A frank friend

Uma watched as Hugo entered the bathroom, took a deep breath, and regained her usual confident and sharp demeanor, casting off her previous gentleness and caution. She raised her head, walked with a straight posture, and headed towards Charlize's room. However, before Uma could knock on the door, the wooden door swung open directly, revealing a tired-looking Charlize. Uma smiled and greeted, "Good afternoon, Charlize."

Charlize clearly did not expect Uma to be the one welcoming her as soon as she woke up. She took a half-step back in confusion, then recognized the person and greeted, "Oh... hey! Uma. Is it already noon?" While lazily clipping her hair with a shark clip, Charlize walked in the direction of the kitchen, searching for the coffee maker on the stove. Influenced by Hugo, Charlize, Alex, Joseph, and Karl, including those upstairs, had developed a habit of making coffee as the first thing in the morning.

"Has Hugo not woken up yet? He drank quite a bit last night," Charlize asked casually. Uma knew that her early appearance was to take care of Hugo, so naturally, the topic came up.

As a woman herself, Uma was well aware of Charlize's charm. It was a natural aura that didn't require makeup or dressing up, overflowing with every gesture and movement. Just like now, Charlize was wearing a simple T-shirt and sweatpants as sleepwear, haphazardly tying up her hair. She not only wore no makeup but also looked a mess due to a hangover. However, even in such a state, Charlize still exuded an indescribable lazy charm.

At first, Uma was wary of Charlize. She knew that their auras didn't match, and the atmosphere between them was always slightly tense. But later on, Uma declared her ownership of Hugo, and after a few trials, she realized that Charlize and Hugo were just friends. Even when Uma recently prepared a romantic dinner for Hugo, Charlize, just like Alex and the others, cooperated perfectly. This reassured Uma.

However, last night Uma chose to stay at Sidney's house, and it was this group of friends, including Charlize, who accompanied Hugo for the New Year's celebration. This reawakened Uma's previously eased vigilance. "Hugo went to take a shower. It's not good to drink coffee first thing in the morning after drinking so much last night. I heated some milk. Have a glass," Uma said as she walked into the kitchen, taking out the warm milk from the microwave and pouring a glass for Charlize.

Charlize smiled and said, "Thank you. But both Alex and I have gotten used to it. The morning doesn't feel complete without coffee. Even if we don't drink it, just the aroma is nice." Though Charlize's mind was a bit slow, she still sensed Uma's caution. That was a woman's intuition. She knew that Uma's current actions were actually about seizing the initiative. Charlize had no intention of competing with Uma, so she just accepted the glass of milk, took a symbolic sip, and busied herself.

"God, give me a cup of coffee," Alex's hoarse voice came lazily from the room. Then he saw Charlize busy making coffee and excitedly shouted, "Hey, Charlize, do you remember the coffee Hugo made last week? Kilimanjaro. Can you make me a cup?"

"Kilimanjaro? Are you sure?" Charlize frowned. Just the thought of the bitter taste of Kilimanjaro coffee that Hugo drank made her feel a sourness in her mouth. "That coffee is so bitter!"

Alex flopped onto the couch, "Yes, I want a cup of black coffee to freshen up. Otherwise, I feel like I'm walking in a swamp."

"Black coffee is terrifying," Uma interjected with a smile, immediately causing Alex to stand up slightly awkwardly. "Hey, Uma," he said, and Uma nodded with a smile, considering it a greeting. Alex then proceeded to explain earnestly, "Hehe, I just want to try it. Hugo always brews coffee in different styles, and both Charlize and I have developed the habit... Now we feel accustomed to having coffee every morning, and even just smelling the aroma is pleasant."

Alex's words overlapped with what Charlize had said earlier, and Uma immediately understood that this habit of theirs was formed because of Hugo. In fact, there was nothing wrong with it. When living together, it was natural for habits to influence each other, whether as couples, family, or friends. The influence under the same roof should not be underestimated.

However, today Uma was more sensitive. Last night, she and Hugo had a disagreement for the first time, and now she felt a sense of distance between herself and Hugo due to these small details. It made Uma's fingers holding the milk cup involuntarily tighten, but on the surface, she showed no signs of abnormality. "Hehe, I heated some milk for you. Hugo said you drank a lot yesterday, and milk can help with the hangover."

Charlize could tell from the way Uma spoke that something was amiss. Uma's words had too much hidden meaning. The first was "I heated some milk for you", clearly including Charlize and Alex together, which was different from the situation where she served Hugo and the two friends as an afterthought. The second was "Hugo said", indicating that she had already had a deep conversation with Hugo. This implied that she and Hugo had already communicated extensively.

As a woman, Charlize understood this roundabout way of speaking. She knew that Uma was currently on guard, not just against herself but against other girls, including herself. However, Charlize was not concerned at all. She was very open-minded because nothing happened between her and Hugo last night, and they were simply friends.

In fact, Uma made her own choices last night by choosing to stay at Sydney's house, so it was unnecessary for her to now dwell on these matters. Moreover, Hugo's participation in the party brought all their friends together. Uma's somewhat anxious declaration of her ownership either meant she was overthinking and feeling insecure or she had something to hide.

Something to hide? Charlize seemed to catch a glimpse of it, but it quickly slipped away. She was also unsure of what exactly she was worried about, but she felt that something was off, which furrowed her brows and added to her dissatisfaction with Uma. But even so, what could she do? As a friend, all she could do was hope that Uma and Hugo wouldn't argue, as it would only harm their relationship.

Alex didn't think much about it. The brain structures of men and women were too different. He happily took the milk cup and said, "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Last night, I didn't attend your party, and I truly feel regretful about it even now," Uma looked at Alex and sincerely expressed her apology.

Initially, Alex was somewhat annoyed, not because Uma didn't show up, but because Hugo was obviously in a bad mood last night, and Uma wasn't there with him. But now, upon hearing Uma's apology, Alex didn't continue to frown. He quickly shook his head and said, "It's okay, it's okay. The party is just about friends having a good time. Being happy is the most important thing."

During the conversation, Hugo finished washing up and came out. He used a towel to dry his hair as he walked into the living room. "Alex, go and call Joseph and Karl, um... and also Eugene," Hugo remembered that Eugene lived upstairs and it wouldn't be good not to call him. "Let's go out for lunch together. I don't think there's much left from what we ate last night."

"So many people?" Uma widened her eyes in surprise and pointed to the refrigerator. "I was planning to make lunch at home to fill your stomachs."

Hugo looked at Uma's expression and smiled. He knew that Uma had been trying to make up for what happened last night. Lunch was probably part of her original plan. "Then let's eat outside for lunch and come back for dinner. It's almost lunchtime now, and it's too troublesome to cook something last minute."

Charlize stretched and walked towards the bathroom. "Alex, I'll use the bathroom first, you wait." After a few steps, Hugo asked, out of habit, "Is there anything special you want to eat for lunch?" It was a habit because when everyone ate together, they tried to take everyone's preferences into consideration. So Hugo didn't think much and asked directly.

Charlize looked at Hugo's open expression, pouted, and then glanced at Uma with the corner of her eye. "I don't mind. After all, a bunch of alcoholics, everyone probably wants to eat the same thing. Oh, by the way, I don't want sushi. Ask Karl not to suggest it."

This statement made Hugo and Alex laugh, and they watched Charlize enter the bathroom. Uma didn't understand and looked at Hugo. Hugo smiled and explained, "A few times before, after drinking, Karl said he wanted to eat something light and suggested sushi. So we went to the restaurant and the wasabi tortured our stomachs. But Karl was fine. So just now, Charlize said she absolutely won't eat sushi."

"I don't want to eat raw food for lunch today either. I'll warn Karl," Alex said with a smile and headed towards the door.

Uma smiled, nodded to show her understanding. Such things are only known by roommates who live together, especially among the closest friends. Uma didn't know about these anecdotes, which made her gaze unintentionally shift towards Charlize until that messy figure disappeared calmly at the bathroom entrance.

However, the lunch turned out to be very pleasant. Uma also met Eugene, the mysterious resident on the fourth floor, for the first time. Leonardo and Tobey were also called over. The group enjoyed Spanish cuisine and laughter filled the air. They finally managed to recover some energy from the nightmare of hangovers.

Amidst such laughter, 1993 had entered everyone's life.