Until You - Giulia Gwinn

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The rain was relentless. Like, take-your-umbrella-but-it-will-do-nothing relentless. I had sprinted across Munich's streets, dodging puddles that were basically miniature lakes, with my hoodie soaked through and my hair plastered to my face. Why? Because chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but the sacred, life-saving, "don't even talk to me if this isn't in the house" kind of chocolate. And apparently, the universe had decided that I would be the hero tonight.

By the time I reached the flat, my shoes squelched with every step. The door swung open before I could even knock, because of course Sydney and Klara were home, and of course they were laughing at something utterly inconsequential.

"Sen!" Sydney chirped. "You look... wet."

"Yes. Thank you, Captain Obvious," I muttered, peeling off my raincoat and shaking like a dog, only to spray droplets all over the hallway and Klara's carefully arranged collection of scented candles.

"Watch the candles," Klara said, deadpan, but there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. She was always so calm. Always.

"I almost drowned getting the chocolate," I said, holding up the bag like a trophy. "It was... a journey. A quest. A perilous odyssey across the flooded streets of Munich. I battled the wind. I conquered puddles. I—"

"—did you really just run a grocery store sprint for chocolate?" Sydney interrupted, smirking. "Seriously, Senna. We all get by just fine without—"

"Without chocolate?" I gasped dramatically, clutching the bag to my chest like it was a newborn baby. "Without the one true sustenance that keeps me alive, yes. That's basically cruel and unusual punishment. Do you know how hard life is? People! They just don't understand! Rain. Cold. The existential despair of realizing that a chocolate-less flat is basically a personal attack on my very existence. You should've seen it. The store. The lights. The apocalypse music in my head."

Klára rolled her eyes. Sydney snorted. I plopped onto the couch, my hair dripping like a leaky faucet.

"I swear," I said, flinging the chocolate onto the coffee table, "if life were fair, there would be a chocolate fountain in every room, stocked and never-ending. And also a butler. Or, failing that, at least a personal assistant. But nooo, apparently I have to run in the rain like a lunatic while the universe laughs at me."

"Poor Senni," Sydney said, drawing out the nickname in that irritatingly affectionate way. "How do you cope?"

"Oh, I cope," I said, dramatically pointing a finger at the ceiling, "by reminding myself that I am a strong, independent woman who can... run in the rain... and survive." I collapsed back against the couch. "Barely."

Klara raised a brow. "You're dramatic."

"I prefer the term... artistically emotional," I said. "There's a difference. You wouldn't understand."

For a second, there was silence, and I thought maybe they'd gotten tired of my epic monologue and were letting me simmer in my soggy glory. But no. Sydney, in her infinite wisdom, decided to strike.

"So... speaking of surviving," she said innocently, tilting her head, "how was training today? That drill with Giuli."

My chest immediately tightened. The Giulia mention was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water directly onto my brain. Literally, the rain outside? Child's play compared to this.

I froze mid-sentence. My tongue, traitor that it was, refused to cooperate. My mind scrambled for something—anything—to distract them from this... mention.

"Klara!" I shouted, flailing dramatically. "Did you know the chocolate bar I grabbed? I mean, really, did you know? It was the last one. The very last one!"