With the soft, steady sound of running water in the background, Noah hugged the blanket and let sleep pull him under.
Since things had already gone the way Evelyn wanted, there was no point arguing or resisting. His sister would never truly hurt him. At least, that was what he believed.
He didn't know when the water stopped.
Half-asleep, he felt someone poke his cheek, followed by a few gentle calls that slowly dragged him back toward consciousness.
"Evelyn… you're done showering?"
"That was fast enough. How did you fall asleep so quickly?"
"Tired…" His mind was still foggy. "What were you going to do?"
"Do you remember why I dragged you over here in the first place?"
"Punishment…" he murmured. "I'll listen. Whatever you say."
Evelyn looked at him curled around the blanket, eyes half-open, lashes drooping, his face already sinking back into the pillow. The sight drained her of any remaining urge to tease him.
"Still that sleepy?" she said softly. "Now I almost feel bad."
"Can I… keep sleeping?"
"Drink this milk first." She tapped his arm and handed him a glass of warm milk.
Noah sat up obediently and drank it all in one go.
He was too tired to notice the faint bitterness mixed in with the milk, and too unfocused to wonder why she'd woken him just to make him drink it.
"You can't hug the blanket like that," she said, tugging it free and pulling it back over him. "There'll be nothing left to cover you."
Then she lay down beside him.
"If you want to hold something, hold me."
"Mmm…"
His eyes closed again almost immediately, limbs slack as sleep reclaimed him. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her, unusually proactive, instinctively seeking warmth.
For a moment, it was like he'd gone back to being a child, the little boy who used to trail after his sister everywhere, simple and unguarded.
Listening to the soft syllables he murmured in his sleep, Evelyn's eyes curved into a quiet smile. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Good night, my little fool."
…
He slept deeply and peacefully. Too peacefully.
By the time Noah woke up, it was already 7:30.
He sprang out of bed, rushed through washing up, and hastily ate the breakfast Evelyn had prepared while it was still warm. On the way out, he messaged his roommates, begging them to bring his textbooks.
First period was a required political theory class, the kind taken only for credits. No one liked it.
Unfortunately, the professor was notorious. Roll call, cold-calling, pop quizzes. Nothing was spared, and he docked participation points without mercy.
Only the students who managed to grab back-row seats could relax slightly. Everyone else had to sit upright and pretend to listen.
At least the class ended at 10:30.
During the last half hour, Ryan checked the time on his phone more than ten times, whispering complaints nonstop.
"Crap, I forgot my umbrella," he groaned.
Noah turned to look out the window. Fine rain streaked across the concrete, the sky dark and heavy.
"Did anyone bring one?" Noah asked.
"We woke up late. Just ran straight here."
"It's fine," Miles said cheerfully. "We'll just run back. Free shower."
"Yeah, whatever."
They endured the last ten minutes. When the professor finally dismissed class, the room erupted in noise as students packed up and poured out.
Noah stayed seated, glancing at his phone instead of leaving. Ryan patted his shoulder.
"You not going?"
"It's crowded. I'll wait. You guys go."
"Alright. Rain's getting worse. Be careful."
"It's fine."
The classroom emptied quickly. Cold, damp air crept in, making the room feel clammy and quiet. Noah remembered checking the schedule earlier. This room had no more classes scheduled for the morning.
Evelyn had sent him more practice problems than he'd finished. The dorm was too loud to focus. Sitting here a bit longer made sense.
The rain really was getting heavier, pounding down like it wanted to drive everyone indoors.
Noah wasn't worried. The classroom next door had Evelyn's calculus lecture next. He could just share her umbrella back.
He sat in the middle row, opened the file on his phone, and started working again. The back door was still open. Students passing by could see his back without trying.
Lila's class ended at the same time.
"Didn't bring an umbrella?"
He looked up. She was standing beside him.
"Yeah," he said with a mild smile. "Didn't check the weather."
"I have one. I can walk you back."
She lifted a small folding umbrella. Black, with white flowers printed along the edges. It wasn't big. If they shared it, they'd have to stand close.
He remembered walking under the same umbrella with her before. She'd cling to his arm, worried about her white dress getting wet, never noticing how the umbrella tilted, how his shoulder always got soaked.
"No need," Noah said gently. "I'm going to sit a bit longer. You should go."
"It's raining harder. It might not stop all afternoon."
"It's okay. I've got a plan."
"What plan?" Her voice rose despite herself.
Since they broke up, he hadn't accepted any of her kindness. The distance between them kept growing. Even before they were together, he'd never pushed her away like this.
He still smiled, calm and unmoved.
"My sister's coming to get me. You should go, Lila. Don't worry about me."
"Fine," she snapped. "You've got Evelyn. You don't need me anyway."
She turned and ran out of the classroom before he could say anything else.
Noah scratched his head, helpless, but didn't chase after her.
He'd said and done what he needed to. There was no reason to manage her emotions the way he used to.
There would be time later to sort things out. He just needed to keep the right distance.
Lowering his head, he focused on the problems again. There was still time before noon. He finished the rest just as the fourth bell rang.
A slender hand landed on his head, gently ruffling his hair.
"Did you wait long?"
"No. I had things to do." He packed up his notebook and phone. "Let's go, Evelyn."
"Alright."
Outside, the rain was pouring. Wind drove sheets of water through the air, cold and sharp, as if the entire city were being soaked through.
—
The white clock hung at the front of the classroom, its hands circling again and again. After failing to solve the same problem for the third time, Noah finally gave up, setting his pen down with something close to resignation.
He shook out his aching hand, flipped the test paper back to the first page, and forced himself to read through it again from the top.
He had already checked each question once after finishing, at least roughly.
But this was Evelyn's explicit instruction, so he had no choice but to obey.
The exam was exactly as difficult as expected. Every problem felt like something that would normally be saved for the very last question on a regular test, dense and complicated from beginning to end.
Even with Evelyn's intensive review sessions beforehand, working through it was still a struggle.
"Fifteen minutes remaining," a clear, pleasant female voice announced from the front of the room, prompting several students to speed up their writing.
Noah looked up at the proctor who had stopped in front of his desk and gave her a small, ingratiating smile.
Evelyn's expression remained calm and unreadable. She lightly tapped his paper with her fingertip, signaling him to keep going.
When it came to anything related to studying, she was always strict and serious, never allowing him to slack off.
Lowering his gaze back to the paper, Noah could only continue wrestling with the questions.
In theory, he could have handed in the exam early during the final fifteen minutes.
But he knew perfectly well that if he did, he'd be paying for it later.
Almost reflexively, he glanced at the clock again.
It had been three days since Lila snapped at him, saying, "You have Evelyn. You don't need me anyway." Since then, she hadn't sent him a single message. On the rare occasions they crossed paths, she avoided him immediately, as if determined to cut him off completely.
That wasn't what Noah wanted. Once the exam ended, he planned to rush over to the campus singing competition to try and smooth things over. Even if they had broken up, there was no reason for things to end this badly.
The bell rang right on time.
Because many students had already turned in their papers early, the exam room was nearly empty by the time Noah stood up to submit his test. He hurried to the wall, retrieved his phone from the storage pouch, and bolted out.
Watching his retreating figure, Evelyn's dark eyes flickered with a trace of displeasure. Still, she said nothing, turned back, gathered the papers, and delivered them to the office.
…
By the time Noah arrived, it was already late. The competition venue was still packed, nearly every seat filled. He lingered at the entrance for a while before finally spotting a secluded empty seat in a corner.
Leaning closer to the guy next to him, he whispered, "Has Lila gone on yet?"
"Not yet," the guy replied casually. "I think she's up in two more. Heard she's this year's campus beauty. A lot of people came just to see her."
Noah had seen enough of her already. Lila, Nora, and Maya were all beautiful girls.
But looks were just looks. He didn't really understand why strangers would be that interested.
And no matter how he compared them, he still thought Evelyn was the most beautiful.
He shrugged. "Haven't people already seen her photos online? What's there to be curious about?"
"That's exactly why they're curious. Campus beauty, you know? Gotta see if the rumors match reality. Plus, I heard she just broke up with her boyfriend."
"Oh… is that so…"
Noah scratched his cheek awkwardly and turned away. Of course he knew. He was the boyfriend in question. Fortunately, the guy beside him didn't recognize him.
One performance ended, another contestant left the stage, and a girl he didn't recognize came up next. Noah glanced at his phone and sent Lila a message.
"I finished my exam and made it over. Good luck."
"Okay…"
Her reply was curt, and nothing else followed. Noah put his phone away and watched the last performance before her turn.
The girl on stage sang well, objectively speaking, but Noah had never been particularly sensitive to music or art. He listened, made a vague judgment, and that was it.
Then, as if she were the main attraction, the applause grew noticeably louder. A portion of the audience, clearly including the guy next to him, seemed to have come just for this moment.
Lila stepped onto the stage in a soft white dress. Beneath the hem, a glimpse of her slender, pale ankle showed. Her makeup was light, but it only made her already striking features stand out more. Under countless gazes, she walked gracefully to the microphone and stopped.
The opening notes flowed from the speakers, suppressing the noise in the crowd. Her voice followed, gentle and clear, spreading through the hall.
Noah remembered that her family had enrolled her in vocal training for a few years. She had always had a good natural tone.
The song she chose was calm and airy, perfectly suited to her voice. As she sang, the sound lingered, soothing, almost comforting.
Gradually, the song came to an end. Applause erupted across the venue. Lila bowed deeply toward the audience, then slowly exited the stage.
Two or three more contestants followed, but the atmosphere never quite recovered. Noah lost interest in watching. He stayed only to hear the judges announce the results so he could congratulate her properly.
After another ten minutes of waiting through formal speeches, the host finally announced the rankings.
Noah heard clearly. Lila placed second.
He asked the guy next to him about the first-place winner. Apparently, it was a music major.
Second place was still a solid result. As soon as the competition ended, Noah headed backstage to find her.
Lila had wrapped herself in a thick black coat and was sitting in a corner, holding a cup of hot tea, sipping quietly. She showed no sign of pride or excitement at all.
He pulled over a chair and sat carefully beside her. "Congrats. Second place… that's really good, right?"
Steam fogged the air in front of her face. She looked up at him, clearly still sulking. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your precious sister instead of coming to see me?"
"You asked me to come," he said gently. "And my sister's probably still busy grading exams."
"Oh?" she dragged out the word deliberately. "So you only came because Evelyn was busy. Thanks for gracing me with your presence, Noah."
"We're still friends," he replied. "Of course I'd come."
She took another sip of tea and didn't continue mocking him. They weren't what they used to be anymore. Friends was the most accurate word for their relationship now, and she couldn't deny that.
Losing the right to act spoiled around him hurt more than she wanted to admit.
"It's cold outside," she said after a moment, turning to look at him. "Can you walk me back to the dorm?"
"Sure," he said easily, standing up. "Let's go."