Villain Origin : Every Crime I Commit Helps Me Level Up-Chapter 41: A Normal Day Finally

André awoke to the sound of birdsong filtering through the cabin windows. Sunlight streamed across his bed, casting warm patterns on the wooden floor. For a moment, he lay still, disoriented by the unfamiliar ceiling and the absence of his phone’s usual alarm. Then the memories of yesterday returned—the drive, the lake, the campfire.

He turned to see Liam’s bed already empty, neatly made as if the other boy had never slept there. The house was quiet, suggesting most of the others were still asleep. André checked his phone—7:30 AM—and found a dozen missed messages from Ken. He quickly scanned them, noting with relief that none required immediate attention. Most were updates on territory surveillance and inventory counts. The last message simply read: Handled the situation. Call when you can.

A news notification popped up at the top of the screen: Famous boxer still missing—search efforts continue into day five. André dismissed it with a flick, his mind already racing through priorities for the day.

André silenced the phone again and set it aside. For once, the problems of his other life could wait.

He dressed quickly in cargo shorts and a plain black t-shirt before padding downstairs. The aroma of fresh coffee guided him to the kitchen, where he found Liam sitting at the island counter, nursing a steaming mug while reading something on his tablet.

"Morning," André offered, heading for the coffee pot.

Liam looked up, blinking as if surprised to find himself not alone. "Oh, hey. Sleep okay?"

André poured himself a cup of the dark brew. "Would have, if the walls were thicker."

Liam’s face flushed red, but a small grin broke through. "Yeah, I had my earbuds in. Derek warned me ahead of time."

André leaned against the counter, sipping the surprisingly good coffee. "Smart man."

They fell into comfortable silence, André watching the morning light play across the lake through the large windows. After a few minutes, the quiet was broken by footsteps on the stairs.

Gia appeared, hair still tousled from sleep, wearing gray sweatpants and an oversized university hoodie. She yawned widely before spotting them.

"You’re both up early," she noted, making a beeline for the coffee.

"Some of us didn’t have much choice," André replied dryly, catching her eye with a meaningful look.

Gia tilted her head in confusion before understanding dawned. Her cheeks colored slightly as she poured her coffee. "Ah. The walls."

"The very thin walls," André confirmed, taking another sip from his mug.

A small smile played at Gia’s lips as she joined them at the counter. "Maya mentioned they’d be sleeping in. Now I understand why."

The three of them settled into easy conversation as the morning progressed. Liam surprised André by being knowledgeable about classic literature, and they found themselves in a spirited debate about dystopian novels while Gia played referee. By the time Tasha wandered downstairs around nine, André had almost forgotten the weight of his double life.

"What’s the plan for today?" Tasha asked, rummaging through cabinets for breakfast supplies.

"Derek mentioned taking the boat out," Liam reminded them, pushing his glasses up.

"Not until after noon," came Derek’s voice as he descended the stairs, Maya following close behind. Both looked thoroughly well-rested despite the night’s activities. "Water’s calmer in the afternoon."

Maya beamed at the group, practically glowing. "Morning, everyone! Isn’t it beautiful out?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

André caught Gia’s eye, and they both quickly looked away to keep from laughing. Tasha had no such restraint.

"Someone had a good night," she teased, waggling her eyebrows.

"The best," Maya agreed without a hint of embarrassment, wrapping her arms around Derek from behind. "The walls in this place are fantastic—you can’t hear a thing."

André choked on his coffee, sending Gia into a fit of giggles that she tried to disguise as a cough. Liam suddenly became very interested in something on his tablet.

Derek, oblivious to the exchange, began outlining plans for the day. "Breakfast, then hiking to the north lookout point. It’s about an hour each way. Then lunch, and we can take the boat out this afternoon."

No one objected to the schedule, and soon they were bustling around the kitchen preparing a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. André found himself assigned to bacon duty, standing at the stove beside Gia, who was flipping pancakes.

"You seem more relaxed today," she observed quietly, keeping her voice low enough that only he could hear.

André realized with surprise that she was right. The constant tension that had become his baseline state had eased somewhat. "Good company helps," he admitted.

Her smile in response was soft and genuine, warming something inside him that had been cold for too long.

After breakfast, they changed into hiking gear and set off along a trail that wound up through the forest behind the cabin. Derek led the way with Maya, followed by Tasha, then Liam, with André and Gia bringing up the rear.

The trail was well-maintained but steep in places, requiring careful footing over exposed roots and occasional rocky patches. The canopy overhead dappled the path with shifting patterns of sunlight and shadow.

"Remember when we used to walk home from school together?" Gia asked as they climbed a particularly steep section.

André reached back to offer her a hand over a fallen log. "Before you got your license, yeah."

"You’d always take the long way through Westbrook Park," she recalled, accepting his help. Her hand lingered in his a moment longer than necessary before she released it. "I never understood why until you showed me that hidden pond with the willow trees."

"It was quieter than walking along Marston Avenue," André said, remembering the peaceful spot that had been their secret retreat during freshman year. Although, the memories went really his.

The conversation flowed easily between them as they hiked, catching up on the small details of each other’s lives that had slipped away as their paths diverged. André found himself laughing more than he had in months, the sound almost foreign to his ears.

Ahead of them, Liam occasionally glanced back, his expression carefully neutral whenever he caught sight of them deep in conversation. André noted the looks but couldn’t bring himself to create distance from Gia just to spare the other boy’s feelings.

The lookout point proved worth the climb—a rocky outcropping that provided a panoramic view of Lake Serenity and the surrounding mountains. They paused there for water and snacks, taking photos and soaking in the scenery.

Derek pulled Maya close for a selfie against the backdrop, which quickly turned into a lingering kiss. Tasha rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Get a room," she called out. "Oh wait, you did that all night already."

Derek pulled away from Maya with a grin. "Jealous much?"

"Of what? The bags under Maya’s eyes?" Tasha shot back with a smirk.

"I don’t have bags!" Maya protested, automatically touching her face before shoving Tasha playfully.

The hike back down passed quickly, and they returned to the cabin with rosy cheeks and hearty appetites. After a quick lunch of sandwiches, they changed into swimwear and headed to the boathouse where Derek’s family kept a sleek powerboat.

The afternoon sun beat down on the lake, turning the water into a sparkling expanse of blue. Derek handled the boat with casual confidence, taking them on a tour around the lake’s perimeter before finding a secluded cove for swimming. They anchored there, taking turns diving off the boat’s platform into the cool water.

André found himself actually enjoying the simple pleasures of the day—the sun on his skin, the refreshing shock of diving into the lake, the easy camaraderie that had been missing from his life since he’d taken over Julian’s responsibilities in the gang.

As the afternoon waned, they returned to the dock and spent time relaxing on the cabin’s wide porch with cold drinks and snacks. The day had taken on a dreamy quality for André, like a pause button had been pressed on his real life.

"I’m going to start dinner soon," Maya announced as the sun began its descent. "Thought we’d do a pasta night."

"Need help?" Gia offered, setting down her lemonade.

"Actually, why don’t you and André gather some firewood for later?" Maya suggested with a too-innocent expression. "There’s a stack behind the toolshed, but we’ll need more than what’s there."

André caught the obvious matchmaking attempt but found he didn’t mind. "Sure."

They walked around the side of the cabin toward the toolshed, the forest edge just beyond it providing plenty of fallen branches.

"Maya’s about as subtle as a brick," Gia commented as they began collecting suitable pieces of wood.

André smiled, adding a thick branch to his growing armload. "She means well."

"She likes to meddle," Gia corrected, but there was fondness in her tone. "Always has."

They worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Gia spoke again, her voice softer.

"I’ve missed this," she said, not looking at him. "Missed you."

André paused, a sudden tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with exertion. "I’ve missed you too."

She finally looked up at him, her expression a mix of emotions he couldn’t fully read. "Then why did you pull away?"

"Things got complicated. I had responsibilities I couldn’t avoid."

Gia took a step closer, her eyes searching his. "You know you can talk to me, right? Whatever it is."

’If only it were that simple,’ André thought, but he nodded. "I know."

A voice from the direction of the cabin saved him from further questioning.