Chapter 172: The Morning After
The next morning.
Bright sunlight squeezed through the gap in the curtains, carving a quiet, straight line of light across the floor.
When Ethan woke up, his head still felt a little foggy.
The sensation beside him made him realize he wasn't alone in bed.
Had he gone to Max's place last night?
Instinctively, he glanced down.
Someone was curled against him, breathing steadily, her body warm and soft.
They were lying on their sides, facing each other in a position that resembled an unfinished quotation mark.
One of his arms was naturally wrapped around her waist.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
It felt familiar. Comfortable.
Almost cozy.
He lay there for a moment without moving.
His head still felt heavy—not painful, just as if something were gently pressing against it.
Closing his eyes, he allowed his thoughts to slowly settle.
Then he suddenly froze.
...Wait.
Something wasn't right.
His eyes snapped open.
He glanced beneath the blanket.
"Oh..."
Penny.
At that moment, the person in his arms stirred and rolled over.
From this angle, there was no mistaking it.
Penny woke up as well.
She stared at Ethan for two seconds and blinked.
The two of them looked at each other in silence.
After a moment, Penny slowly lifted the blanket and peeked underneath.
Then she immediately pulled it back up to her chin.
"Oh..."
The air seemed to stop moving.
Ethan spoke first.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Penny nodded.
She tried to remember something, her expression uncertain.
"...What happened last night?"
Ethan thought for a moment.
"As far as I can tell, nothing happened."
Then he added,
"It looks more like... I forgot to go home."
Penny pressed her lips together.
"Then why are we sleeping in the same bed?"
Ethan answered honestly.
"My guess is... we both got drunk and somehow ended up here."
"No."
Penny interrupted and looked directly at him.
"What I mean is... why did nothing happen?"
"..."
Ethan was silent for a second.
"Maybe... we were too drunk?"
They lay quietly for a moment.
Then, almost in perfect sync, they both rolled onto their backs and stared up at the ceiling.
The room fell silent again.
After a while, Penny turned her head.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ethan kept staring upward.
"I'm thinking that last night was probably a lot of fun."
"But I can't remember any of it."
Penny nodded.
"Same."
Another brief silence.
Then Penny suddenly laughed.
Ethan turned toward her.
"It's just..."
She shrugged.
"It's kind of funny."
"I've never had this happen before."
"Sleeping together and somehow doing absolutely nothing."
Ethan laughed too.
The tension instantly disappeared.
Then something seemed to come back to him.
"I remember one thing."
"What?"
"You finally got that piece of gear you'd been farming for."
Penny looked at him for a moment.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"I don't care about the game right now."
Ethan blinked.
Huh?
Was Sheldon's cocktail really that effective?
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"That's actually a very positive sign."
"Is it?"
Penny held the blanket with one hand while brushing her hair back with the other.
"The only thing I really remember is that the drink Sheldon brought out tasted amazing."
"After that..."
She frowned.
"Everything just goes blank."
"Yeah."
Ethan nodded.
Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
...Wait.
Something wasn't adding up.
Wasn't this the exact plan he'd suggested to Sheldon?
And somehow, he had ended up as the target?
Good grief.
Since when had Sheldon developed emotional intelligence?
Ethan almost blurted out, "This is all Sheldon's fault."
But after taking a look at the current situation, he wisely swallowed the words.
Forget it.
Sheldon had been trying to help Penny.
And at least the outcome... seemed harmless enough.
"I seriously can't remember how any of last night started," Penny muttered, frowning.
"That's how blackouts work," Ethan said reassuringly.
"It's weird."
Penny hugged her knees.
"I remember being really happy, but I can't remember any of it."
Ethan thought for a moment.
"Then just think of it as a happy memory that got skipped."
Penny blinked.
Then she laughed.
"I like that."
She sat up.
"Fine. We'll just pretend nothing happened."
She shrugged.
"Since apparently nothing did happen."
Ethan nodded.
"Agreed."
"Still friends?"
"Of course."
Penny visibly relaxed, smiling with genuine relief.
"Deal."
She was just about to get out of bed when Ethan casually asked,
"By the way... haven't you been skipping work lately?"
Penny paused.
"...Yeah."
After a moment, she admitted it.
"I've barely gone in for the last couple of weeks."
Ethan nodded.
"I'm a little worried."
He hesitated before clarifying.
"I mean... about your income."
Penny was silent for a couple of seconds before laughing.
"Relax. I'm not at the point where I can't pay rent."
"At worst..."
She shrugged dismissively.
"A few fewer takeout meals. A few more instant noodles."
"That's good."
Ethan nodded.
"I just wanted to make sure."
After a brief pause, he added,
"If you ever need help, just let me know."
Penny stared at him for a moment.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"You were really careful with the way you said that."
Ethan smiled openly.
"Of course."
"That kind of offer can get awkward pretty fast."
"Especially right now."
"Then why say it?"
"Because what if you actually needed help?"
Penny looked at him.
Something in her expression softened.
She was about to respond when her phone suddenly rang.
"Sorry, one second."
The ringtone was clearly coming from the bedroom, but neither of them could immediately find it.
Ethan started helping search.
Eventually, he reached under the bed and pulled out Penny's phone.
She glanced at the screen and immediately lowered her voice.
"It's my agent."
Ethan instantly fell silent.
"Hello?"
"...You're kidding, right?"
"Oh my God!"
"I can't believe it. Really?"
"I'm so excited!"
"Thank you!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Okay! Goodbye!"
The call ended.
Penny turned around and looked at Ethan, her eyes shining with excitement.
"I got a role!"
"A hospital role!"
"They start filming next Monday!"
"Whoa!"
Ethan was genuinely stunned.
The next second, Penny threw herself into his arms, shaking him excitedly.
"I'm going to be a star!"
"That's amazing!"
Ethan hugged her back, equally happy.
At the very least, he no longer had to worry about her financial situation.
After laughing and celebrating for a while, Penny slowly calmed down.
Only then did she become aware of how close they were.
Their current position was... undeniably intimate.
Far too close.
And certain completely honest physical reactions weren't exactly helping.
Ethan took a slow breath.
"I'm going to make breakfast."
"You go get cleaned up."
Summoning an impressive amount of willpower, he gently set Penny back on the bed.
But she didn't immediately let go.
Instead, she lowered her head and lightly kissed him on the lips.
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