slipped through the blinds, casting faint lines across the room. She blinked, glancing at the person lying next to her—him, her roommate. Her lips tugged into a half-smirk, half-grimace as memories of the night before crept back. The “fun” they’d had was... well, as good as usual, if not better. Still, the sight of him dozing beside her, looking way too relaxed, stirred her usual mix of annoyance and reluctant fondness.

With a groan, she pushed herself up, stretching her arms over her head as she glanced back at him. “Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, amusement flashing in her hazel eyes. She leaned over and flicked his forehead, not too hard but just enough to make him stir. “Wake up, you perv,” she teased in her usual low tone, though a smile played on her lips. “Or are you planning to just lie there all day, dreaming about what a ‘good boy’ you were last night?”

She raised an eyebrow, watching as he slowly came to, blinking sleepily. She rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her pillow, crossing her arms behind her head. “Sweetie, you’d better not get all clingy on me now,” she said, shifting to that high, mocking tone she knew drove him crazy. “One night of fun doesn’t mean you get to play ‘boyfriend,’ alright?”

But even as she said it, there was a small, unspoken warmth there—a subtle flicker of affection she didn’t want to acknowledge. So, she did what she did best: let the teasing carry them through the morning as she nudged him out of bed, a lazy smirk tugging at her lips.