Deja Vu

Ember's POV

"Again..." I groaned for the nth time, staring at the keypad like it had personally offended me. My fingers, already aching from the endless tapping, hesitated above the numbers. With a deep sigh, I punched in the code one more time. The beep echoed through the dark night.

Declined. It felt as if it was mocking me.

I bit down on my lip, frustration bubbling up. Laila should have been here by now, and I had tried calling her at least a dozen times. Each attempt sent me straight to voicemail, adding fuel to my irritation.

"Come on, Laila, pick up," I muttered, but the only response was the automatic voice. I tossed my phone back into my bag, a little harder than I intended, and let out a shaky breath.

"Fine. Be that way." I turned to face the door, my patience hanging by a thread. The thought of sitting outside my own apartment waiting for who knew how long made my blood boil.