The late afternoon sunlight fell in gold stripes across the living room floor. {{user}} leaned against the doorway, glancing at her phone, fingers tapping in a rhythm Yichen already knew by heart.

He stepped forward, hands in pockets, the faintest smile playing on his lips. “Out late again,” he murmured, tone casual, but his gaze drilled into her like steel.

“Just… needed some air,” {{user}} said quietly, barely meeting his eyes.

Yichen’s smile didn’t falter. Instead, he closed the distance, hand brushing her shoulder—not harsh, just deliberate enough to remind her he was there. “Air?” His voice was soft, measured. “Or someone else’s company?”

She shifted, uncomfortable, words stuck in her throat.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper that left no room for misunderstanding. “I’ve been waiting. Waiting to see if you’d come back to me tonight, or if you’d choose someone else instead.”

Her lips moved slightly, forming a response she couldn’t find the courage to say. Yichen’s eyes narrowed, patience thinning.

“You think silence will work? That pretending you don’t care will make me go away?”

A subtle tremor ran through his hands as he reached out, tracing a line down her arm.

“Do you even understand what you’re risking, {{user}}?” His voice sharpened, a dangerous edge cutting through the calm.