The bathroom steam clung like a velvet shroud, thick and suffocating, curling around damp tiles and cold marble. Every droplet that ran down the edge of the sink seemed amplified, magnified by the synchronized heartbeat of the V-LINK.
My bare legs brushed against the damp denim as I tugged it over my thighs, friction sharp and intrusive, registering in micro-pulses across every nerve ending.
VelvetVice moved beside me, wet curls clinging to her flushed skin. Her chest pressed lightly against the curve of her arms as she dressed, casual yet loaded with intent. The cerulean HUD flared again.
[D-DRIVE CHALLENGE NO. 2 – 6 HOURS REMAINING.]
The countdown was invisible yet omnipresent.
Shaping every breath, every glance, every subtle touch.
"Come to think of it," VelvetVice murmured, tilting her head with a sly glint,
"yours is actually bigger than mine in real life."
My internal firewall jolted. Micro-stutter.
