In the Infirmary
Alan walks into the room with Nikki still in his arms and meets the nurse in charge.
"Lily, I need the room."
He didn't wait for her to respond as he walked forward and dropped Nikki gently on the bed, careful not to jostle her.
"Wow, you brought a girl along this time," Lily smiled, clearly amused.
Alan grabbed a stool and sat beside Nikki. "You can leave now. I'll call you if I need you."
Lily frowned and crossed her arms. "Do you always have to break my little heart every time?"
"Leave now or I'll break your limbs," he warned flatly.
"Fine, I'll get going. I won't ruin your romantic moment. Always coming to my office to oppress me," she complained as she walked out of the room, the door closing behind her.
"Alan, you still haven't answered me. Okay, I promise I'll let you sleep with me," she smiled. Her eyes were still closed.
Alan reached out and pinched her lips. "This mouth of yours will get you into huge trouble one day."
"Alan, you don't have to use too much force to kiss me. Gosh, you have no self-control."
He rubbed his temples, trying to restrain himself. "Nikki, did you take anything that messed with your head?"
"Huh uh," she replied coquettishly. She raised her hand into the air to reach for his face. "Do you want to know what it is?"
"Yes."
"Come closer."
"Don't play any tricks with me." He leaned closer anyway.
She grabbed his face gently and smiled sheepishly. "Shuu… don't tell anyone. It's a secret. I took a lot of ice cream."
"Ice cream?"
Nikki had told him once that she loved ice cream but couldn't eat it often. She said she could only eat a small quantity—if she consumed too much, she would end up acting like a drunk person. To her, ice cream was her alcohol.
He hadn't believed her at the time and thought she was just messing with him. But seeing her now, a part of him was convinced.
"Don't tell anyone, okay? Especially Amber. She'll kill me if she finds out. This is our first secret as a couple, so you have to keep it."
She pulled his face closer and kissed the corner of his lips.
Alan removed her hands from his face and placed them down. "Who said anything about being a couple with you?"
"Alan, you jerk! How could you?! You took advantage of me and stole my first kiss. Now you don't want to take responsibility. I didn't expect you to be a scoundrel!"
Who took advantage of who exactly?
If anyone walked in and overheard her, they would assume he was the bad guy. She was the one who kissed him, yet she was accusing him of taking advantage of her.
"I'll go call Amber to come take you home before you do anything stupid."
He rose to his feet and was about to leave when he felt something gripping his leg.
He turned back and saw Nikki clinging to him. She was fully awake now. Her eyes were open.
"Please don't let Amber see me like this. If she sees me, she'll scold me till my ears bleed. I don't want her to scold me. She's not my boyfriend and yet she keeps nagging all the time. The only person allowed to scold me is you."
After saying the last sentence, she smiled up at him.
"If you don't behave properly, I'll call Amber."
She immediately let go of his leg and stood straight. "I promise I'll behave properly. Don't send me to the lion's den."
He sighed. "Fine, let's go."
There was no way he was going to get rid of her that easily.
"Huh? Where are we going?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"If we don't leave the school premises, Amber is still going to find you no matter how well I hide you," he explained.
When she's not thinking, she's really dumb.
"Why does that bitch take her job so seriously? Gosh, one of these days I'm going to let her go. I can't breathe freely with her around."
She turned to Alan with pitiful eyes. "Alan, you have to protect me from her, okay? You have to make sure she doesn't find me, okay?"
This girl keeps getting bolder with each move.
He looked away. "Let's get going."
"Okay."
She grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his.
Help me, so I don't lose my mind because of this girl.
He walked out with Nikki skipping in front of him like a little girl.
At the car park, Alan and Nikki entered a black car.
A man was seated in the driver's seat. He glanced at Alan and Nikki through the rearview mirror.
"Good day, Master Alan. Will the young Miss be accompanying you?" he asked respectfully.
"Yes, we'll be heading to the mansion first," Alan replied.
"What about your appointment, Master Alan?" the driver asked.
"I'll go after I drop her at home. You can start driving now."
The driver nodded and started the car, pulling smoothly out of the school parking lot.
Nikki leaned back against the leather seat, her fingers still loosely interlocked with Alan's. She hummed softly, swinging their joined hands slightly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Alan stared straight ahead, jaw tight.
This girl…
"You're very quiet," Nikki said, tilting her head to look at him. "Are you thinking about how charming I was earlier?"
"No," he replied flatly.
She gasped dramatically. "Liar."
The car ride continued in silence for a few moments, broken only by the soft hum of the engine. Nikki's eyelids fluttered, her head slowly tilting toward Alan's shoulder.
Before she could fully rest against him, Alan gently shifted away.
"Sit properly," he said.
She frowned but obeyed, crossing her arms. "You're mean."
"You embarrassed me in front of the entire school," he replied calmly.
She blinked. "But you handled it so well. You even carried me like a prince."
"That was damage control."
"I liked it," she said cheerfully.
He closed his eyes briefly, exhaling through his nose. I'm going to lose my sanity because of her.
The car pulled up in front of the Sawyer mansion.
Nikki immediately straightened. "You're not coming in?"
"No," Alan replied as he opened the door. "Get inside."
She hesitated, then suddenly leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek.
Alan froze.
"Thank you for today," she said softly, her voice unusually sincere. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Before he could respond, she slipped out of the car and hurried toward the mansion doors, turning once to wave at him with a bright smile.
Alan remained seated, fingers brushing the spot she had kissed.
"…Unbelievable," he muttered.
"Shall we proceed to your appointment now, Master Alan?" the driver asked.
"Yes," Alan replied, leaning back into his seat. "Drive."
As the car pulled away, Alan glanced out the window one last time.
You're dangerous, Nikki Sawyer.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure whether that danger came from her—
—or from the way she made him lose control without even trying.
After gym class, Amber went straight to the infirmary.
The corridors were quieter than usual, the echoes of students changing classes fading behind her as unease curled in her chest.
Something about Nikki's behavior earlier refused to sit right with her.
She pushed open the infirmary door.
Lily looked up from her desk. "If you're looking for Nikki, you just missed her."
Amber stopped short. "What do you mean, missed her?"
"She already took a leave from school," Lily replied casually. "Said she wasn't feeling too good."
Amber's brows furrowed. Wasn't feeling too good? "Who signed her out?"
Lily shrugged. "Alan."
That single name made Amber's expression darken.
Without another word, Amber turned and walked out.
She went straight to their homeroom teacher and requested a leave of absence, citing concern for her friend. Permission was granted almost immediately—Amber was known for her responsibility, after all.
The moment she stepped outside the school gates, she pulled out her phone.
No answer.
Her grip tightened around it. Of course.
She hailed a ride and gave only one destination.
"The Sawyer mansion."
The iron gates of the Sawyer estate loomed ahead, elegant and imposing, their dark metal glinting under the afternoon sun. Amber stepped out of the car with a determined expression, her heels clicking sharply against the stone path as she approached the entrance.
The butler barely had time to greet her before she spoke.
"I'm here for Nikki."
"She returned not long ago," he replied politely. "She's resting in her room."
Amber exhaled, some of the tension easing—only slightly.
"Good," she said. "Because I'm staying."
She climbed the stairs without waiting for permission, her mind racing.
Nikki, what exactly did you get yourself into this time…?
Whatever it was, Amber had already made up her mind.
She was not leaving Nikki's side—not tonight, and not when things were clearly starting to spiral.