David somehow found his way home, but he was so drunk he couldn't open the door. So he slept outside.
When he woke up, his entire body was sore.
"Argh, my head." The hangover was immediate and severe. "What was I thinking?"
After realizing he was outside, he checked his pockets and found his keys. Fumbling with the lock, he finally got the door open with a loud squeak and stumbled inside.
The first thing he did was collapse onto his bed. It creaked under his weight, and his eyes fell shut.
For the next two hours, he just slept. When he woke up, the hangover was still there, but it had gotten milder.
"Water," he muttered.
He could already feel it—sleeping outside yesterday was going to have some nasty consequences. But it didn't really matter at the moment.
He took a hot bath and had his usual noodles for breakfast. By the time he was done, it was about 3:20 PM. He headed out, locking the door behind him.
This time he got lucky, finding a cab right on his street. There was an extra charge, but he didn't mind. The headache he was feeling drained out any reasoning.
The cab stopped at the university entrance. He walked in among a crowd of students but, instead of heading for the library, he went straight to that building. He took the stairs as usual. This time there were fewer people around.
A few minutes later, he was on the floor and walking toward the lab. He tried the door, and to his surprise, it actually opened.
The moment he walked in, he was met with the sight of someone sitting in the same spot where he'd been seated the first day. From behind, he could tell it was a woman.
He calmed himself and walked forward.
Just then, she turned, and their eyes met.
It was her.
If those lustrous brown hair didn't prove it, those glasses did.
"It's you," David said.
The girl made an exaggerated expression of confusion. "Me? What? What did I do?"
"You stole my phone in this lab two days ago," David accused, his voice irritated.
"No, I didn't," she said simply.
He slapped his forehead. "Look, you were the only one in this lab the day it went missing."
She shrugged. "So? That doesn't mean anything. I left early. Someone could have walked in and stolen it. You wouldn't know since you were asleep."
Somehow, the moment he saw her, he'd anticipated this outcome. Since he hadn't actually seen her take it, he didn't have a solid argument.
"Please," he said, his tone changing. "I'm begging you. If you know what happened to it, then tell me. I can't afford to lose it."
She sighed. "Sorry, but I can't help you."
Then she suddenly reached into her handbag and pulled out an iPhone. David recognized it instantly—he couldn't tell what version exactly, but it was at least from the last two years.
She showed him the device with a blank look. "Do you know how much this cost?"
David fell silent.
"You don't. Well, let me tell you—it cost far more than whatever phone you're talking about."
David felt insulted and clicked his tongue. "How do you know what phone it was if you didn't take it?"
She gave a sneer. "Are you crazy? I just showed you something that could buy twenty ordinary phones, and you're still thinking I stole... whatever it was you were using?"
"Oh, please. You using that doesn't mean anything whatsoever. If I wore a suit and dressed properly, it wouldn't mean I'm rich. Same thing applies to you."
"You..." Her eyes narrowed behind those massive glasses. "You really have some nerve. Do you even know who I am?"
David scoffed. "I don't know, and words can't describe how much I don't care. All I do know is—you were the only one in this lab that day. The moment you left, it vanished. Come on, even an idiot can put two and two together."
This time, she actually clenched her teeth in obvious irritation.
"Fine," she said sharply. "I did steal it. So what are you going to do about it? Where's your evidence?"
David gave what was probably a huff but sounded like a laugh. "Fine. Tell me what you really want. I have about twenty bucks on me, but that's it."
She rolled her eyes—something he could see even through the huge glasses. "I don't need your money. But there's something I might just want."
David frowned. "What's that?"
For a moment, she just stared at him. Then she pulled out an invitation and handed it to him.
It was a golden envelope.
David glanced between her and the envelope, then took it from her grasp and opened it up. It was an official invitation to the anniversary gala of StarCorp, a well-known company whose headquarters was in this state.
"What's this for?" he asked.
She adjusted her glasses. "You are going to accompany me there as my plus-one. After that, I'll give you your phone back. I'll pay you as well. So, what do you say?"
David froze for a moment, trying to process what he'd just heard.
"Wait. So you stole my phone as leverage to get me to do this?"
"Duh," was her response, accompanied by a smile.
The only thing that came to his mind in the next instant was that this girl was sick in the head. Couldn't she have just asked him that day?
"No," David said flatly. "I won't."