Xavier was trending in the universal network, and Lucas and Ethan were trending too, but for a different reason.
Xavier was still reeling from his first VR experience.
His body ached in strange places—not painful, just unfamiliar. The kind of exhaustion that ca from moving too much after never moving at all. Jumping, running, fighting... It had only been a few hours in-ga, but in real life, it felt like he’d sprinted through several marathons. The VR pod was good, smooth, almost seamless, but even with the best tech, his muscles still rembered their real limitations.
He peeled the pod suit off and headed for the shower. The water was hot. Too hot. But he didn’t lower the temperature. He let it scald his skin while steam fogged the mirror. His mind was still playing the raid back on loop—the boss fight, the crowd, the trend feeds, Lucas’s face when he got banned. He let out a chuckle.
Once clean and dressed, he stepped out of his room. The corridor was quiet, but the lights under the girls’ doors were still on. The doors were shut, though. Maybe they were sleeping. Or maybe watching the streams about him. Xavier was too tired to care. His stomach growled.
He checked the fridge. There were leftovers. Cold pasta, a half-eaten olette, sothing that might’ve been soup. Looked like the girls had tried cooking sothing earlier. He took a bite from the pasta. Chewed once. Stopped. Put it back. He wasn’t that desperate.
After throwing on a hoodie and swapping elevators at the ground floor, he headed to the 10th floor where Seraphina’s restaurant was.
It was dark inside. Most of the lights were off. Chairs were stacked. Tables wiped clean. But there was a faint clatter from the kitchen. He tilted his head and walked toward it.
And there she was.
Seraphina.
Standing over the stove in a tank top and loose pants, hair tied up, no makeup, no earrings—just her, looking too good for this hour. She was focused, almost graceful with how she stirred the pan, oblivious to everything around her.
Xavier leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms folded, just watching her.
The soft yellow glow of the overhead light shimred across her collarbone and arms as she stirred whatever she was making. She hadn’t noticed him yet. She was humming to herself, lips parted slightly as steam rose from the pan.
Xavier cleared his throat.
She jumped, nearly dropping the ladle. "Xavier?!"
"Yeah." He stepped forward, hands still in his pockets. "You should really lock the place if you’re gonna zone out like that."
Seraphina blinked a few tis. "I was just turning down the fla. I didn’t expect anyone to co down this late. What’re you doing here?"
"Fridge had leftovers," he said. "Tasted like death. Figured I’d try my luck here."
She huffed. "Yeah, they called a few hours ago saying they wanted to cook sothing for you. It looks like it didn’t work."
"I noticed." He glanced at the food again and then at her. "If it’s closed, I’ll head out. Didn’t an to barge in."
She turned away quickly. "Wait. I’m making sothing for myself. You can eat with ... if you want."
Xavier paused.
He was hungry.
And she looked good.
"Alright."
They didn’t talk much while they cleaned up the place together. He wiped the tables while she tidied the counter. There was sothing about working beside her that made everything feel quieter. Slower.
And then they sat down on the counter together, just the two of them, legs brushing as she handed him a plate.
It was just simple grilled at and spicy stir-fried veggies, but it was warm, it was good, and it slled better than anything in the fridge.
"This is real food," Xavier said between bites. "You should’ve just served this."
She chuckled. "I only make this when I’m stressed."
"Why stressed?"
She hesitated. "You were gone for a while."
"I was in VR."
"I know." She toyed with the edge of her fork. "You were trending. Everyone’s talking about you. Even upstairs."
Xavier didn’t say anything. He chewed. Swallowed. Watched her through the corner of his eye.
Her leg was still brushing against his. She wasn’t moving away.
And then there was silence again.
But not awkward.
It was... heavy. Tense.
Her eyes t his.
And didn’t move away.
Xavier tilted his head slightly. "You good?"
She nodded slowly. "I think so."
She wasn’t blushing. Not this ti. But her voice was quieter. Her gaze was softer. Like she wasn’t seeing Xavier-the-villain anymore, or the one trending on screens... but just Xavier, the guy sitting beside her in the dim kitchen, eating hot food.
She looked away.
"Thanks for eating with ," she said.
He smirked. "Didn’t really have a choice. You invited ."
She glanced at him again, this ti with a faint smile. "You always have a choice."
Xavier leaned back in the chair, letting his eyes wander down the curve of her shoulder, the exposed line of her neck. The soft rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. The quiet heat between them wasn’t loud—but it was there. A soft tension, like a string pulled tight but not snapped.
"You sll like spices," he muttered.
"I just cooked," she said.
"You always sll like this?"
She smiled without answering.
There was a pause.
And then her hand brushed his when she picked up the cup beside his plate. Not accidentally. Not quite on purpose either.
Xavier didn’t move his hand.
Neither did she.
The silence stretched again.
But this ti it was hot.
No words.
Just that electric stillness that sat heavy in the space between their bodies.
Neither of them moved.
And then Seraphina blinked, cleared her throat, and stood up.
"I should... pack up the rest," she said.
Xavier exhaled slowly. "Yeah. You should."
They didn’t speak again as they cleaned up the last bits of dinner. But that tension didn’t leave. It followed them in every small glance, every brush of fingers, every second of silence that wasn’t quite silent anymore.
The mood softened but didn’t die. It hung around even after they finished cleaning. Even after they walked to the elevator. He was about to press the button when she called out to him.
"Hey."
He turned.
She walked up, slow and quiet, then leaned close—really close—until her lips were just inches from his cheek.
Next words ca like a whisper against his skin.
"Next ti... knock."
"Okay."
"And... I live on the 5th floor. Block GOT. Apartnt 666."
"I... I am actually heading out for sothing important."
"I sleep late."
Then she turned around and walked back into the restaurant.
And Xavier stood there for a second, just... smiling.
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