~~~

Nathaniel opened the hotel room door and gestured for me to enter. As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit by the cold air from the air conditioner.

"I'll turn it off," Nathaniel offered, noticing me shiver. He stepped into the room with our bags and closed the door behind him.

I nodded, trying to shake off the chill as he fiddled with the remote.

The room was simple-nothing extravagant-just a wardrobe, a television on the opposite wall, and a door leading to what I assumed was the bathroom. My gaze lingered on the bed, the only one in the room.

A tight knot formed in my stomach as I imagined myself and Nathaniel lying down on the bed together. How did he sleep? What if at one point, his legs would touch mine, and his arm, and ...

"Are you alright?" Nathaniel asked, his voice pulling me from my thoughts.

I blinked, forcing a smile. "I'm fine," I lied. "It's a lovely room."

He looked around, seeming to agree. "Yeah, I had to beg my mom not to book anything extravagant," he said casually. "That would've been... weird."

I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live his life, free from the constant weight of financial stress.

"It is a beautiful room," I repeated, but my voice wavered. He raised an eyebrow, catching it. "We should get some sleep," he suggested. "We have an early flight tomorrow."

Sleep... on the same bed?

~~~

Dinner arrived soon after, and we sat across from each other at the small table in the room. While I ate, I watched Nathaniel scroll through his phone, chuckling at messages I couldn't see. His fingers moved quickly, likely texting every girl in his contact list.

I focused on my food, not wanting to seem too obvious, but I couldn't help the knot of unease in my stomach.

Couldn't he be a whore after we're done eating?

After the meal, he went into the bathroom to shower, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

His presence had a way of filling the room, making it impossible to not notice him. And noticing him, made me nervous.

I waited for him to finish, nervously slipping out of my clothes and into one of the plush hotel robes. I tried to distract myself by picking up my novel, but my mind kept wandering back to the bathroom door, listening for any sound that might suggest Nathaniel was coming out.

When I finally heard the door click open, I quickly averted my gaze to the floor, determined not to look.

But then, I nearly collided with Nathaniel, still in just a towel, standing in my way.

We froze for a moment. The air between us felt heavy, and my gaze naturally dropped to the water droplets trailing down his chest, my cheeks flushing despite myself.

"Why are you looking down, Olivia?" he asked, his voice low.

"Why aren't you moving, Nathan?" I shot back, trying to sound casual.

I glanced up at him, my heart skipping a beat. Nathaniel was tall, his broad frame casting a shadow over me. His skin glistened from the shower, and his damp cornrows made him look cute. I could barely focus on anything else.

He leaned closer, placing his hand on the doorframe, his proximity making it even harder to breathe. I could smell the familiar scent of Dove soap, and my thoughts scattered.

"Can you stop acting weird around me?" he asked softly.

I flinched, not realizing how obvious I'd been. "I'm just tired," I muttered. "I need to shower and go to bed."

He studied my face, and I instinctively reached up to cover the pimple that had appeared on my right cheek earlier. He watched the movement, his eyes lingering, but he said nothing, which I was grateful for.

"If you moved," I said, trying to break the tension, "I could do all those things."

There was a brief pause before he responded, his voice playful. "She avoids making eye contact with him, seems nervous in his presence, steals glances at him when she thinks he won't notice, and makes small gestures that draw his attention to her lips," a wide smile formed on his face. "You know, it's pretty clear to me that you like me."

I retorted as if I had been electrocuted.
"As if!" I shot back, and then, because it wasn't enough, I added, "You wish!"

He smirked, clearly amused by my reaction.

I couldn't help but feel my cheeks flush even more. I gave him a quick jab to his chest, which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the smartest move, because he was shirtless.

"For your information, Nathaniel Johnson-" I began, but he interrupted me with a casual wave.

"Nathan is fine," he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across my face. "I've never had to share a room with a guy I barely know, so..."

"We're practically family friends," he said, shrugging as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Our moms are friends," I corrected him. "We just happen to know each other."

He winced, dramatically clutching his chest. "Ouch."

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes again. "And I didn't realize prefects read confiscated materials from other students. Aren't you supposed to give them to the staff or something?" I asked, recalling how he had quoted a passage from the book he'd taken from me.

He pulled away from the wall, heading toward the wardrobe where our bags were stored. As he opened his bag, I couldn't help but watch how his muscles flexed with each movement. I quickly looked away, but it was too late; my mind had already registered the sight.

He retrieved a pair of shorts, but before I could say anything, he glanced back over his shoulder at me with a mischievous grin. "I didn't read the entire book, Olivia," he said as if reading my thoughts. "Just the parts you underlined."

I froze. My face went from hot to flaming in an instant.

I swallowed my spit the wrong way and came very, very close to choking
to death.

I loved reading novels, particularly romance, and I had a habit of underlining phrases that resonated with me or that I liked. After finishing the book, if it wasn't mine, I would jot down the underlined sections in my journal so I wouldn't forget them, erase the pencil marks, and return the book. It was odd, but I enjoyed doing it, and I had been doing it for a long time.

The issue this time was that the book he had taken happened to be a dark romance, featuring a ruthless villain as the protagonist and an innocent girl who was inexplicably drawn to him.

Naturally, it contained numerous scenes of intense passion. So, the parts I had underlined were not exactly about romantic declarations or romantic dates. And now he knew.

My heart thudded in my chest as I struggled to form words. "I... I didn't mean-"

"You do enjoy being eaten out, don't you?" he teased, a knowing look in his eyes.

My stomach dropped. I could barely breathe, my pulse racing as I tried to hold myself together.

I stammered, my voice barely a whisper, "I... I don't."

Nathaniel leaned back, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "It's fascinating how much you can learn about someone based on what they underline in their books."

The room felt smaller suddenly, the air thick and heavy. His gaze was almost too intense, and I couldn't stand it anymore.

"You've never done any of it, have you?" Nathaniel's voice dropped even lower, his words carrying more weight than I could handle.

I didn't know how to respond. Of course, I hadn't. But I wasn't going to admit that.

I spun on my heel and fled into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. My breath came in short, frantic bursts as I leaned against the cool tiles.

What had my mother gotten me into?

~~
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