Chapter 40
Charis
I’d woken up an hour ago to an empty room.
For the first time in what felt like days, rather than feeling abandoned, I’d felt a sense of relief—finally, some space to breathe and think without his intense gaze atching me.
Deciding to make myself useful, I’d spent the morning tidying up. I swept and cleaned the room thoroughly, changed the bedsheets with fresh ones I’d found in his closet, and placed the used linens in the laundry basket. It felt good to be productive, to contribute something positive after being such a burden.
The only problem was that I didn’t have my toiletries. I had to change the itchy bandage around my chest, clean my wounds and change into fresh clothes. I knew I’d have to go back to Slater’s room eventually to collect my things, but when I tried to open Kael’s door to go out, I discovered it was locked and there was no spare key.
So now, I sat waiting, hugging my knees to my chest, with a slight smile on my lips, waiting for Kael to return.
When I finally heard the door unlocking, I rose to my feet immediately with a bright smile.
“Good morning,” I greeted Kael cheerfully as he entered.
He muttered something back to me that sounded like a greeting. His eyes flicked around the room, narrowing as they took in the perfectly made bed, the rearranged books and the swept room.
His eyes darkened. “You shouldn’t have he started.
I didn’t wait for him to finish.
“I don’t mind at all! It’s the least I can do to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for letting me stay the night. I wanted to show my appreciation p>
He sighed heavily and walked straight to the bed. In one fluid motion, he yanked the covers from the bed, scattering the pillows I’d carefully arranged and destroying the neat hospital corners I’d spent time perfecting.
He turned to face me, his eyes had gone cold with annoyance. “Fine, I’m going to let you stay for a few more days until your brother finds a solution to your housing situation. But can you please stop touching my stuff p>
I was taken aback. “I wasn’t touching your stuff, I was only trying to p>
“Don’t make my bed,” he cut me short. “Don’t fluff my pillows. Don’t rearrange my belongings. Don’t do anything except exist quietly. The only things I want you to do while you’re here are sleep, bathe, and keep out of my way, nothing else p>
I didn’t know what to make of his sudden hostility and coldness. Just last night, he’d been almost tender when tucking me in, and now he was treating me like an intruder.
“I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my gaze, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I was trying to help p>
He gestured toward a bag sitting by the door that I hadn’t noticed before. “That’s from Slater. Your things p>
He turned and walked back toward the door.
“Wait,” I called after him, softly. “I…I don’t have the key p>
He stopped, sighed like it pained him, and dropped off a spare key card on the coffee table without looking back at me. Then he walked out, leaving me standing alone in the scattered room.
I felt so hurt that tears threatened to spill over, but I held them back. I was tired of crying, tired of being so dependent on these boys.
“Stop it,” I told myself. “You came here to escape controlling men, not to start collecting new ones. Fix your damn accommodation and get out of here p>
The pep talk did nothing to lighten my mood.
After showering and getting dressed in the clean clothes Slater had sent, I left the room and headed to the dining hall. I needed food, and I needed to start figuring out how to become independent in this place.
In the dining hall, I ate quietly by myself, gradually becoming aware that most of the senior students were absent. I didn’t see Kael anywhere, nor Peter, Marcus or even Slater.
The hall felt oddly empty for a morning meal, with mostly younger students scattered around.
As I tried not to overthink it, maybe they were preparing for the induction. I took a bite of my toast, chewing quietly as I thought of Kael.
Why did he have to be so cold? One moment, he was offering tissues, and the next, he was scolding me like I’d broken a sacred rule by cleaning up.
I let out a slow sigh and reached for my juice when someone suddenly appeared beside me.
“BOO p>
I jumped violently, my spoon flying from my hand to clatter loudly on the floor. My orange juice slouched out of its pack, soaking into my napkin, and my heart hammered against my ribs as I spun around to see who had startled me.
My hands flew to my chest as I tried to catch my breath, feeling momentarily dizzy from the shock.
“What the hell?” I gasped, looking up to see who had scared me so badly.
Standing beside my table with a broad, mischievous grin was Rhett, looking far healthier than he had any right to be, considering he’d just been released from the hospital.
“Moons, Rhett,” I hissed, glaring at him. “Are you insane p>
“Sorry,” he said, though his expression suggested he wasn’t sorry at all. “I couldn’t resist. You looked so deep in thought, sitting here all alone p>
I bent to retrieve my fallen spoon, grateful that everyone had gone back to what they were doing before I shouted. “You nearly gave me a heart attack p>
“Good thing I’m the one with the heart condition then,” he replied cheerfully, settling into the chair across from me without invitation. “Mind if I join you? This place is eerily quiet this morning, and I could use some company p>
Despite my lingering annoyance at being startled, I felt a wave of relief at seeing a friendly face. After Kael’s cold treatment and the general atmosphere of tension I’d been sensing, Rhett’s warm presence was precisely what I needed.
“Leave me alone,” I murmured.
Rhett tsked, leaning a little closer. “Is that any way to talk to your biggest fan? You’re trending again, you know p>
I clenched my jaw and stared at him flatly, trying not to let the panic show on my face.
“Trending? Is it Marcus this time?” I asked.
Rhett shook his head. “Nope, your kissing scene with Kael made it to the campus gist. It’s currently trending at number one p>