Zein's Point of View
I pressed my lips together, trying to fight back the nausea. I leaned back in my chair, hoping the spinning in my head would stop.
"You really came here just to drink?" Vanessa asked, her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "You could have done this at home. You're making a mess of my apartment."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I *am* a mess, Van. You don't have to remind me," I replied bitterly.
She sighed and looked out the window into the darkness. "Does he know you're here?"
I shook my head. I had just run away. "He almost got hurt again because of me," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. Am I really that clumsy? Am I dangerous to be around? Is his life always going to be at risk as long as he's with me?
"He chose to risk himself to save you, Zein. That's not your fault."
I laughed bitterly. I knew that, but I couldn't accept it. I knew Ace would do anything for me, and I'd do the same for him, but the guilt was eating me alive. My skin crawled as I remembered that man's smile—the one in the cap. I didn't see his face, but that grin... it made every hair on my body stand up.
"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked, seeing me drift off again.
I swallowed and poured another glass of wine, gulping it down. "Why is it so hot in here?"
"Zein! Don't take your clothes off!" Vanessa cried as I started fumbling with my blouse. "The AC is on! You're just drunk!"
I laughed. "The AC is on full blast and I'm still burning up... Tell me, Van, am I really that hot?"
I was gone. Drunk. I had no filter. I stood up and tugged at my blouse.
"What the hell?!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Put some clothes on! You'll get sick and Ace will blame me!"
I felt a weird sense of relief, even if I was just standing there in my jeans and a bra. I reached for the bottle again, but a hand suddenly stopped me. I snorted as Ace snatched the glass away and handed it to Vanessa.
"Let's go home," Ace said, not even looking at me.
This guy? He still had some explaining to do. I'd tried to seduce him earlier and got nothing!
"Ace..."
"Zein... I'm taking you home."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him close, claiming his lips. I felt so lucky to have him in my life. Could I ever let him go? Never. He wrapped his black blazer around me to cover me up.
"Let's go home," he said, his eyes intense. "We'll talk there."
He got me into the car, turned off the AC, and rolled down the windows.
"You didn't even say goodbye to Vanessa," he muttered, irritation evident in his voice. "Damn." He hit the horn hard, the noise echoing through the empty street.
"Why are you honking?!" I shouted. There were no other cars. He was just being a brat.
When we got back to the condo, he sat me down on the sofa. I braced myself for the lecture.
"Zein, you're not—"
"I shouldn't have gone out at night without telling you, I know," I interrupted, mimicking a lecture. "What if something bad happened? You'd die of worry. I won't do it again. This is an order from the Highest Supreme Student Government!"
He actually grinned, shaking his head as he sat next to me. "Zein, you shouldn't drink without me because I know how you get. This is an order from your boyfriend," he said, laughing softly. "I love you." He gave me a quick kiss.
After a shower, I dried my hair. I felt better, but a cold breeze suddenly caught me. The white curtains were fluttering. I went to the window to lock it and realized I hadn't opened it this morning. I'd left it locked.
I shrugged it off. Maybe Ace had opened it for some reason? Then, I saw something on the table. I jumped for joy.
My cellphone. The one with the Dora casing.
How did it get here? Maybe someone returned it to Ace? It smelled a bit weird, like the trash, so I wiped it down with alcohol and plugged it in to charge. I lay down on the bed, feeling grateful. Ace had saved me again. One day, I promised myself, I would make it up to him.
The next morning, I felt amazing. I was productive in class and even baked a cake in the lab.
"Who is that for?" Vanessa asked.
"You already know," I replied.
"You're so whipped, Zein."
I ignored her and finished the cake. "Watch this for me, Van. I'm going to grab a burger, I'm starving."
"Buy me one too!" she yelled as I walked out.
I ran into Cedric in the hallway. "What now?" I asked.
"I just wanted to apologize," he said shyly. "I shouldn't have tricked you about that meeting."
"Okay."
"Wait—did you get your phone back?" he asked.
I pulled it out and showed him. "Yes, thank you."
"Thank *me*? No—"
I didn't stay to hear the rest. I grabbed burgers and drinks and headed back. On the way, I bumped into Ace and Matt.
"Mud!" I jumped. "Why are you sneaking up on me?"
"Is all that food for you?" Ace asked with a frown.
"No, for me and Vanessa."
"Since when did you become a servant?" he grumbled. "I treat you like a queen, and you're playing delivery girl for others?"
I just kissed his cheek and kept going. That man is the King of Overreacting.
Later that afternoon, I packed the cake to give to Ace. I called his phone, but it rang for a long time before he picked up.
"Hello?" I said.
Silence. The call was active, but no one was speaking. Then the line went dead. Weird.
A moment later, a text came from Ace's number: *Meet me at the cafe.*
I took a taxi and carried the cake box inside. The place was empty.
"Excuse me," a waiter said. "Are you Zein Shion?"
"Yes."
"This entire cafe is reserved for you," he said before walking away.
I was thrilled. What a romantic surprise, Ace! But as I sat there alone, the silence started to feel heavy. It felt like someone was watching me from the shadows. My phone rang—an unknown number. I ignored it. But deep down, I felt like ignoring that call was a huge mistake.
Cedric's Point of View
Something is wrong. Why did Zein thank me for the phone? I wasn't the one who returned it.
I had tried to follow Zein after she left the cafe yesterday because she'd forgotten her phone on the chair, but a car blocked my path. A man had stepped out.
"I'll take it to her," the man had said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Zein's friend... I am **Hell**."