The silence in the booth was absolute, a stark contrast to the digital war that had been raging seconds before. The only light left was the faint, ghostly glow of the emergency exit strip on the floor, casting long, jagged shadows against the soundproof walls.
Jaden's arms were still locked around April's waist, pulling her flush against him as they crouched in the narrow space between the sofa and the desk. She could feel the heavy thud of his heart through the back of his thin tech-wear shirt, a rapid, frantic rhythm that matched her own.
Outside the heavy door, muffled voices drifted through the hall. The heavy, measured footsteps of Marcus's driver grew louder, stopping directly in front of their suite. The handle jiggled a slow, metallic clack-clack that felt like a heartbeat.
April held her breath, her lungs burning. She was so close to Jaden that she could feel the coolness of his damp hair against her cheek and the scent of rain-washed sandalwood that seemed to define him. In the darkness, the boundaries of their "contract" felt dangerously thin.
Jaden's grip tightened instinctively. He leaned his forehead against the back of her shoulder, his breath hitching. To the world, he was the untouchable heir, the genius, the "King." But here, huddled on the floor of a dark room, he felt like a boy clinging to the only thing he had left.
"They're still there," April whispered, the sound barely a vibration.
"Don't move," Jaden breathed back. His voice was a low, rough velvet against her ear, sending a spark of heat through her that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
The handle turned one last time, more forcefully, before a voice grumbled something about "technical errors" and the footsteps began to recede down the hallway.
Even after the sound faded, Jaden didn't let go. The adrenaline was still humming between them, a live wire in the dark. Slowly, the tension shifted from fear to something else something heavier and more electric.
Jaden shifted, turning her around in the narrow space until they were face-to-face. Even in the dim light, his eyes were startlingly bright, reflecting the tiny violet LEDs of the PC towers. He looked at her not as a scholarship student or a "manager," but as the only person who had ever seen him fail, and the only person who had protected him anyway.
"Why didn't you just open the door?" Jaden asked, his voice a low rasp. His hand traveled from her waist to her face, his thumb grazing her lower lip with a feather-light touch. "You could have ended the rivalry right there. You could have shown them the photo and taken everything."
April's breath hitched. "I told you, Jaden. I don't want to destroy you. I want to win on my own terms."
"Is that all this is?" Jaden stepped closer, his shadow looming over her. The air between them was hot, charged with the lingering thrill of the escape. "Just a game for the rankings?"
He leaned in, his face inches from hers. The "Fake Boyfriend" act from the cafeteria was gone, replaced by a raw, magnetic pull. April could see the faint tremor in his hand as he reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin.
"You're a dangerous distraction, April Mendoza," he whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips.
For a second, the sound of the rain outside seemed to fade away. The world was reduced to the four walls of the booth and the heat radiating between them. Jaden's hand moved to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair, drawing her just a fraction closer.
Just as the silence reached a breaking point, the PC tower suddenly whirred back to life, the automatic reboot sequence flooding the room with a blinding white light.
The spell shattered.
Jaden pulled back instantly, blinking against the glare. He cleared his throat, his jaw tightening as he reclaimed his "Golden Boy" mask. The vulnerability was gone, hidden behind a wall of cold granite.
"They're gone," he said, his voice flat, though his eyes still held a trace of the fire from a moment ago. He turned back to the monitors, his fingers flying across the keys as if nothing had happened. "Check the cameras one last time. We need to leave through the back alley."
April stood up, her legs feeling like jelly. She smoothed out her green vest, her heart still racing a mile a minute. "Right. The alley."
She looked at the back of his head, at the rigid line of his shoulders. She realized then that Jaden Sterling wasn't just hiding a gaming secret; he was hiding a heart that was far more chaotic than any professional tournament.
"Jaden?" she called out softly as she reached the door.
He didn't turn around. "What?"
"Don't forget. Tomorrow is the Physics quiz. 99.2%."
Jaden's shoulders slumped just a fraction. "I know the deal, April. Just... get home safe."