She slowly turned, her eyes landing on him. He sat there with his eyes closed.

Her gaze caught the unlit cigar in his hand, and she swallowed hard.

He smokes?

The soft sound of piano playing pulled her eyes to the TV, but she quickly looked away, back to him.

Her lips trembled as she tried to speak but the words got stuck.

His eyes opened slowly, and she locked eyes with him immediately.

She swallowed again.

He didn't blink or look away. His gaze felt sharp, like it was drilling right into her.

Her skin prickled under his intense stare.

She exhaled softly, summoning what little courage she had.

"The keys to the door... do you have them?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, still holding his gaze.

He dragged his tongue slowly over his lips, face unreadable.

She clenched her fists, waiting for a response but she got none.

Clearing her throat, she let go of the doorknob and stepped forward.

"I know it was a huge mistake coming into your room. I swear I was drunk...you know that. Your biggest mistake was not locking the door. Lock it next time, so this doesn't happen again. Now, can I have the keys?" she said quickly, chest rising and falling.

He tilted his head, still licking his lips.

Really? Silence again?! she thought, frowning.

"Hey! Give me the keys. I could get you arrested for ruining my phone at school some days ago, but I'll let it slide if you just hand over the keys. Don't be a dîçk...just let me leave, please" She clasped her hands and studied his face for any sign of reaction.

Her eyes drifted to his tempting lips, hoping he'd speak, but he just watched her like she was a movie, which only made her more frustrated.

Urgh. She hated this guy even more now.

**

7 AM

Still in the same city, on the road, inside a sleek white car

Mrs. Emberly sat in the backseat, scrolling through skincare products on her tablet.

Alba sat beside the driver, earphones in, music playing as she stared out the window.

She wore a green hoodie and a black denim skirt.

Light makeup framed her pretty face.

"Mom," she called, chewing gum.

Mrs. Emberly hummed without looking up.

"Do you think it's right to visit your daughter without telling her?"

Mrs. Emberly kept her eyes on the tablet.

"I told her before"

"But not the exact date" Alba said, frowning 

She glanced at the driver, who stayed focused on the road.

"Why did you even tell Mom where her house is?" she asked, her frown deepening.

The driver bit his lip but didn't look away from the road.

Alba rolled her eyes and looked back outside.

"Mom, I'm hungry" she muttered.

"Pull up at a nice place" Mrs. Emberly said, finally raising her eyes to the driver.

He caught her gaze in the rearview mirror.

"Okay, ma'am" he replied and focused back on the road.

Nightclub, VIP room★

Nyssa sat on the floor, back against the door, legs stretched out, letting out a loud yawn as she drifted in and out of sleep.

All of a sudden, her eyes snapped open.

She looked around the empty living room with her sleepy eyes.

Wait... what happened?

Her gaze dropped to the floor beneath her.

She was sitting on the floor??

The f*çk!!

She jumped up, nearly losing her balance but catching herself just in time.

When did I fall asleep? she wondered, rubbing her eyes.

Later, a tired sigh slipped out as she realized she had been waiting forever for that jerk to hand over the damn keys.

She must've dozed off, worn out from the wait.

She looked around again. 

Where is he?

A sly smile immediately appeared on her face.

Did he leave?

She turned to the door, gripped the handle, and tried to open it but her face fell.

She pressed her forehead against the door, tired. Another deep sigh escaped her.

A few seconds later, The sound of a door closing made her whip her head around... just to see Tavian coming, with a nose mask on.

His hair was messy as usual and his backpack slung over one shoulder.

Their eyes met, and her cheeks flushed hot.

Wait... why am I reacting like this? She thought.

She stepped back, her back meeting the door as he drew nearer.

"Out of the way" he said coldly but calmly. She flinched.

Damn, that's the second time she had heard his voice.

She stepped aside quickly, fists clenched tight, replaying the harshness of his tone.

He stopped in front of the door, pulled a key from his pocket, and slid it into the lock.

Turned it twice until the lock clicked.

He pushed the door open and stepped out, leaving it wide behind him.

His honey cedar scent drifted to her, filling her senses.

She sniffed once, then scoffed quietly.

"Out of the way" she mimicked his tone.

She stepped out and shut the door firmly.

Once she was sure he was out of sight, she started walking away.

___________

Minutes later, she slipped into the VIP nightclub room. Only a few people around and they're cleaners in uniforms.

Her gaze searched the room until it landed on her table. Her phone lay there.

She breathe in relief.

Rushing over, she grabbed it and turned it on.

The time blinked: 7:23 AM.

"Oh no," she muttered.

Her notification bar exploded with 32 missed calls.

"Oh fucking no!" she muttered again, tapping the screen.

The call log lit up showing the people who called,

Housemate Sun: 16 missed calls

Housemate Zara: 3 missed calls

Kid sis: 3 missed calls

Big sis: 4 missed calls

Unknown number: 6 missed calls

She exhaled and switched off the phone.

As she turned to leave, a girl in uniform stepped in front of her.

"You're the owner of this phone?" the girl asked with a friendly smile.

"Yeah" Nyssa replied, eyes on her.

"Hi" the girl said.

Nyssa nodded awkwardly.

"Uh, hi" she managed with a forced smile.

The girl's brow furrowed slightly.

"You don't know me?" she asked, studying Nyssa.

Nyssa studied her back.

Okay, I gotta get out of here, she thought, clenching her teeth.

"I'm your course mate at Quenrose. We sit next to each other in class. Surprised you don't remember me" the girl said with a light laugh.

"Um, I really need to get home. Can we talk at school tomorrow ?" Nyssa said hurriedly, already walking away fast 

"Oh, okay!" the girl called after her, smiling as she watched Nyssa hurry away.

In the dining room, Sun rested her head on the table, eyes glued to her phone's screen.

She wasn't doing anything, just holding it, lost in thought.

Zara sipped coffee, one hand holding her phone.

Nyomi sat beside her, also absorbed in her phone with a coffee cup nearby.

Sun hissed loudly.

"Where could she be?" she said, sitting up straighter.

"I mean... she should've called. I'm not coming tonight, I..." Her voice trailed off as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Gosh, what's her problem?!" She snapped.

"Getting worked up over someone you barely know is pointless" Zara said flatly.

Sun rolled her eyes.

"She's not just some stranger. She's a friend and housemate. So drop it" she muttered in a low voice 

"Okay" Zara replied coolly, taking another sip of her coffee.

Nyomi looked over at Zara.

"Don't you have an assignment?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Finished it hours after we go it" Zara said without looking up.

Nyomi chuckled then sighed deeply.

"What's up?" Zara asked.

Nyomi pouted.

"The assignment's killing me. Being a software engineering student is no joke" she whined.

Zara smiled faintly.

"You'll get through it" she said quietly.

"Hey Nyomi, did you try calling Nyssa?" Sun asked, glancing at her.

Nyomi faced her, expression blunt.

"I don't think I have any business with her" she said flatly.

A knock sounded on the door. Sun jumped up.

"That must be Nyssa," she said quickly and ran to open it.

Nyomi scoffed.

Seconds later, At the door, Sun opened it with a bright smile...then froze as she saw two strangers.

A woman and a girl.

The woman smiled warmly. Sun smiled back. The girl stayed expressionless, clearly bored.

"Hi, is this where Nyssa Emberly lives?" the woman asked softly.

Sun nodded with a weird look.

"Yes. Is something wrong?" she asked cautiously.

The woman smiled again.

"I'm her mother. Mrs. Emberly" she said.

Sun blinked, surprised, but quickly covered it with a polite smile.

"Hi, ma'am" she said quietly.

"Is my daughter home?" Mrs. Emberly asked.

Sun hesitated, then scratched the back of her neck.

"Um, she left last evening and hasn't come back yet" she said honestly.

Alba's eyes widened but quickly smirked.

Big sis is cooked, she thought, chuckling inwardly.