He was taken aback, eyes wide as he looked at the group of people in front of him.

"What are you all doing here?" he finally managed to ask after shaking off his surprise.

Instead of answering, they just pushed their way inside.

"This place is fine as fuck!" Isa shouted, glancing around before plopping down on the couch. "And this couch is super comfy!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Dustin and Seth chimed in, taking in their surroundings.

Renee shut the door and approached them, arms crossed.

"What the heck are you all doing here?" he repeated, and this time Isa turned to him with a big grin.

"We came to see you," she said, raising an eyebrow at his confused expression.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because we noticed you've been moping around all week. You were grumpy—and I mean, you're usually grumpy—but this felt different," Isa explained, her voice softer now, genuinely concerned. "You've been dodging our calls, skipping lunch with us. That's not like you."

"Is something bothering you?" Seth asked, his usual playful demeanor replaced with worry. "We care about you, you know."

Dustin nodded, his cocky attitude dropping for a moment. "Yeah, man. We've been friends for too long to watch you shut us out like this."

"Why would anything be wrong?" Renee shot back, but his defensive tone only confirmed their suspicions.

"Did you have a fight with your boyfriend? Is that why you're acting like this?" Dustin pressed, stepping closer.

Renee shot a glare at Dustin. "I told you he's not my boyfriend," he snapped.

"Come on, man, I know what I saw. No need to deny it," Dustin replied, but his usual grin was replaced with genuine concern. "Look, whatever happened with Tristan—"

"Don't," Renee cut him off sharply.

All he wanted was to crawl into bed and wake up to a fresh start, not deal with these troublemakers.

Isa exchanged a meaningful look with Seth and Dustin before stepping forward. "Look, we've been your friends for years. We know when you're hurting, even when you won't admit it." Her voice was gentle but firm. "And since you're not spilling the beans on what's bothering you, that's fine. We'll help you forget your troubles tonight." Despite his glare, curiosity sparked in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Seth and Isa exchanged excited looks before turning back to him.

"It's Friday night, and we're going to the club!" Isa announced.

"And? Shouldn't you be on your way instead of bothering me? You all should just leave; I want to sleep," he replied.

"At 8 PM?" Seth looked at him in disbelief.

Renee crossed his arms and shot him a challenging look. "So what?"

"Oh, please shut up. We're here to get you, and you're saying you want to hit the sack at 8 PM?" Isa exclaimed, and everyone stared at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

"Get me for what? And what's wrong with going to bed at 8 PM?" he shot back.

"Everything! You're not going to bed because we're heading to a club, and you're coming with us," Isa insisted.

He glanced at her and then burst out laughing. The others looked at him like he was out of his mind. What was so funny?

"You're kidding, right?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" She shot him a fierce look, and honestly, it made him a little uneasy. Isa could be intimidating when she wanted to be, and he wasn't sure where this was headed.

"I'm not going," he replied firmly. "What made you think I would?"

"You are going," Isa declared.

He frowned at her response.

"I'm not going," he repeated.

"Renee, come on. You always say no when we invite you. Just this once—it'll be fun," Seth pleaded, giving him those big puppy eyes.

Ugh, it might have worked, but Renee being Renee... he still said no.

"No, I really don't want to. What's so great about being in a crowded club with sweaty people?" He scrunched his nose at the thought of being around drunk, sweaty strangers. He hated crowds. There was never any fun in that.

"It won't be like that. You can just sit and have a drink or two. Then you can decide if you want to dance or do something fun. We just want to hang out with you, even if it's just this once," Dustin tried to persuade him.

Renee shook his head again. "And I said I don't want to."

Isa sighed in frustration, but her eyes remained soft with concern. "Renee, why are you so stubborn? I know you like your alone time, but is this," she gestured around the house, "really helping? You're just sitting here by yourself, probably overthinking everything. It can't be healthy." She sat down on the arm of his chair, her voice becoming more gentle. "We're not trying to drag you somewhere you hate. We just... we miss our friend. The real you. Not this closed-off version who's been hiding from us."

Seth nodded earnestly. "She's right. We just want you to have one night where you're not stuck in your head, you know?"

He pondered everything. Sure, he enjoyed his own space and loved being alone, but sometimes it felt really isolating. Ever since he'd stopped coming here, it had only gotten worse. He missed the company he used to have. Now, this loud trio was buzzing around him, urging him to join them for a night out. He had never been the clubbing type, which was one of the downsides of not being a social person. He wished he could be different; he just wanted to escape his problems, to go out, have a blast, party hard, get tipsy, and wake up with a hangover, dealing with whatever came next.

Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang on the coffee table.

He walked over, squinting at the screen—it was an unknown number.

He hesitated to answer because he wasn't a fan of calls from strangers.

The ringing stopped for a moment, then the caller tried again.

With a sigh, he glanced at his friends before putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he said.

Silence.

"Hello?" he repeated, but still no response.

He pulled the phone away to check if the call had dropped, but it was still connected.

"Hello? Who is this?" he asked again, but there was nothing. Finally, he hung up.

"Who was that?" Dustin inquired.

"I have no idea. It was an unknown number, and they wouldn't say anything," he replied, dropping the phone back on the table.

"Maybe it's one of your exes—if you even have any," Dustin joked.

Renee shot him a look.

"Dusty, just stop," Seth said.

"Shut up, shorty. I wasn't talking to you—"

"I—"

"Alright, alright. You two stop before you start fighting. Renee, what do you think about our plan? Are you joining us?" Isa asked.

It couldn't be that bad to go to a club just to hang out. Besides, he had never experienced it before, so it might be nice to give it a shot. He wanted to go because he was tired of feeling lonely; as Isa said, it wasn't fun at all. He was eager to experience life a bit more. After spending so many years alone, a little change could really be refreshing.

Renee let out a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

"Sure."

"Sure what?" Isa replied, trying to hold back a grin that was about to break free.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm joining you guys."

A big, bright smile spread across the faces of the trio.

"Alright, then you need to change first." Isa nudged him and pushed him toward the stairs while they settled in comfortably, waiting for him.

He eventually made his way downstairs after digging through his closet for the perfect outfit for the evening. It was hard for him to believe he was really going through with this.

He had on a grey button-up shirt, white jeans, and white canvas shoes, accessorized with a wristwatch and cologne that smelled heavenly.

"Aww, you look so delicious!" Seth exclaimed, causing Dustin to roll his eyes. "Oh please, he can't compare to how good I look."

Seth laughed. "In your dreams."

"Come on, let's take a selfie!" Isa shouted, much to Renee's dismay.

When they got to the club, Renee and Dustin drove separately—Isa rode with Renee while Seth went with Dustin—and they all arrived nearly at the same time.

As they entered the club, Renee immediately felt a twinge of regret for coming along. It was just as chaotic as he had imagined—blaring music, flashing lights, and a huge crowd packed into the massive venue.

It was absolutely wild.

He wasn't enjoying it at all, but there was no turning back now. He had just gotten there and had to set aside his discomfort for a little while to hang out with his friends.

"C'mon," Isa said, tugging at Renee's wrist. He glanced at her hand and tried to ignore his annoyance at the touch.

They made their way to a VIP section and settled in, except for Isa.

"Hey, Renee, do you want a drink?" she asked, adjusting her mini skirt.

He nodded stiffly.

She smiled brightly. "Okay, I'll be right back." She bounced off toward the bar.

Meanwhile, Seth was trying to take a video of the VIP section when Dustin deliberately stepped into frame, his broad chest blocking the camera.

"Hey! Get your annoying ass out of my shot!" Seth snapped, but there was something different in his voice—less genuine anger, more frustrated attraction.

Dustin grinned, not moving an inch. "What's the magic word, pretty boy?"

"The magic word is fuck off," Seth replied, but his cheeks flushed slightly as he tried to physically push Dustin aside. His small hands pressed against Dustin's solid chest, and the contact lingered a moment too long.

Renee rolled his eyes at their antics, but he couldn't help noticing the tension crackling between them. They should just admit their feelings and fuck each other already. These two had been doing this dance for months—the constant bickering, the lingering touches, the way they always ended up gravitating toward each other.

"You know what? Fine. Now my video's ruined because your stupid face is in it," Seth complained, but he was still standing close to Dustin, close enough that their thighs almost touched.

"Don't you dare delete that. I look fucking amazing," Dustin said, his voice dropping lower as he leaned down toward Seth. "Besides, you love having me in your videos. Gives you something to stare at later."

Seth's face went red. "You're so full of yourself! And for your information, I'd rather stare at literally anyone else."

"Yeah? Like who?" Dustin challenged, his eyes intense now, all playfulness gone.

The air between them grew thick with unspoken tension. Seth opened his mouth to respond, then seemed to realize how close they were standing. He stumbled backward.

"I—whatever. I'm going to dance. Alone." He emphasized the last word, but his voice wavered slightly.

"Sure you are," Dustin said, his grin returning, but there was something heated in his eyes as he watched Seth walk away. "I'll just... make sure you don't get into trouble."

Seth whipped around. "I don't need a babysitter!"

"Good thing I'm not offering to babysit," Dustin replied, following him toward the dance floor with predatory grace.

Renee watched them go, shaking his head. The sexual tension between those two was suffocating.

At that moment, Isa returned. "Here," she said, handing him a glass.

He glanced at it. "Is this a cocktail?"

"Yep! Enjoy it. By the way, where are those lovebirds?" she asked, looking at the empty seats.

He turned to the dance floor, and she followed his gaze. Through the crowd, they could see Seth and Dustin dancing—but it wasn't the casual, friendly dancing they'd expected. Dustin had his hands on Seth's hips, and Seth was pressed back against him, their bodies moving in perfect sync to the heavy bass. The space between them had disappeared entirely.

"Holy shit," Isa breathed. "Finally. I thought they were going to keep pretending forever."

"About time," Renee muttered, taking another sip. Even from here, he could see the way Dustin's mouth was close to Seth's ear, probably whispering something that was making Seth's face flush in the strobing lights.

"I was thinking the same thing," Renee said, tearing his eyes away from them before taking a sip of the drink. 

He looked up to see Isa grinning at him, and he frowned. "What's up?"

"Why don't you hit the dance floor? You might find someone to hook up with." 

He grimaced at her suggestion. "Fuck off, Isabella."

"Ren—"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Ugh, fine!" She sighed and leaned in closer. "I'm going to find my own fun, but just so you know, someone's been checking you out for a while." 

He raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Look to your right," she instructed. As he did, he locked eyes with a guy sitting a bit away, wearing a tight muscle shirt, legs spread, with one arm draped over the chair while he sipped his drink. The guy's gaze was intense, focused on Renee.

Renee quickly looked away and back at Isa, who was smirking. She whispered, "Have fun."

And just like that, she vanished into the crowd.

Renee's heart raced as he took another sip of his cocktail, suddenly feeling warm, now fully aware that someone was watching him.

His shoulders tensed when he heard a voice vibrate in his ear.