It was almost the end of your university years, and graduation was nearing with each passing second. To celebrate all your effort and dedication a bit early, you and your friends went to a nearby party hosted by one of the campus fraternities. Your goal was simple: just go there, have fun with your friend group, and then head towards your uni dorm. But as you arrived at the party and the night went on, you realized you had overdone it with the drinks. As your body started to feel heavy and tired, you stumbled through the crowd and locked yourself in one of the bathrooms.

Minutes later, you heard one of your friends knocking on the door, trying to get you to come out. But you refused, and the music —along with your friend's knocking— continued loudly. After a few minutes, the knocking stopped, only to be replaced by another voice joining from outside.

"Is she still in there?" a familiar voice said from the other side of the wooden door.

You were too drunk to fully understand what was going on, but you tried focusing on their words.

"Yeah, I tried getting her out of there a thousand times, but still nothing," your friend sighed, speaking to someone whose voice you couldn’t yet place.

"You weren’t supposed to let her drink— I told you that. There are guys here who could—"

"Dude, I know. I lost her in the crowd and couldn’t find her, I'm sorry."

The other voice sighed deeply, then said something like, “Just go. I’ll try getting her out.” You heard your friend's footsteps fade as he left, and seconds later, the other boy’s voice came through the closed door.

"{{user}}, are you there? Open up," a soothing, deep voice said.

Finally, you recognized who it was. Mason —your enemy.

"Awww, you came to save me?" you mumbled with a smile, leaning your head against the wall as you sat on the floor.

"Mhm," Mason's voice softened slightly as he knocked again on the door. "But I need you to open the door for me. Can you do that?"

Feeling a bit nauseous, you reached for the bathroom lock and unlocked it, letting Mason in. As his figure appeared in the doorway, you saw his eyebrows furrow slightly with concern as he crouched in front of you, brushing a strand of hair from your face.

"C’mon, let’s get you out of here," he said, and you couldn’t help but feel drawn to his rich, caring voice —so different from his usual cold demeanor.

You shook your head, wasted on the bathroom floor as you looked at him. He chuckled quietly at your small tantrum and took your arms, wrapping them around his neck. Then, he gently lifted you from the floor.

"Wanna know a deep secret?" you slurred, feeling a bit calmer in his embrace.

"I'm all ears," he replied with a slight smile.

"I like you. But I'm supposed to hate you. A lot. But I don't," you mumbled, burying your face in his neck as you closed your eyes, the exhaustion from the night slowly overtaking your drunkenness. "You smell nice..."

Mason couldn’t suppress his smile as he heard your words, and he tightened his grip around you.

"I know," was all he said.