Damon stepped into the hallway, away from the mess, and leaned against the wall as the call connected. It rang once, maybe twice, before it was picked up.
Svetlana's voice came fast, a little sharp but mostly worried. "Dad, is Damon—"
"Hey," Damon said, cutting in.
There was a pause. A quiet breath.
"Where have you been?" she asked. Her tone wasn't angry. Just tired. Concerned. "I've been calling since last night."
"I know," he said calmly. "Phone died. I woke up like ten minutes ago. The place looks like a bomb went off."
"I'm good," he said. "Hungover? No. Embarrassed? Definitely. But nothing happened, I promise. It got wild, but it was just chaos. Not… that kind of chaos."
Svetlana sighed on the other end. "You could've borrowed someone's phone."
"I know. I should've. I just didn't even realize how late it got until I saw your missed calls."
Damon rubbed his face again. "I'm sorry, really. I should've checked in."
There was a beat before she answered. "Just don't disappear like that again, Damon. Not when you said you'd call."
"I won't," he said. "I mean it."
He stayed quiet for a second, listening to her breath settle.
"I'll be home soon," he added. "We'll talk properly then."
"Okay," she said quietly. "Drive safe."
He lowered the phone, took a breath, and exhaled slowly. The worst of it was over.
Now he just had to walk back into that warzone and collect the damn video.
Damon stepped back into the living room and spotted Ash slumped on the couch, head in his hands.
The guy looked like a cautionary tale for overindulgence. His hair was a mess, shirt halfway unbuttoned, and his face carried the expression of a man negotiating with death.
Damon stared at him for a second, then sighed. Ash was the root of all this. Every bit of chaos traced back to him somehow.
He crept up behind the couch and then raised his voice just enough to cut through the fog in the room. "We should head back, shouldn't we?"
Ash groaned and tilted his head up, squinting like the sunlight was committing a personal crime.
Joey, sitting on the edge of a coffee table with a water bottle in hand, looked slightly more alive. He gave a tired nod. "Yeah… before we end up explaining this to the cops."
Ash shifted in his seat and looked at Damon with disbelief. "How are you so good right now? You had a wilder night than me."
Damon didn't miss a beat. He looked down at him and smirked. "Weak."
Ash flipped him off without lifting his head. Joey just laughed. Victor, already halfway packed and sipping another water, looked like the only adult in the room again.
Damon finished transferring the videos to Victor's phone, double-checked that they were all sent, then tossed the random guy's phone gently onto the table. He gave the room one last look.
The mess was even worse in daylight. Crushed cups, sticky patches on the floor, overturned furniture, and a smell in the air that was hard to describe.
He exhaled through his nose.
"Yeah... I'm paying for this."
No one said much as they headed out. Damon locked the door behind them and didn't look back.
The four of them climbed into the car, each settling into their seats with a tired quiet.
Joey rubbed his temples. Ash leaned back with his eyes closed. Victor, behind the wheel, said nothing as he started the engine.
The car rolled out of the driveway in silence.
Just the low hum of the road and the slow crawl back to reality.
As they drove, the silence in the car deepened. Joey was slumped against the window, mouth slightly open.
Ash had his head tilted back, arms crossed, completely knocked out. The rhythm of the road kept everything still.
Victor glanced over at Damon, who was in the passenger seat with his phone plugged into the charger. The screen showed it was slowly coming back to life.
Victor spoke without taking his eyes off the road. "So… how do you feel? You're getting married in a week."
Damon leaned back in his seat, arms crossed loosely, his eyes focused on the blur of scenery passing outside the window.
He let out a breath through his nose. "I don't know. It's weird. Not in a bad way, just… real."
He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"It's like, I've always known I wanted to be with her. That part's easy. But saying it out loud, in front of everyone, locking it in... it's a big step. No running, no delays. That's it. It's forever."
He scratched the side of his jaw, then added, "I'm not scared of her or the commitment or anything. I just don't know what it's supposed to feel like. You expect to feel different, but I don't yet. I still feel like me."
He glanced at Victor. "Does that make sense?"
Victor nodded, keeping his grip on the wheel. "It makes perfect sense. Most guys don't feel it until the day of. When you see her walking down the aisle, that's when it hits you."
Damon looked down at his phone, the charging symbol blinking.
"Well," he said, sitting back, "as long as I don't faint at the altar, I think we'll be good."
Damon glanced at Victor, then looked forward again. The road stretched out in front of them, quiet and open.
"You know," he said, "I realized I never actually asked for your approval to marry Svetlana."
Victor let out a laugh, not in mockery, but with amusement. "Well, it's not like I would've said no. And even if I did, I doubt it would've stopped anything. That girl's stubborn as hell when she wants something."
Damon smiled. "Yeah… she is."
There was a pause, then Damon spoke again, this time more seriously.
"But I mean it. I'm asking now. Officially."
Victor turned his head slightly, gave him a look, then shook his head slowly and smiled. "You've had my approval for a long time, Damon. You're good to her. You've stood by her through everything, and more importantly, she's happy. That's all I care about."
Damon gave a small nod, the weight of the moment settling in.
Victor looked back to the road and added, "Just take care of her. That's all I'll ever ask."
"I will," Damon said. "Always."