“Starving,” he confirmed, nodding. The large hand resting casually on her waist began to slide upwards, fingers playfully brushing against her ribs in a way that hinted he might just take a bite out of her.
That playful threat was enough. Riley quickly squirmed away and sat up properly. “Okay, okay,” she said, her mind immediately racing, trying to remember what meager food supplies she had stashed in the dorm.
Alex genuinely was hungry. Eating a normal dinner and sleeping before midnight usually kept hunger at bay. But staying awake well past midnight, especially after an hour of rather strenuous… activity… inevitably led to a demanding appetite.
“Um, I have some instant noodles… is that okay?” She rarely bought treats or snacks; every spare cent went to her grandmother’s mounting hospital bills. The few packs of cheap noodles were strictly for emergencies like this.
“Perfect,” he nodded simply.
.…
With no actual cooking pot available, Riley resorted to using the electric water dispenser for hot water, carefully pouring it over the block of noodles in a bowl.
Digging into her small stash, she even found a pre-cooked corn sausage she’d bought from the tiny convenience store downstairs a few days ago, adding it to his bowl as a small extra offering.
Just like that, Riley had finished preparing their fancy meal: instant noodles, made special with a corn sausage she’d added just for Alex.
Alex climbed down from his bunk, pulled up a stool, and dug in like he was starving.
Honestly, a part of Riley desperately wanted to know if he liked it. But then she remembered who he was, Alex, a man surely used to gourmet meals and fine dining, not cheap dorm room noodles. Asking suddenly felt silly, so she stayed quiet, just watching him eat.
A typical hero from a story might have showered her with compliments over this simple meal, trying to make her feel good. But Alex wasn’t that hero. He offered no specific praise, just focused on eating, his speed impressive.
When he finished the noodles, he was actually quite full. But he made a show of lifting the bowl with both hands, pretending to slurp down every last drop of broth, though in reality, he only took a couple of tiny sips. He wanted her to think he couldn’t get enough.
It was a classic difference: a storybook hero might pour out his heart for the girl, but Alex, playing the villain, relied on strategy and calculated moves.
Knowing how to subtly pull the heroine’s strings at just the right moment was essential. His rule was simple: ‘He didn’t have to care about her, but she absolutely had to care about him.’
Watching him from behind her silvery glasses, Riley saw him finish everything, right down to the last drop of broth he pretended to drink. A small, warm flicker of satisfaction bloomed inside her chest.
“Are you full?” she asked softly. “I can make more if you’re still hungry.”
Alex nodded, setting the bowl down. “I’m full. That was good.”
He then made a point of checking his phone. The screen glowed: 1:00 AM. The dorm was utterly still, wrapped in the deep silence of the night.
“You sleepy?” he asked, his gaze turning back to her.
“Not really,” she admitted, shaking her head slightly.
Normally, her internal clock would have had her fast asleep hours ago. But the intense hour they’d just shared had left her wide awake, a nervous energy still buzzing beneath her skin. Sleep felt impossible right now.
A slow grin spread across Alex’s face. “Good.”
Riley blinked, her large eyes momentarily confused. What did he mean by—?
Oh.
She figured it out quickly.
Alex’s recovery time was officially over.
A deep, lingering kiss followed, stretching on for what felt like minutes, leaving her breathless. When it ended, Alex’s attention shifted, his hands beginning to explore again, this time focusing on a new place: the cool metal ladder leading up to her bunk bed.
The top few buttons of her thin white shirt came undone easily under his touch. He’d half-expected a flicker of resistance, maybe a shy push back from this girl who seemed so innocent. But there was none.
Instead, she surprised him by responding, her own hands meeting his with hesitant, clumsy touches that spoke volumes of her inexperience but also her willingness.
Has she already been… unlocked? Alex wondered briefly.
He couldn’t be sure. Had something truly shifted within her tonight? Or was this just the lingering effect, the residual heat still humming through her system from their earlier, passionate encounter?
Though she’d rested for nearly half an hour and regained some strength, it evaporated quickly under his renewed attention. Soon, her mind fogged over again, rational thought dissolving as pure sensation took over, her eyes glazing slightly.
For Alex, however, things were just getting started.
That ladder… she climbed it every single day to get into her bed. It was perhaps the most her spot in the entire room, unequivocally her territory.
But Riley proved surprisingly helpless here. Even on her own ‘territory,’ she soon found her legs trembling, unable to hold her steady even while gripping the rail tightly. She ended up pressed fully against the cool metal of the ladder rungs just to stay upright, her body pliant under his.
In the profound stillness of the night, the utter silence of the rest of the dorm only amplified the intimate sounds coming from their small corner, soft gasps, the rustle of clothes, the low murmur of his voice, making them seem impossibly loud in the quiet.
It became another one of his games: a battle of wills with the Quiet Game,’ as he sometimes thought of girls trying desperately to suppress their cries. He worked deliberately to draw sound from her; she fought just as hard, biting her lip, trying to remain silent.
But Alex had plenty of practice at this. He knew exactly how to push past those defenses. He’d dealt with quiet ones before, like Sera, many times.