The flight back to Los Angeles felt endless.
Cassius felt like he was back in his last life, making the long trek home for New Year—plane, then bus, then another bus, and finally some beat-up local ride just to reach the front door.
American travel wasn't much better.
From the forest camp in western North Carolina, they took the production bus to the nearest airport, then two connecting flights.
By the time Cassius dragged his luggage—stuffed full of dirty clothes—through the front gate of his Beverly Hills house, the sky was completely dark.
He hadn't been back in months.
He'd barely lived in this house longer than it had sat empty.
He pulled out his keys, then paused to check his phone.
Several unread messages popped up.
The most recent one was from Kristen, sent a few hours earlier. She was still on location shooting and couldn't make it back. She apologized.
Cassius stared at the message for a few seconds, then typed a short reply: "Just got home. Stay safe and have a good shoot."
He put the phone away and looked at the house.
It stood quiet in the night, every window dark.
He'd bought the place and then immediately left for months of filming. Standing in front of his own house now, it almost felt unfamiliar.
He smiled, grabbed his suitcase, and pushed open the iron gate.
The lawn was perfectly manicured, no weeds in sight—the automatic irrigation system had clearly been doing its job.
The pool in the corner glowed a soft blue, underwater lights making the water crystal clear. A few fallen leaves floated on the surface, spinning gently in the night breeze.
Cassius slid the key into the lock and turned it.
Click.
The door opened.
He stepped inside. His shoes echoed on the polished hardwood floors of the empty living room.
He reached for the light switch on the wall out of habit.
Just as his fingers were about to touch it—
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Every light in the living room, dining area, hallway, and even the decorative lights visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows suddenly flared to life.
Warm golden light instantly chased away the darkness.
At the exact same moment, strings of colorful neon lights outside around the pool and trees blinked on, twinkling merrily.
Music started playing from somewhere—a light, upbeat playlist.
Cassius froze in the doorway.
Before he could fully process what was happening, two figures came wheeling a small dessert cart out from the kitchen hallway, both of them laughing.
Kristen and Dakota.
Kristen was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and ripped jeans, hair in a messy ponytail, grinning like she'd just pulled off the world's best prank.
Dakota looked a little more put-together in a soft-colored sundress, blonde hair down, sweet smile on her face—but that mischievous glint in her eyes was all too familiar to Cassius.
"Surprise! Welcome home, caveman!"
Kristen pushed the cart forward. On it sat a small cream cake with messy frosting that read: "Welcome Home, Bread Boy."
Cassius's shoulders relaxed. A warm feeling spread through his chest.
This was what home felt like.
Wait—hadn't Kristen said she was shooting in New Mexico and couldn't make it back?
And what was Dakota doing here?
They planned this together?
"You two—"
Cassius opened his mouth, then laughed, looking back and forth between them, eyes finally landing on the slightly ridiculous cake. "Thank you. I did not see this coming at all."
He turned to Kristen. "Weren't you supposed to be shooting?"
"Wrapped two days early and flew back overnight. Dakota was already in LA, so I dragged her along," Kristen said, stepping closer. She looked him up and down and squeezed his arm. "You lost weight and got darker. Was the forest food that bad, or did The Hunger Games production just torture you?"
"Both. Mostly fed me to the mosquitoes," Cassius joked.
He opened his arms naturally.
Kristen didn't hesitate—she stepped in for a hug. He caught the familiar mix of cigarette smoke and her perfume.
When they separated, Dakota moved in.
Cassius smiled and opened his arms again. "Come here. Get a full whiff of authentic forest man."
Dakota blushed but glanced at Kristen first. Seeing no reaction from her, she stepped forward and let Cassius pull her into a hug.
The longing from months apart hit hard in that moment.
Cassius felt Dakota's body tremble slightly against him.
Oh no.
She was crying.
He gently patted her back.
After a moment, Dakota pulled away, eyes a little red, looking apologetic.
"Did I smell that bad? I literally just crawled out of the wilderness—I've been marinating in bug spray and sweat for months."
That got both girls laughing.
"You do smell a little wild," Kristen teased, waving a hand in front of her nose, but her eyes were full of affection.
"Don't just stand there—come inside!" Kristen grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the living room. "Dakota brought good champagne, but I figured you needed greasy comfort food more. This'll have to do for now."
On the coffee table sat an ice bucket with champagne and some fancy-looking appetizers.
The colorful neon lights outside twinkled through the windows, casting shifting colors across the room.
"This place felt too cold and empty with no one living here," Dakota said as she expertly opened the champagne. "We came by this afternoon, aired it out, and added a few touches."
She pointed at the neon lights outside.
Cassius looked at the cheap, party-style string lights and couldn't help but smile. They were tacky, but they made the big house feel alive and warm.
It reminded him of his previous life—his dad stringing up colorful lights in the yard every New Year.
He accepted the glass of champagne from Dakota while Kristen cut him a slice of the slightly lopsided cake.
The cake tasted average, but the sweetness hit just right.
"So how was The Hunger Games?" Kristen asked, curling up on the sofa with her own glass. "I heard it was brutal."
"There was actually a shooting incident?"
"And Jennifer Lawrence got hurt?"
The questions came one after another.
Dakota sat quietly beside her, sipping champagne, but clearly listening intently.
Cassius started telling stories from the shoot. With his upgraded Emotion stat, his storytelling pulled them both right into the experience.
A few glasses of champagne later, the exhaustion of months of filming finally caught up with him in the comfort of his own home. The warm lights, the cheap neon twinkling outside, and the soft voices of Kristen and Dakota started to blur together.
He drifted off.
When Cassius woke up, bright morning light was hitting his face.
He frowned, blinking slowly.
This was the first truly deep sleep he'd had in months—on a real, soft bed.
His body felt the familiar luxury of high-thread-count sheets and a proper mattress. He let out a satisfied sigh and started to stretch.
Then he realized his arm was pinned down and numb.
There was also a sweet, familiar perfume in the air.
Seriously? Every time he drank and passed out, he woke up next to a woman?
He turned his head.
Dakota was curled up beside him, fast asleep.
She was wearing a thin, pale pink silk camisole that was nearly see-through. Her golden hair spilled across the pillow like melted honey. Her long lashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks.
One of her arms rested on his chest, and her leg was casually draped over his.
Morning light painted her bare shoulders and collarbone in a warm glow.
Cassius: "???"
What the hell?
Did I time-travel again?
Or was that champagne stronger than I thought?
He shifted his pinned arm slightly. The sensation was warm and very real.
Dakota stirred, letting out a soft "mm" sound. Her eyelashes fluttered open.
Her clear blue eyes, still hazy with sleep, met his.
Instead of looking surprised, a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face.
She didn't move away.
She stayed exactly where she was, pressed close, and put a slender finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.
Then she whispered, "Don't make a sound. This was Kristen's idea."
"She wanted to prank you. She was going to pretend you got me drunk last night and took advantage of me. Then she'd burst in at the perfect moment, catch us, and scare the hell out of you."
Dakota's shoulders shook with silent laughter as she explained.
Cassius: "…"
So this was Kristen's prank.
But she basically threw the lamb into the wolf's den.
He had just woken up from a great sleep—his body was full of energy.
Dakota clearly felt the change in his body.
Her playful smile froze for a second, then her cheeks flushed pink. She started to pull back slightly.
Cassius didn't let her.
Months apart. The memory of that stormy night they spent together was still burned into both of them.
With soft, warm beauty in his arms and perfect morning light?
He tightened his arm around her waist, tilted her chin up with one hand, and kissed her without hesitation.
"Mmm—!"
Dakota let out a short, surprised sound that was quickly swallowed by the kiss.
She tensed at first, trying to push him away, ears straining to hear if Kristen was coming.
But Cassius's kissing skills—honed by months with Jennifer—were far more experienced now.
His Level 5 Emotion let him read and guide every shift in her feelings perfectly.
Soon, Dakota melted. Her pushing hands turned into fists gripping his shirt. Her breathing grew quick and shallow as she started kissing him back.
When they finally broke apart, Dakota's face was flushed, eyes glassy, lips slightly swollen and inviting.
Cassius knew they couldn't go further right now.
That would turn the prank into a full-blown disaster.
But he wasn't about to let the opportunity pass completely.
A mischievous idea popped into his head.
He leaned close to Dakota's ear and whispered, "Want to turn the tables and scare Kristen instead?"
Dakota's eyes lit up with excitement. "How?"
Cassius quickly outlined the plan in a low voice.
Dakota listened, her blush shifting from embarrassment to thrilled mischief. She nodded eagerly.
"Perfect! Let's do it!"
She carefully slipped out of bed and tiptoed out of the master bedroom, heading to hide in the guest bathroom down the hall.
Cassius messed up the sheets a bit more, then lay back down, pulling the blanket up to his chest and pretending to be asleep—but keeping his ears sharp.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, soft footsteps approached the master bedroom door.
It was Kristen.
The doorknob turned slowly.
Cassius closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
The door cracked open. Kristen peeked in, an excited "I'm about to catch you" grin on her face.
But when she saw only Cassius in the bed, she froze.
At that exact moment, Cassius "woke up," sat up, and pulled her straight into his arms, kissing her deeply.
They hadn't seen each other in months either.
Kristen, who had come in planning to prank him, immediately got lost in the kiss.
She forgot all about Dakota.
Just as they fell back onto the bed—
Bang!
The bedroom door flew open.
Dakota stood there, fully dressed and looking perfectly innocent.
Kristen jolted upright, startled.
She had planned to catch Cassius and Dakota. Instead, she was the one who got caught.
Her face turned bright red as she pushed Cassius away and stared at Dakota in the doorway.
Dakota stood there calmly, wearing a neat casual outfit, a big triumphant grin on her face.
Kristen's blush faded as realization hit.
She looked at Dakota's smug expression, then at Cassius's innocent face, and understood everything.
She glared at Cassius.
He raised both hands in surrender. "I have no idea what's going on. I just woke up and you jumped on me—"
"Shut up!"
Kristen was mortified.
Her carefully planned prank had completely backfired.
"Dakota!"
Kristen jumped off the bed and charged toward the door. "You traitor!"
"What? You're the one who came up with the idea. I was just playing along," Dakota said, laughing as she backed away, clearly not scared at all.
"Ahhh! I'm done with you!"
Kristen completely lost it and pounced.
The two young Hollywood stars—who were usually picture-perfect in public—were now rolling around on the thick carpet in Cassius's bedroom like kids, hair flying, clothes getting rumpled, giggling and yelling at each other.
"You sold me out!"
"It was your dumb idea in the first place!"
"I can't believe you turned it around on me!"
The morning chaos ended with Dakota getting "punished" by Kristen while Cassius held her down, followed by lots of playful shouting and laughter.
By the time they all calmed down, the earlier awkwardness had completely vanished.
"Alright, enough messing around," Cassius said, checking the time. "It's almost eleven. I'm starving. Let's go grab lunch."
Kristen rubbed her slightly red palm. "I want that Spanish seafood place."
Dakota fixed her clothes and hair. "I want the most expensive thing on the menu to heal my emotional wounds!"
Cassius laughed. "Fine, whatever you two want. But first, maybe fix your hair and clothes? You both look like you just survived a war."
The two girls looked at each other, saw the messy hair and wrinkled outfits, and burst out laughing.
They each went to get cleaned up.
Half an hour later, all three met back in the living room—freshly showered, nicely dressed, and looking like proper young Hollywood stars again. No trace of the carpet wrestling from earlier.
"Let's go. Cassius is paying," Kristen said, casually linking arms with him on one side.
Dakota immediately took his other arm. "And I'm ordering the most expensive wine to bankrupt him."
Cassius walked out the door with a beautiful woman on each arm, feeling the different warmth and scents from both sides.
He couldn't help but smile.
Does this count as having it all?