Something was wrong. I was trying to be intimate with my boyfriend, but his reaction was… off. I was wearing the lace lingerie he’d been begging to see me in for months, but he hadn’t so much as touched me. The room was dark. I leaned in close, my breath warm against his ear. “Your surprise,” I whispered. “Do you like it?” His breathing hitched, becoming ragged. A thrill went through me. It was working. I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him more deeply. But just then, my boyfriend’s voice echoed from outside the room. “The lights are on, but nobody’s home?” I froze. A wave of ice and fire shot through my veins. If Leo was out there… then who was I holding right now? 1 In the pitch-black room, I scrambled off him, clutching the front of my lingerie to my chest. “Who are you?!” I hissed, my eyes wide with terror as I stared at the shadowy figure before me. A moment later, a low, cool voice answered. “Zane.” I froze at the name. He was Leo’s roommate. I’d seen him a few times when I’d come over to visit. My impression of him was that he was aloof and quiet, a man of few words who seemed to keep the world at arm’s length. We’d never exchanged more than a brief nod. The memory of what had just happened rushed back, and my face burned with shame. “What are you doing in Leo’s room?” I demanded. “Borrowing a charger.” His answer was simple, but my panic was anything but. I was standing here in next to nothing. A man and a woman, alone in a dark room. If Leo walked in now, there would be no explaining this away. In a desperate rush, I grabbed my discarded clothes and my phone and dove into the wardrobe. “Don’t let Leo see me. Please,” I begged in a small voice. Zane was silent for a two-count, then he walked over and closed the closet door for me. At that exact moment, the bedroom door swung open. Leo walked in and flipped on the lights, flooding the room with a brilliant glare. “Hey? Zane, what are you doing in my room?” Zane picked up a charger from the desk. “Came to borrow this.” “Oh,” Leo said, his tone casual. “By the way, have you seen Raina? She told me she was coming over.” “Haven’t seen her.” A nervous sweat broke out on my back. Today was our one-year anniversary. Before leaving work, I’d texted Leo telling him I had a surprise for him tonight. He was working late, which gave me plenty of time to come over and get ready. My plan had been to offer myself up as his present the moment he walked through the door. I never imagined it would turn into a disaster like this. “Something’s wrong with my computer. Can you come take a look?” Leo asked. “Sure.” After Zane led Leo out of the room, I scrambled out of the closet, threw on my clothes, grabbed my things, and slipped out of the apartment. 2 On the way home, I sent Leo a text. [Hey babe, I’m not feeling well, so I couldn’t make it over. Sorry. I’ll have to owe you your surprise.] He replied almost instantly: [Are you okay? What’s wrong? Do you want me to come over?] [No, it’s fine. I’m already in bed. You should get some rest too.] Right now, all I wanted was to be alone and calm my racing heart. [Okay. I’ll come see you in the morning then.] [Okay.] I put my phone down and breathed a sigh of relief. When I got home, I went straight to the bathroom and drew a hot bath. The warm water soothed my tense body, offering a moment of peace. But the fragmented images of the night kept replaying in my mind, unbidden. Zane hadn’t responded to me at all. Not when I held him, pressed myself against him, kissed him with everything I had. He hadn’t crossed a single line. Even when I’d taken his hand and… he’d done nothing more than let out a heavy, strained breath. But… given the difference in our sizes, he could have easily pushed me away. He was more than strong enough. But he hadn't moved. He had simply let me do as I pleased. The thought made my heart race and a flush spread through my body. Zane’s reaction… wasn’t it a little strange, too? Did he know it was me in the room at that moment? I quickly shut down that line of thought. I was the one who had made the mistake. It would be shameless to try and shift the blame onto him. He had been willing to cover for me, to lead Leo away. I should be grateful. 3 The next morning, Leo arrived with bags full of groceries. “How are you feeling? Any better?” he asked as I emerged from my room. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just a little tired yesterday.” “It’s getting late. Go get ready. I’ll make breakfast.” I nodded. By the time I came out of the bathroom, Leo was already busy in the kitchen. Leo and I worked at the same company. Our office romance had been going on for over a year, and he treated me like a queen. Whenever he had a day off, he would come over and cook for me. With him around, I barely had to lift a finger. He even took care of the laundry and cleaning. He planned elaborate dates for every holiday and always chose the perfect gifts. On the rare occasions we argued, he was always the first to apologize, never letting me shed a single tear. I’m a slow burn. It takes a lot for me to open up. So at first, I had approached our relationship with a ‘let’s just see how it goes’ attitude. But after a year, he had passed every test. That’s why I had decided last night that it was time to take our relationship to the next level. I just never expected it to go so spectacularly wrong. After he had prepared a lavish spread of my favorite dishes, he called me to the table. “All your favorites. Try them,” he said, his eyes full of expectation as he served me a bowl of rice. “Mmm,” I nodded, a warmth spreading through my chest. Even though last night was an accident, I still felt a pang of guilt toward him. Halfway through the meal, I couldn’t help but ask, “So your roommate, Zane… what’s he like?” “Zane?” Leo paused for a second. “He’s a good guy. Why?” “It’s just… whenever I see him, he seems so cold. I was just curious what he’s like when you two are hanging out.” “He’s a bit of a slow burn himself, and yeah, he can be a bit of an ice king. But he’s a good person underneath it all.” “Right.” “Is he single? Does he have a girlfriend?” “Never seen a woman come looking for him. He’s pretty much a lone wolf, so I’d guess he’s single. But a lot of girls at the office have crushes on him.” Zane worked at our company, too, though in a different department. He was incredibly handsome, so his popularity was something I’d heard whispers about. “Hey, why are you so curious about him all of a sudden?” Leo asked, taking a bite of food. “You haven’t fallen for him, have you?” he teased. It was a joke, but I immediately denied it. “No! Of course not!” Leo laughed. “I’m kidding. I know my girl only has eyes for me.” “You know it.” 4 On Monday, I ran into Zane in the elevator at work. The awkwardness of that night made me instinctively drop my gaze to the floor. But knowing we’d have to see each other often, I forced myself to look up and offer a small, tight-lipped smile. Zane, however, showed no reaction. He simply moved to stand beside me, his expression as cool and unreadable as ever. Fine. The awkwardness was all mine. A moment later, a wave of people crowded into the elevator, pushing Zane up against my back. He was so close I could feel the warmth radiating from his body, could smell his scent. It was a faint, clean, woody fragrance. I didn’t know the brand, but it was intoxicating. I had smelled it that night, too, a subtle hint in the darkness, but I had been too distracted to place it. Now, with his warm breath brushing the back of my neck, accompanied by that familiar scent, every detail of that night came rushing back. A deep blush crept up my neck and spread to the tips of my ears. Get a grip, Raina! I scolded myself internally. It was a mistake. It was over. Why was I still so fixated on it? Zane seemed to sense my discomfort and shifted slightly, creating a sliver of space between us. When a group of people got off, I could finally breathe again. As soon as the doors opened on my floor, I practically fled the elevator. I had just sat down at my desk when a message from Zane popped up on my screen. [Are you afraid of me?] I froze, unsure how to reply. We had each other’s contact info for work, but we’d barely ever messaged. Our last chat was two weeks ago, exchanging work files. Before I could formulate a response, another message came through. [You’re the one who took advantage of me. Why are you acting like I’m the one who’s going to eat you alive?] The blush I had just managed to suppress came roaring back, turning my face crimson. [That’s not it! You misunderstood!] [What happened that night was a total accident! I thought you were Leo! If you’re upset about it, I apologize again!] [Please, just forget about it, I’m begging you! We see each other all the time, and I don’t want it to be awkward.] [Can we just pretend nothing ever happened? Please!] I typed out my frantic reply, adding a series of pleading, crying emojis for good measure. After what felt like an eternity, he replied. [I was just teasing you.] [I haven’t given it a second thought. You shouldn’t either.] I calmed down and quickly replied with an “Okay.” 5 After that, everything went back to normal. Our company organized a team-building trip, a three-day getaway to a nearby resort town. A few hours later, we arrived. The beautiful scenery washed away the fatigue of the long drive. Everyone was in high spirits, taking photos and enjoying the fresh air. As evening approached, the admin staff organized a barbecue party. During the meal, Leo hovered around me, catering to my every need. Mia, a new intern from our department, was buzzing around him like a fly, acting overly familiar. But Leo mostly ignored her. After a while, Mia seemed to take the hint and drifted away. “Relax, babe. Mia’s just a kid. I see her as a little sister. You’re not actually jealous, are you?” Leo whispered to me after she left. He was good at reading my moods. He had noticed my silence when Mia was near. “No. But I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance from her in the future.” I was confident in Leo’s feelings for me, so even though I knew Mia had a crush on him, I hadn’t let it bother me too much. “Yes, ma’am.” 6 After the barbecue, we all headed back to the hotel to rest. We were booked in standard twin rooms. The resort was near the ocean, and the view was breathtaking. After a shower, I called Leo, hoping to go for a walk on the beach. But the call didn’t go through. I knew his room number, so I went to knock on his door. But the person who opened it was Zane. “Is Leo here?” “He went out.” “Where did he go?” “Don’t know.” Zane looked like he had just showered, a towel in his hand as he dried his hair. I didn’t want to bother him, so I just nodded and left. Leo’s phone still wasn’t picking up. I wondered where he could have gone so late at night. I soon had my answer. On my way back to my room, I ran into a hotel staff member who mentioned there was a performance by the pool in the backyard. I decided to check it out, but as I approached, I saw them. Behind a large pillar, Leo was holding a woman, kissing her with a desperate passion. It was Mia. My feet felt like they were encased in lead. “Leo, do you like me?” Mia’s voice drifted over. “Of course.” “More than Raina?” “She can’t compare to you. Kissing her is like kissing a block of wood. It does nothing for me.” Mia giggled at his words. “You were ignoring me in front of her earlier. I was so mad.” “Well, aren’t I making it up to you now?” They laughed together, their voices thick with intimacy. Mia snuggled into his chest. “What if she finds out about us?” “Don’t worry. She won’t.” “You’re that confident?” “She’s naive. And easy to fool.” “You’re such a bad boy.” “If I wasn’t, you wouldn’t like me.” With that, he kissed her again, oblivious to the world. I had always believed Leo was the best man in the world, a perfect, 100-point boyfriend. I thought he was the one person who would never betray me. But it was all a lie. Everything was a carefully constructed facade. Tears blurred my vision. I clenched my fists, ready to storm over there and confront them. But as I took a step forward, another idea took hold.
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