The door clicked shut behind me, sealing off the hallway’s soft golden light. The room inside was dimmer, warmer—thick red curtains drawn halfway across the windows, a single lamp glowing on the low tea table. The air smelled like whiskey, clean sheets, and Jonathan’s usual cologne. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Jonathan sat on the edge of the big bed, legs spread wide, black shirt open down the front. The fabric hung loose over his broad chest—uncle-like, thick with muscle that he never let anyone forget. Sleeves rolled to his elbows, forearms resting on his knees like he owned the whole damn building. He looked up when I stepped in, crooked grin already in place.

"Thought you were gonna make me wait the whole night," he said, voice low and rough.

"Sorry for that," I said, letting out a long breath as I walked toward him. "Had to eat breakfast outside."

"Haha, that’s understandable." He chuckled once, then tilted his head. "But wait—Aeri usually cooks early in the morning, right? Is she sick or something?"

He lifted the half-full glass of whiskey to his lips, eyes still on me, casual like it was just small talk.

I pulled the chair out from the corner—wooden, heavy, cushioned seat—and dragged it closer to the tea table. The legs scraped quietly against the carpet.

"Well... Aeri..." I sat down slowly, elbows on my knees. "She fell down. She’s in the hospital now."

Jonathan’s face went blank in half a second. The glass froze halfway to his mouth. He stared at me, eyebrows pulling together. Slowly, he lowered the whiskey and set it back on the table with a soft *clink*. No sound after that except the faint hum of the air conditioner.

"What?" His voice came out quieter than usual. "What did you just say?"

"Yeah." I nodded, lips pressed tight. "She fell down. More like... fainted. Right in front of me at home."

Jonathan leaned forward, elbows on his thighs now. "What? But how? She seems so healthy all the time."

"I don’t know myself." I turned my face to the side, staring at the dark red curtain instead of him. "I saw her with this random-ass guy named Sonny in front of the house. Some dude I’ve never met before. He dropped her home, said they were out drinking the whole night. She looked off—sweaty, red face, breathing weird. I asked her what was going on, she didn’t really answer... and then she just dropped. Hit the floor hard."

Jonathan didn’t blink. His jaw tightened a little.

I kept going, words coming out flat, like I was reading a report.

"Ambulance came. Took her to the hospital. Doctors ran tests. They found a heavy amount of drugs in her blood. Heavy. Said her body shut down from it. She’s stable now, hooked up to fluids and monitors, but they’ve got her in deep sleep. Probably won’t wake up for another 18–20 hours."

Silence stretched between us.

Jonathan rubbed one hand slowly over his mouth, then dragged it down his chin. His eyes stayed locked on my face.

"Drugs?" he repeated, low. "Aeri?"

"Yeah." My voice cracked just a little on the word. I swallowed hard. "I don’t get it either. She doesn’t even drink much. Never seen her touch anything harder. But the blood test doesn’t lie, they said."

He let out a long, slow breath through his nose. Leaned back, hands braced on the bed behind him.

"Who the fuck is Sonny?" he asked, voice dropping even lower.

"I don’t know. Some guy. Smiley, loud, acted like we were all buddies. Dropped her home this morning. I wanted to smash his face right there."

Jonathan’s eyes narrowed. "You think he gave her something?"

"I don’t know what to think." I rubbed my face with both hands, hard. "I keep replaying it. She looked tired, scared almost. Wouldn’t look me in the eye. And then she just... collapsed. Like her strings got cut."

Jonathan stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then he reached for the whiskey again, but he didn’t drink—just rolled the glass between his palms.

"You okay?" he asked finally.

I sat there in the chair, elbows on my knees, feeling the soft carpet under my shoes. The room was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioner and the occasional clink of ice in Jonathan’s glass.

"Yeah, I’m all fine. Don’t worry," I said, letting out a long breath. I reached for the upside-down whiskey glass on the tea table, flipped it over, and poured a small amount from Jonathan’s bottle. The amber liquid glugged out slowly. I brought it to my lips and took a quick sip. It burned going down, sharp and familiar.

"You sure?" Jonathan asked, eyes narrow like he was trying to read past my words.

"Yep. All good." I set the glass back down with a soft *clink*. "Doctor said she’ll wake up after about 20 hours. So... we wait and see how it goes."

Jonathan studied me for a second longer, then gave a small nod.

"Alright. If you say so." He lifted his own glass and finished what was left in one smooth swallow. The ice rattled as he set it down. "And..."

"And?" I repeated, lifting an eyebrow.

He leaned forward a little, resting his thick forearms on his thighs.

"If you need any help with anything—money, food, someone to watch the room, anything—you know where to come, right?"

I let out a short breath through my nose. "I know. I don’t have many people around me anyway." I rubbed the back of my neck once. "You’re all I’ve got."

Jonathan’s face softened—just a little. He reached over and gave my shoulder a firm tap, the kind that said more than words.

"That’s my boy. Worry not at all. We’ll handle whatever comes."

I gave a small nod, staring at the carpet for a second. Then I looked back up.

"So... who is this new client?"

"Ohh yes. About her..." Jonathan stood up, the bed creaking under his weight as he moved. "Let me get her documents."

He walked over to the low wooden dresser against the wall. Drawers slid open with a quiet scrape. Papers rustled. He pulled out a thin folder—plain white, no label—and flipped it open as he came back.

I stayed in the chair, palms rubbing slowly against each other. The skin felt rough, dry. My mind kept drifting back to Aeri—her pale face on the hospital pillow, the steady beep of the monitor, the IV line taped to the back of her hand. I could still feel the cool touch of her cheek under my finger when I said goodbye.