LILA

LILA

Morning, with its usual rude awakening, arrived like a soft slap across the face. However, it's enough to remind me the day had officially begun.

Turning to the side of the bed, Ava was still dead to the world, sprawled across the bed like a damn starfish. Her legs claimed every inch of space, and her curls framed her face in a wild, beautiful mess that screamed I own this bed.

I tapped her gently. "Ava, don't you have work?"

She groaned and waved me off without opening her eyes. "Five more minutes... I'm emotionally unavailable."

Typical Ava.

With a sigh, I padded down the hall to Derrick's...