By the time night rolls around, I'm clawing my eyes out. I go to bed much earlier than usual but find myself turning left and right, eager for sleep but not able to fall into its grasp.

At around 10pm, the door opens and Slater walks in, filling the room with blinding light.

I close my eyes and desperately hope that my chest rises and falls at a convincing, I'm-most-definitely-asleep speed.

It must do because before I know it, he's undressing.

And I'm dying.

I peek every few seconds, unable to help himself.

His tie is the first to go, and he sighs while removing it from his neck as if it was suffocating him the whole day. His shirt goes next, button by torturous button.

Even in the dark room, the only light source being the light from the open bathroom door, the defined planes of muscle adorning his tanned skin are noticeable.

He glances over at me to ensure my unconsciousness (I close my eyes just in time) before stripping his trousers and replacing them with shorts. I make sure not to zero in on a certain body part on his toned body, squeezing my eyes shut tightly.

Is this how he sleeps every night? If so, man, I should start waking up earlier than him.

He slides into bed moments later, and I instantly regret my decision to face his side rather than the wall. Shuffling continues for a few seconds before he finds a comfortable position.

That position just so happens to be facing me.

As I find out after opening my eyes.

My eyes widen further as I realise his eyes are also open, and staring right at me.

"Uh, hi."

So suave, Quorra. You are smoother than fucking silk.

"Hello," Slater greets back, deep voice and smooth-as-chocolate tone even more enrapturing in the silence of the room, "Were you... awake just now?"

A sudden thought saves me from an embarrassing conversation.

"No. Hey, you never told me your middle name after dinner with Lucas," I state, "What is it?"

I'm glad it's not my turn to speak, because one glance at his exposed upper chest has me wishing I faked sleeping for longer. Oh wow, I feel dizzy.

He gives me an odd look for the subject change but replies anyway, "Donovan."

I test it out.

"Slater Donovan Hartley," the name already has chills tickling my spine, "Alright, that fits quite well," I admit, and he smiles slightly in reply.

We are once again consumed by the quietude of the room.

Somehow, this time around, it's relaxing.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

"Please," I beg, "I swear, I'll make it up to you."

Hannah turns around and stops walking, giving me the most exhausted expression I've seen on a person in a while, "Quorra. Just stop, I don't want you to just 'make it up to me'. I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about you. And if me being around you and trying to help you is just going to be in vain, I'm not going to try anymore."

I feel a little bit of my soul chip off at her words, stepping forward and grabbing her wrist as she makes a moves to walk off. I am not losing the first real friend I've had in years. Not today.

"Hannah, I swear that I'm trying to get better."

She gives me a sceptical look and pulls her arm out of my grasp, crossing her arms and leaning her weight on one leg, "Really?"

"Yes," I repeat, "I am. Slater is watching me like a hawk and has a plan set out for me and everything. For god's sake, Hannah, he wants me to gain four kilos and summer is approaching!"

She tries to hide her amused smile at my exasperation behind her hand, but I notice it.

"Will you give me another chance?" I ask, eyebrows turned up in desperation for a reconciliation of our friendship.

A sigh leaves her rosy lips as she looks off to the side for a moment, contemplating.

After an age of me hopefully grasping my hands behind my back, she answers.

"Fine, you get another chance. If I don't see you really trying to get better, I'm abandoning you," she grumbles as I grin ear-to-ear and engulf her in an excited hug.

Even as she exhales, I can tell she's glad as well.

We end up in my dorm room ten minutes later, both sitting on my bed. I lean against the headboard, one of my legs bent to make room for Hannah. She sits as properly as I remember, one leg crossed over the other and back straight.

As I look at her for a second longer, I realise something.

Hannah has outstanding grades and is incredibly attentive in class, yet she is still one of the most beautiful and healthy people I know. Her fiery mass of curls is always glossy and weightless, her clothes always fit her well and shape the petite figure she has, and her face is always glowing with the light of good health.

Maybe it is possible for me to balance excellent academics and excellent wellbeing.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks, cracking the silence as I meet her eyes.

I shrug, "I'm just glad to have you as a friend again. I'll really try, Hannah, I swear I will. Not just for you, for myself."

She seems delighted with my answer, and offers me a smile that sends nostalgia buzzing through my veins.

"And for Professor Hartley too?" she teases, as I immediately scowl and cross my arms over my chest defensively, mumbling under my breath.

"Nothing has happened between us," I state falsely, glaring at her humourlessly as her grin doesn't falter.

An eyebrow of hers shoots up, "Oh, yeah? You better fill me in on everything that happened between you two while we weren't talking. Don't miss anything out, this is important, Quorra."

I groan and sit up, propping myself up using my elbows on my knees, "Why do we always talk about me? Let's talk about you for once."

"Your life is much more interesting," she laughs, as if it is obvious.

I take a deep breath and sum up the events of the last few days.

"Well, I went to dinner with my parents and Slater turned out to be at the same restaurant. He came and decided to say hi, stirred up some drama, and now my parents hate him. Then we got in a fight and I ignored him for a while.

"The next day, as you know, Grant came up to me in class and we grew closer because he just kept throwing compliments at me for my new lifestyle. Later on in this room, I might have kissed Slater and got rejected. After I left the room, I bumped into Grant and accidentally let it slip that Slater and I weren't on the best of terms. Grant went and confronted him. They argued for a while, Grant tried to use his father becoming a manager of the university as leverage, Slater dissed his sorry ass, Grant got upset that I would rather stay with Slater than go with him, and the whole new friendship collapsed again. I'm done with him now. I also may have said something about preferring to have sex with Slater over Grant, but that's not important.

"Then Slater took me out to have dinner with his friend, Lucas. He's pretty awesome. And then, during yesterday's lecture, I felt really ill towards the end - as you know - and threw up outside. Slater helped me back to our dorm, made me agree to gaining four kilos, eating full meals every day, and putting less pressure on myself, and then later on that day, we got in his car and drove around town for a while. He opened up a bit and so did I. He might have further solidified his rejection of me by saying he could get fired, and I could get expelled. Then I called Lucas about it before he left to have steamy sex with his girlfriend. Oh, is post-anniversary sex a thing? He'e wondering. Anyway, then, towards late evening, I faked sleeping and possibly watched Slater undress. And then that brings us to today. I had a cream cheese bagel for breakfast. That's about it."

Hannah is already gaping at me halfway through, but by the end, she's wide-eyed and frozen, staring at me in disbelief.

"Oh, and his middle name is Donovan."

I take a drink of water from the bottle on my desk and scratch the back of my head, waiting for her reaction.

"You told our professor that you want to sleep with him?" she asks, looking for reconfirmation as I cough violently.

"No! And is that all you took from that?!" I deny quickly, "I just said that, if it happened to come down to it, I would much rather... you know... with him over Grant. Wouldn't you?"

She still looks shocked.

"Well obviously, Grant is horrible. He's a flat out liar, and apparently aggressive from what you just told me, but still. I can't believe you told Hartley that. What was his reaction?" she urges me to give her the details as I am suddenly reminded that I never got the chance to tell her about what happened between Grant and I in that first, unsuccessful tutor session.

I shrug, "He called me 'young lady' and said he was going to pretend that I never said such 'suggestive, vulgar language'."

Distracted by the realisation that I would have to tell Hannah about Grant sooner or later, I sigh, wishing that exhaling could rid me of all my worries.

Can she even handle more information after all the crap I threw her way?

"Hold up, hold up - you kissed?" she gapes all over again, as if my words were only now sinking in.

I groan, fed up with the conversation, "Yes, but it doesn't matter."

She gives me a doubtful look, "I think that's pretty big news, Quorra."

"You should meet Lucas," I mutter, "He reacted the same way after he found out about the last time we kiss-"

"YOU'VE KISSED BEFORE?!" she exclaims, practically busting my eardrums.

"OH MY GOD, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS ANYMORE!" I yell back, smashing a pillow over my face as it burns like the pits of hell.

She just continues to freak out until my new most hated phrase in the English language is 'oh my god'.

Sorry, 'maths', you've been replaced.

The only thing that silences Hannah is the click of the door opening. There's only one person other than me that has a card key to this room.

"Oh, hello. I haven't seen you here in a while, Miss Klein," Slater greets as Hannah recomposes herself and returns his smile.

I can tell that she's ready to explode with all the new information she's gathered about the Adonis standing before her, but put her out of her misery by nudging her.

As Slater slowly sets down the stack of papers in his hands, his gaze sweeps to mine, full of wonder.

"Do you know why she is staring?" he asks an innocuous question with a malicious answer.

I muster up a forced chuckle to fill in the silence and elbow her harder until she snaps back into reality.

"Ah," she starts, jumping at my aggression as she gives Slater an apologetic look, "Sorry, I don't think I got enough sleep last night. I'm going to go ahead and leave now, you two have some stuff to- ahem, so I'll see you around, Quorra?"

She's speeding out of the room like a sim on fast-forward before I can let out the breath I've been holding captive for the past minute or two. The doors slams shut behind her, muffling her hyperventilating squeals.