The moment Tilia realized that the man in front of her was not a hallucination or a figment of her imagination, she instinctively frowned.
Why is he here?
Before she could completely block her view, hastily closing the curtain in annoyance, the man standing at the foot of the dorm stairs whispered again:
- If you don't come down...
Unable to take her eyes off his lips moving in the darkness, Tilia furiously closed the curtains as soon as his words stopped.
However, the next moment, her shadow hesitated a little, and then abruptly stood up from her chair. She ran out of the room, her steps heavy and loud.
The man watching her enraged silhouette let out a quiet chuckle, Tilia, angrily stomping down the stairs, could not see his surprisingly soft smile.
***
-Are you satisfied now?
Tilia shot Ilex Davenport an angry look, her face clearly displeased.
- Don't even think about screaming my name. Get out of here.
But unlike the woman who had been lured outside, the man looking at her was as relaxed as ever.
- You are dressed lightly.
- Why are you even here?
- Even if I offer you my jacket, you still won’t take it.
- Ilex Davenport. Why are you here?
- Don't go if Mackenzie Fitz calls you.
Tilia's face, having been struggling to contain her irritation, finally turned cold as the conversation continued to go sideways.
- He's a problem. If possible, avoid contact with him.
Ignoring her reaction, Ilex continued:
- Honestly, I would like to kick him out of the study group, but I can’t do it.
Ha. At these words, Tilia could no longer restrain herself and burst into malicious laughter.
Of all people, he is the one who says this.
- Are you introducing yourself or what?
- I? Do you think I'm causing trouble?
The man raised his eyebrows as if he had just heard an absurd accusation.
-Have I ever given you any trouble?
Tilia, who was about to snap, barely kept her words.
The moment she opened her mouth, she realized that the situation would turn against her. Bringing up the topic of what happened in bed was exactly the direction he wanted to take the conversation.
Ilex seemed to understand why Tilia was keeping her mouth closed and laughed briefly.
- You were studying, right?
His casual tone, as if her anger didn't bother him at all, made Tilia's eyes sparkle with anger. The way he acted as if he knew her well only added fuel to her simmering frustration.
- And what?
What irritated her most was that she was actually studying, just as he had expected.
Feeling that her most hated enemy had read her thoughts, Tilia lashed out at him in irritation.
- Did you plant a spy in my room?
- No, nothing like that.
Despite her harsh reaction, the man, shrouded in an almost steely calm, calmly replied:
- There are ink stains on your hand.
-……
- You must have been taking notes. I did the same.
The warmth in his voice, which sounded almost friendly, sapped her strength.
This was always the case when she started a conversation with Ilex Davenport.
While she felt confused, trembling with emotion, he acted as if her visible agitation was nothing more than hypersensitivity.
Realizing the repeating pattern, she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
"…I'm tired".
She didn't have time for such quarrels. It was a waste of energy.
“You came all this way just to say something so trivial...
Just as she was about to end the conversation and turn away.
- So, about this man... I was told...
Not far away she heard a young, excited voice.
Turning her head, she saw the silhouettes of a man and woman walking up the hill, shoulder to shoulder.
And they weren't the only couple. Behind them, she noticed several more couples walking up the slope toward the girls' dorm, huddled together.
These were student couples who lingered near the dormitory, not wanting to leave.
Only after seeing them did Tilia realize that in front of the women's dormitory, located at the far end of the academy grounds, people gathered at night to see off their loved ones.
And for these loving couples, Tilia and Ilex Davenport, standing together, probably looked exactly like them.
No, that won't work.
Tilia's expression became alarmed as she realized this.
No one should know that she stood in front of the women's dormitory at night with this man. There were already rumors about her and him, and she couldn't add fuel to the fire.
Persistent letters from her father demanding investment, who followed her all the way to the academy dormitory, were the least of her worries.
The biggest threat was Cecilia Clayton - unpredictable and changeable.
- …Why?
Seeing Tilia looking at him with concern, Ilex lowered his voice slightly and asked:
- Do you have anything to say?
Last week, Cecilia Clayton, having learned that Ilex Davenport had joined Tilia's study group, came into her class from another lecture hall only to stare at her for a long time.
Tilia pretended nothing had happened, but deep down she couldn't shake the worry. Especially when she thought about her roommate, who knew nothing and slept peacefully in their shared room.
Driven by seemingly irrational anger, Cecilia Clayton's rage will stop at nothing.
When her thoughts reached this point, Tilia instinctively grabbed Ilex's hand. She felt his body tense in response to her sudden touch, but she didn't have time to worry.
- Let's just leave.
Tilia whispered, roughly dragging him along. His strangely tense voice reached her.
- Where?
- Anywhere. Somewhere where it's dark.
- …Why?
His voice, sounding slightly hoarse, slowly scratched her ear.
“…Why do you want to go to a dark place?”
-Are you seriously asking?
In contrast to his calm demeanor, Tilia's voice was harsh and impatient as she pulled at the man, who refused to budge.
- People are coming. If they see you and me alone at this hour, do you think the rumors will become less dirty?
At her upset words, Ilex's previously relaxed expression hardened. But Tilia was too busy to notice the change.
By this time the couples were close enough for their faces to be visible. Tilia bit her lip, unconsciously squeezing his hand tighter.
Nobody should see us. If rumors spread, my father might come to the academy dormitory to put pressure on me for investment...
While she stood frozen with a pale face, a sigh was suddenly heard from above. Surprised, she looked up, only to find a warm jacket draped over her shoulders.
- Let's go.
He gently removed Tilia's grip and intertwined their fingers. Tilia, eyes wide at the warmth of his hand, allowed herself to be led as he spoke indifferently.
- I know a secluded place where no one will be.
***
As soon as she came to her senses, Tillia's first action was to abruptly pull her hand away from Ilex's. The next action was to take off the jacket he had draped over her shoulders.
- I don't need it. Take it back.
After making sure that no one was nearby, Tilia returned his jacket to him in a cold voice.
- Just carry it yourself.
- You'll catch a cold. Don't take it off.
- If you don't take it, I'll just throw it on the ground.
Even after hearing her words, Ilex simply looked at her silently.
Does he think I won't do this?
With a cynical smile, Tilia loosened her grip on her jacket.
With a quiet thud, the expensive jacket fell to the dirty ground.
But its owner didn't even look at the now dirty jacket. Instead, he simply glanced briefly at Tilia before slowly walking away, like an indifferent owner leaving his property.
- If you go this way, you will find the back door, which is used by the hostel caretakers. If you go there, you can enter the girls' dorm through the back door without being noticed.
Tilia was stunned by his unexpected reaction. She blinked as she saw the expensive, tailored jacket thrown away like trash.
- You better hurry up. Soon this place will be filled with couples doing things they don't want others to see.
Ilex spoke without the slightest hint of affection in his voice. However, unlike him, Tilia, who had thrown her jacket, could not move.
If this place really was a place for secret meetings of lovers, then isn’t this a reason to take the jacket with you?
If anyone sees the name embroidered on it, they will surely spread terrible rumors...
- If you want rumors to spread about you and me, stay there. I can hold your hand all night if you want.
After his words, she turned around without thinking.
Whether rumors spread or not didn't matter. Her reputation was already tarnished; It couldn't have been worse.
As Tilia approached, her hands indifferently hidden behind her back, Ilex smiled slightly and began to walk again.