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Non walked back into the room and said,
"Well, you guys have to see the view. It's stunning."
Then he pointed toward the beds.
"Niran, while you were gone, Taeng and I already picked ours.
Yours is that one — by the wall."
I glanced over and nodded.
"Okay, that's fine."
I checked the time on my phone.
"Let's go pick up our luggage before someone else grabs it."
---
When we arrived at the storage room, our suitcases were already lined up neatly in rows, like a tiny army of luggage ready to be deployed.
Amara and Pim bounced toward us, full of energy as always.
"Hey, do you want to watch dramas tonight?" Amara asked.
"Sure," I said.
Pim lifted a brow.
"Do you think Anamarija would join us too?"
"I can ask her," I offered.
I walked over to Anamarija, who had just handed a black folder back to the receptionist.
"Hey, we're watching dramas tonight. Would you like to join us?"
Anamarija gave a soft, elegant smile.
"I'd love to. Where?"
"In Amara, Pim, and Noon's room," I replied.
"When?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I'll come pick you up. Probably after dinner."
"All right," she said with a gentle nod.
Just as I turned to walk back to the others, Lun stepped in front of me.
He leaned one hand against the wall, like he owned the space.
His eyes—too confident, too familiar—locked onto mine.
"Let's grab a drink tonight?" he asked, using that tone I really hadn't missed.
I froze for a moment.
Chak's voice echoed in my head: I don't want you hanging out with Lun.
"I can't," I said quietly but firmly.
Lun blinked.
"Why not?
It's just a drink, Niran."
I took a slow breath.
I didn't want to be mean.
I didn't want to open old wounds…
but this time, I had to be clear.
"I have other things to do," I told him calmly.
"And… it would be better if you avoided me."
His eyes widened slightly.
"What? Why?"
I didn't look away.
"For your sake," I said softly, but without hesitation.
"For your own good, Lun."
A heavy silence grew between us—uncomfortable, heavy, almost painful.
Lun opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something…
but then he closed it.
Like he finally understood that this boundary this real boundary wasn't up for debate.
So I did what I should've done a long time ago.
I reached for my suitcase, lifted it, and pulled it past him.
"Take care, Lun," I added quietly.
I didn't look back.
I didn't need to.
I could feel his stare—hurt, confused, disappointed—following me.
And even though I didn't see it…
I knew someone else was watching the whole scene from afar.
Someone with cold patience in his eyes.
I caught his eyes — cold, tense, almost dangerously sharp…
but for that one single second when our gazes met, something softened.
Just for a heartbeat.
Enough for me to feel that he saw me.
Truly saw me.
I turned away and walked toward Taeng and Non, who were waiting a bit farther down the hall.
And then — I heard it.
"NIRAN IS GAY!"
Lun's voice exploded through the entire storage room.
Everyone — literally everyone — turned around and looked at me.
My heart jerked, and heat rushed to my face.
I blushed so hard I thought my skin might burn off.
Amara's mouth dropped open.
Pim froze mid-step.
Kit lifted his head from his phone.
Anamarija slowly turned her head, glancing at me over her shoulder.
And Lun…
Lun didn't stop.
"I KNOW YOU HAVE A NEW BOYFRIEND!" he shouted even louder, as if he was loving the attention.
"I'LL FIGURE OUT WHO IT IS!"
I looked at Chak.
He looked at Lun with a death stare.
I was afraid he would lose his patience.
I couldn't just stand there anymore.
I turned around.
The storage room dropped into absolute silence.
I stepped toward Lun, hearing Taeng whisper behind me,
"Niran… don't…"
But I didn't stop.
"Lun," I said, cold and sharp — way more confident than I actually felt.
"Even if I have a boyfriend—"
For a split second, I looked at Chak.
Time stopped.
His gaze — icy but dangerously focused — locked onto mine.
As if he was waiting for my next words.
As if I was holding something that belonged to him too.
"…it wouldn't be your business," I finished.
Lun flinched like someone had slapped him.
"What we had is in the past," I added quietly but firmly.
"Accept it."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Lun opened his mouth…
closed it…
opened it again.
No words came out.
His face went pale, his eyes wide — like he was realizing for the first time that it was truly over.
I turned around.
Taeng was staring at me with raised eyebrows.
Non stood beside him, mouth slightly open.
"Bro," Non whispered, "that was brutal."
I just shook my head, trying to calm my pounding heart.
But inside, I knew something no one else did.
I didn't break.
I didn't hide.
And I didn't apologize.
And I knew exactly who my heart belonged to.
To my cold, cute, icy man.
For a moment, I just stood there, my back to Lun, my pulse still racing in my ears.
Then I felt it.
A hand on my arm.
Taeng.
He didn't say anything — he didn't have to.
He hugged me like a brother.
He's my best friend, but for me he is my brother.
Non stepped closer too, standing at my other side.
"Hey," he said quietly, but loud enough for me to hear,
"you did nothing wrong."
I exhaled shakily.
Amara was the next one to move.
She walked straight toward me, head high, eyes sharp — protective in a way that surprised me.
"That was low, Lun," she said coldly, not even looking at him.
"Really low."
Pim nodded beside her.
"I don't care if he's gay or not."
Anamarija looked at Lun with a cold face.
But when she looked at me and smiled, her gaze was full of warmth.
Even Kit stepped forward, phone finally forgotten.
"Yeah," he added casually,
"that was unnecessary."
One by one, they closed in around me — not crowding, not suffocating — just enough to make it clear.
I wasn't alone.
But then…
I felt it again.
That gaze.
I looked up.
Chak.
He was standing a few steps away, arms crossed, posture straight, his expression unreadable.
Cold.
Distant.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
He was angry.
He wanted to defend me.
But he knew he couldn't — because he was afraid that if people found out we were dating…
He was just watching.
And I felt his love.
Amara leaned closer to me, lowering her voice.
"I think you're going to get fired," she whispered, her eyes flicking toward Chak.
"Look at how he's staring at you."
"Why would I be fired?" I asked her with some nervousness.
"Don't you remember?" she said.
"Chak hates gay people."
My stomach dropped.
I followed her gaze.
Chak's eyes were still on me — sharp, assessing, impossible to read.
Not protective.
Not soft.
Professional.
CEO.
I swallowed.
"I hope not," I said quietly.
Outwardly, my voice sounded calm.
Steady.
But inside… I knew.
I knew he wouldn't fire me.
Because the way he was looking at me wasn't rejection.
It was restraint.
And restraint, with Chak, was far more dangerous than anger.
The silence didn't last long.
Chak's voice cut through the storeroom — calm, firm, unmistakably authoritative.
"Take your luggage," he said.
"Meet in front of the hotel in fifteen minutes."
No emotion.
No explanation.
Just an order.
Everyone straightened instinctively.
No one questioned Chak.
We grabbed our suitcases and headed toward our rooms.
The hallway slowly returned to its quiet state, but the tension stayed — heavy, clinging, unresolved.
Back in the room, Non shut the door behind us with a soft click.
"Okay," he said, dropping his bag onto the bed.
"That was… intense."
Taeng didn't answer.
He was watching me.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah," I lied, forcing a small smile.
"Just… need a second."
I pulled the suitcase closer and unzipped it.
I pushed my clothes aside — everything looked normal at first.
My shirts.
Jeans.
Swimsuit.
Then my fingers stopped.
Something smooth.
Too light.
I pulled it out.
A shirt.
Gray — soft, almost silver under the light.
Thin.
Sheer enough that anything underneath would be visible.
The fabric had a subtle lace pattern woven through it — delicate, intentional, undeniably sensual.
My breath caught.
This wasn't mine.
I stared at it, my fingers tightening around the fabric.
It was… beautiful.
Dangerous.
And absolutely not something I would ever pack for myself.
Slowly, I unfolded it completely.
The material was daring — transparent in all the wrong places, clinging even without a body inside it.
The kind of shirt that didn't hide anything…
It revealed.
My pulse spiked.
I didn't say a word.
Taeng and Non were busy on the other side of the room, arguing about who'd stolen whose charger.
I didn't ask them.
I didn't want to.
I already knew.
This wasn't a mistake.
I folded the shirt back carefully, my hands suddenly unsteady, and placed it on top of my clothes.
My mind raced.
Why would this be in my suitcase?
And then a memory flashed —
Chak's eyes earlier.
That look.
Sharp.
Possessive.
Controlled.
Like he'd already decided something… without asking.
I swallowed hard.
Was this meant for me?
Or worse—
Was this meant to be seen on me?
I closed the suitcase quietly and stood up, my heart beating far too fast for no reason at all.
Whatever Chak had planned…
I had a feeling I was already part of it.
I took a slow breath and reached for my toiletry bag.
Maybe I just needed something familiar.
Something normal.
I unzipped it and glanced inside.
Toothbrush.
Skincare.
Cologne.
Everything exactly where it should be.
Then my fingers brushed against something unfamiliar.
Small.
Square.
I froze.
Slowly, I pulled it out.
A condom.
My mind went completely blank.
I stared at it for a long second, my heartbeat suddenly loud in my ears.
This definitely wasn't mine.
Did the maid put this in my suitcase for safety, or does she think me and Chak will use this thing?
The thought was a spark that instantly set my imagination ablaze.
I closed my eyes for just a heartbeat.
I saw the heavy velvet bedspread in Chak's room.
I saw myself lying there, wearing nothing but the gray, sheer shirt.
The soft lace barely covered anything, clinging to my skin, making me feel exposed and entirely his.
And then I saw Chak.
That cold, possessive look melting into something raw and hungry.
He would lean over me, his dark hair brushing my forehead.
His lips, always so severe when giving orders, would suddenly be everywhere—on my jaw, trailing down my neck, pressing against the sheer fabric covering my chest.
I imagined his hand, warm and firm, moving under the lace, pulling me closer.
His scent—wood smoke and authority—would fill the air.
His eyes, dangerously sharp just moments ago, would be filled only with me as he finally took what he had been restraining for so long.
Doing that thing with his love.
Cute icy man.
A violent blush rushed across my face, pulling me brutally back to reality.
I blushed.
No.
I'm not ready for this yet.
I was sure of that.
Heat crept up my neck as I stood there, holding it between my fingers like it might burn me.
I didn't look toward Taeng.
I didn't look toward Non.
I already knew better than to ask.
This wasn't a joke.
This wasn't an accident.
I slipped it back into the toiletry bag carefully, zipped it shut, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
My thoughts spiraled.
The shirt.
Now this.
It felt deliberate.
Calculated.
And suddenly Chak's voice echoed in my head again—
You're just mine.
I swallowed.
Whatever this was…
It wasn't innocent.
And for the first time since we arrived, I felt something shift inside me —
A mix of nervousness, confusion,
and something dangerously close to anticipation.