Chapter four: Leaving excelsior

Bella froze, her breath catching in her throat as she lay there, eyes wide open, trying to process what had just happened. A million thoughts raced through her mind, each one more frantic than the last. *Did that really just happen? * She wondered, her pulse quickening. She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as she tried to snap herself back to reality.

"Wait, what the *f*ck*?" she suddenly screamed, shoving Luca away with all the strength she could muster. He grunted as he was flipped to the other side of the bed, too exhausted to offer much resistance.

"What do you mean?" Luca groaned, rubbing his eyes, his voice heavy with fatigue.

Bella glared at him, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. "How dare you steal my first kiss?!" she shrieked, grabbing the nearest pillow and smacking him with it.

Luca, instead of apologizing, laughed. "Your first kiss? An old lady like you? And for the record, I didn’t steal it—I can give it back if you want." He sat up, still chuckling as if the whole situation was nothing more than a joke.

"Old lady? *I'm* 23, you idiot!" Bella retorted, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief. "And what do you mean you can give it back? What kind of moron says that?!"

"Hey, you pulled me down," Luca shot back, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I wouldn’t have fallen on you if you hadn’t grabbed me."

"That's because you *pushed* me, you big dummy!" Bella fired back, her patience wearing thin. "Now get out of my room!" She pointed furiously at the door, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I’ve had enough of this drama for one night."

Luca sighed heavily, finally dragging himself off the bed. "Fine, fine. But you started it," he muttered as he headed toward the door, his movements slow and unsteady.

"Go find yourself another room, you drunken idiot!" Bella huffed, watching him stumble toward the exit. But just as he reached the door, he stopped, turning back to look at her with a smug grin.

"My room is right next door, so say less," Luca said with a shrug, as if he had just stated the most normal thing in the world.

Bella’s eyes narrowed in confusion. "Next door?" she echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yeah," Luca replied nonchalantly.

Her eyes widened in realization. "So *you’re* the one with that crazy woman making all those noises and keeping me up all night?"

Luca smirked, his confidence growing. "My fault that I’m too good?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.

Bella felt a surge of irritation. She grabbed another pillow and flung it at him. "Get out, you arrogant jerk!" she snapped, her voice laced with frustration.

Luca ducked out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

"Shut my door!" Bella yelled after him, her voice echoing in the hallway.

"Leave me alone, woman!" Luca shot back without turning around, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

"Ugh!" Bella groaned, stomping over to the door and kicking it shut with a loud bang. Luca's voice called out from the other side, "Don’t break my property!"

"Whatever!" Bella yelled back, storming back to her bed.

She collapsed onto the mattress, exasperated. "All this drama in one night? What kind of place is this?" she muttered to herself, pulling the covers over her head in a futile attempt to find some peace. The night had taken a wild turn, and she wasn't sure if she could handle any more surprises.

    Bella threw herself back onto the bed with a heavy thud, burying her face into the pillow. She muttered angrily to herself, her words muffled by the fabric as she tried to push away the chaotic events of the night. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and she slowly drifted off to sleep, her mind finally finding some peace.

**A Few Hours Later**

The first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains; gently nudging Bella awake. She groaned softly, stretching as the memories of the previous night came flooding back. With a heavy sigh, she sat up in bed, running her fingers through her hair. The thought of Luca's drunken intrusion made her blood boil.

"I can't believe that happened," she muttered to herself, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Determined to shake off the lingering irritation, Bella made her way to the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would help clear her mind.

As she stepped into the tub, the warm water cascaded over her, soothing her tense muscles. But the peace was short-lived. Her thoughts drifted back to Luca, his arrogant smirk, and the way they had ended up tangled together on the bed. She clenched her jaw, frustration bubbling up inside her.

Bella glanced at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes narrowing as she stared at her lips. The memory of their accidental kiss flashed in her mind, and she shook her head vigorously, trying to erase the image.

"No, no, no," she muttered, turning away from the mirror as if that would help banish the thought. She stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in a soft towel. As she dried off, she tried to focus on the day ahead, reminding herself that she had more important things to worry about.

Once dressed, Bella gathered her belongings and took a final look around the room. The irritation from the night before still lingered, but she was determined to move past it. She had business to attend to and a life to get back to.

As she stepped out of the room, her phone buzzed with a message. Her ride was waiting downstairs, ready to take her home. With a deep breath, Bella headed for the elevator, eager to leave the chaos of the night behind her.

But as the elevator doors closed, she couldn’t help but glance at her reflection in the mirrored walls, her fingers lightly brushing her lips once more. The memory of that unexpected, infuriating moment with Luca was still there, lurking in the corners of her mind. She pushed the thought away, focusing on the day ahead, but she knew it wouldn't be the last time that night crossed her mind.

As the elevator doors slid open, Bella squared her shoulders, stepping into the lobby with renewed determination. The events of the previous night might have shaken her, but she wasn’t about to let them control her. Today was a new day, and she was ready to face it head-on.                      

“Isabella!!” Gina squealed as she ran to her to hug her, Bella returned the hug happily and pulled away, “Gina, good to see you again.” She said to her.

“Same here, hope you had a good night?” she asked her and Bella paused, her smile faded immediately, she looked around before whispering to Gina, “This place sucks, I can’t wait to go home.”

“Something happened after our call?” Gina asked her but Bella rolled her eyes, “Oh, please, a lot of things and I do not want to talk about it.” She replied as she made her way to the waiting car.