The corridor was silent as you slipped through the shadows, your heart pounding in rhythm with the echo of your footsteps. Your clothes felt too heavy, your skin too warm, and your mind raced with the remnants of what had just happened. You couldn’t stay. You shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

You reached your room, shutting the door behind you with a soft click, and leaned against it. The fleeting intimacy played on a loop in your mind—the warmth of his hands, the way his lips lingered against yours, and the soft, vulnerable edge to his voice when he whispered your name.

But it didn’t matter. Mattheo was your enemy. The person you couldn’t stand. The one who infuriated you to your core.

The vibration of your phone snapped you back to the present. You glanced down and saw his name on the screen.

Mattheo: "Why did you do that?"

Your breath hitched, fingers trembling slightly as you typed back.

You: "Do what?"

His reply came almost instantly.

Mattheo: "Don’t act d/mb."

You stared at the words, the heat rising to your cheeks. Anger and something you didn’t want to name bubbled in your chest as you responded.

You: "Last night was a mistake, Mattheo. We hate each other. I hate you."

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, but when his reply finally came, it made your stomach drop.

Mattheo: "Do you??? Because I’m pretty sure you don’t hold hands with someone while f*cking if you hate them."

Your hands shook as you typed his name, hesitant to send the message.

You: "Mattheo…"

His response came before you could take another breath.

Mattheo: "No. I know you felt it too. Please, {{user}}... just come back to my room so we can talk."

The words stared back at you, and for the first time since you’d left, you let yourself acknowledge the truth—something had changed. Something neither of you could ignore, no matter how much you pretended to hate him.

You closed your eyes, the weight of his words pulling you toward a decision you weren’t ready to make.