CHAPTER 62: THE GIRL IN YOUR ROOM.

Angela knew coming to Renn’s place was a mistake. It was never the solution to her problems. Instead, it had opened the door to even more trouble. Kaito had caught them. Caught her.

She clenched her teeth and paced back and forth in the bathroom. Her chest was heavy. Her heart beat fast like it was trying to escape. How was she going to fix this? How was she supposed to face him now?

And Renn? Did he even care that they had been caught?

"W-who are you talking about, bro?" Renn’s voice sounded unsure, almost nervous. He was probably scared that Kaito had figured it out.

Angela stood frozen behind the door. Her pulse throbbed in her ears. The fear of being exposed, of everything crashing down, made her feel sick. Every single day, it was one problem after another. No warning. No break. Just chaos.

"The girl in your room," Kaito replied. His voice was calm but sharp. "Do you now host them in your room? At night?"

"N-not really. This one just got me excited. I tried to set up a small date," Renn said, trying to keep his voice steady. He hoped Kaito wouldn’t dig too deep. Not yet. If Kaito stayed too long, he’d figure it out.

"Is she from Luna Academy?" Kaito asked.

"Something like that," Renn answered quickly.

Kaito let out a slow breath and looked down at the table. He seemed to be thinking deeply before he said, "You should be careful. The price for keeping a girl in your room is huge."

Renn almost laughed at that. Coming from Kaito, it was funny. The same guy who had been hiding a girl since the term began was now warning him?

"You know Principal Valois won’t spare you. Or the girl."

"Enough about that woman," Renn said, the irritation clear in his voice. He didn’t want to hear her name. Not now. Not ever.

"What did she do to you?" Kaito asked, his brows drawn together. He looked genuinely confused. The tension between Renn and the principal had always been strange, but lately it had grown worse. "Every time she’s mentioned, you lose it. And when we’re around her..."

"I thought we were looking for Angel," Renn cut in, grabbing his jacket from the couch. He didn’t want to talk about Valois. Not with Kaito. Not with anyone. "Let’s go. Forget about Principal Valois for now."

Angela pressed her ear firmly against the door. She wanted to hear everything they were saying about Principal Valois. Renn hated that woman, and Angela couldn’t understand why. To her, the principal always acted like a decent person. But maybe there was something hidden behind that beauty. Maybe she was not as good as she looked.

When she was sure the boys had left, Angela stepped out of the bathroom. She had changed out of the dress and wore her usual oversized clothes. At first, she wanted to take the dress with her, but then she remembered—Kaito was her roommate. If he ever found it, she wouldn’t have a good explanation. She dropped the dress on Renn’s bed and hurried out of the room.

Outside, she bumped into Samuel. He was standing right by the hallway, almost like he had been waiting for her. Without asking, he walked beside her until they got to the west house. He stopped at the gate and looked at her.

"Renn said you should check your messages from time to time. He’ll keep you updated," he told her.

Angela looked up at him, wondering if he also knew her secret. But she didn’t want to ask. The last time she tried to dig too deep, she ended up in more trouble than she could handle. She gave a small nod. "Thank you. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Go ahead," Samuel replied with a calm tone. He seemed a lot more relaxed than she had expected.

"Why does Renn hate Principal Valois?" she asked quietly.

Samuel blinked. He looked at her like he didn’t expect the question. "I’m surprised you’re asking me that, but I’ll tell you what I know," he said. "Honestly, I don’t know why there’s so much hate between them. Maybe it’s nothing serious. Renn just doesn’t like people easily."

"I see..." Angela murmured. It made sense. Renn didn’t like people easily, but he liked her now. That was the problem. She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to feel anything for her. "I guess I’m the unlucky one then."

"We don’t get to choose who we like or love," Samuel said with a small smile. "If you really want to understand Renn, ask him. We don’t talk about our personal lives much."

"Okay. Thank you," Angela said, returning the smile. She turned and walked into her dorm.

When she got to her room, she picked out some clean clothes. She needed a quick bath. Her whole body still smelled like Renn. She couldn’t stand it.

She regretted saying yes to Stormy. If she hadn’t taken the bait, none of this would have happened. Now everything was messed up. Renn would think she wanted him. He would believe she enjoyed what happened between them.

Her phone buzzed. Angela picked it up and swiped the screen. The message was from Renn. She hadn’t even saved his number, but she knew it was him. She tapped to read it:

Hello babe, I guess you’re in your room right now. I spoke to Stales and we were able to convince Kaito that you went to study with him but left before he came. Keep the story going, dear.

Angela let out a deep sigh. Another lie to carry on. It was getting too much. Every day came with something new. Something risky. She knew Kaito wasn’t going to let it slide when the truth came out. He never did.

Just as she was about to drop the phone, another message came in.

Sleep well, babe. I’m missing you already.

A cold shiver ran through her body. Her fingers grew stiff, and something twisted in her stomach. Why was Renn doing this to her? Why was he making it harder?

Angela placed the phone on the drawer beside the bed. She grabbed her pajamas and walked slowly to the bathroom. The bath took longer than usual. She scrubbed her skin carefully, as though she could wash away the scent of him, the feeling of his touch. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wash away the memory he left in her head.

Her thoughts were scattered. She couldn’t stop seeing his face. The way he looked at her when she stepped out wearing that dress. He had stared like he couldn’t breathe. Like she had reached somewhere deep inside him without trying. It was like she awakened something he couldn’t control.

And then the kiss. That kiss.

His lips had taken hers like he was starving. Like he was claiming her. She could still feel the way his hands moved through her hair, the way they touched her skin like he was trying to memorize every part of her.

Angela closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She tried to breathe through it. She wouldn’t lie—she liked it. She liked every second of it. But why him? Why did it have to be Renn?

She forced herself to snap out of it and finished up. She rubbed her body with cream, brushed her teeth, sprayed her deodorant, and put on her pajamas. She needed to smell like herself again, not him.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she hoped to quickly crawl into bed before Kaito returned. Maybe she would avoid the questions. But luck wasn’t on her side.

"Where did you go to?" Kaito asked.

He was already in the room. His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of worry. He didn’t look angry. He looked like someone who had been scared.

"I went to Stales’ dormitory," Angela replied quietly. "But I came back when I started getting a headache."

"Are you okay? Did you take anything?" Kaito stepped closer, concern showing on his face. He looked at her like he wanted to make everything better.

"Yes, I did," she lied. She hated lying to him. He didn’t deserve it. But she had no choice. She prayed he would forgive her when the time came. "I just need to sleep. I’ll be fine by morning."

"Fine. Do that," Kaito said softly, stepping back to let her go to bed. But his eyes stayed on her. He was still watching. Still worried.

Angela lay on her bed, her heart still racing. Everything was spinning too fast. Her chest felt tight. Her thoughts kept chasing themselves. If this continued, she was sure she wouldn’t survive it.

She closed her eyes and hoped sleep would take her away. Maybe by morning, everything would make sense. Maybe she would wake up and realize none of it had happened. Maybe it was all just a dream.

Maybe.

Who knows?