Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

The boy's shoulders shook with anger, his eyes red with frustration, but he couldn't find a single word to fire back. His friends quickly tugged at his sleeve, silently begging him to drop it.

Meanwhile, Clara pushed the dorm room door open and walked right in. She glanced up and saw Justin already sitting up, his cheeks flushed from a fever and looking a bit under the weather. Clara poured a glass of water, brought it to his lips, and placed some fever-reducing meds beside him. "Take your medicine; your health comes first."

Justin's eyes wandered to his roommates, who looked awkward, knowing he'd overheard their spat with Clara. But since they weren't exactly best pals and rarely chatted, they quickly went back to their own business, brushing off the tension in the room.

Clara seemed unfazed by the awkward vibe, only relaxing once she saw Justin swallow the medicine. "Justin, ever thought about getting a place off-campus?" she asked.

Justin's eyelashes fluttered, and he replied in a cool tone, "Do you really want everyone thinking I'm some kind of kept man?"

Clara chuckled, amused. Was he really that worried about what others thought? "Even if you deny it, they'll still think what they want. Why waste your breath?"

Justin sprang up from the bed, taking a few deep breaths, like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the words. His roommates exchanged glances, surprised by Clara's bluntness.

Clara continued, "Or you could rent a place on campus. I checked with the infirmary; there are some residential buildings close to your classes. You wouldn't have to deal with these annoying roommates."noveldrama

Finally, one of the roommates couldn't hold back any longer and coughed loudly. "Hey, lady, we're still here, you know. We're not invisible."

But Clara had already started packing Justin's things. Justin was too stunned to react. He didn't have much stuff anyway, as he'd been keeping a low profile to avoid conflict with his roommates.

In less than ten minutes, Clara had everything packed up. "Let's get going," she said.

Justin opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. From finding a place to moving in, it all happened in under half an hour. The teacher renting out the space was charmed by Clara and agreed immediately. They even had a friendly chat.

Justin quietly made the bed, listening to Clara converse, a mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. Clara grabbed a broom and started cleaning up the small 600-square-foot space. Once she was done, she took the trash downstairs.

Just then, the phone on the bed buzzed. Justin, thinking it was his, automatically answered. "Hello, this is Justin."

That was his standard greeting, but there was a pause before a frantic voice burst out, "Why do you have Clara's phone? What did you do to her?!"

The voice was sharp with urgency and anger. Justin glanced down, realizing it was Clara's phone. He pressed his lips together and said, "Wrong number," before quickly hanging up.

Ryan, on the other end, was hit with a wave of panic. Did this mean Clara didn't want him anymore? Was she trying to replace him with Justin?

His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, shaking. Justin looked at the phone, thought it over, and decided to cover his tracks by deleting the call history.