Chapter 15: Cockblocked by the Algorithm
The system made him wait.
Seventeen full minutes.
No skip. No mercy. No "end quest" button. Just him, hard as hell, sitting in silence with Zayela lying topless five feet away, her breathing slow, her body glistening, and no part of her aware that she’d nearly broken him in half.
Eventually, she rolled away from him. Pulled her shirt back on. Didn’t say anything.
He didn’t either.
They ate quietly. Soup again. Neither of them looked at each other for more than a few seconds. Their eyes met once, by accident, and they both looked down immediately.
When it was over, she wiped the pot clean, dropped her spoon, and said, flatly:
"I’m going to bed."
She didn’t say goodnight.
Just slipped past the curtain, dropped onto her mat, and turned her back to him. Her silhouette faced the wall.
He followed. Lay on his own mat, only feet away, separated by a flimsy piece of cloth that didn’t hide sound or scent or the memory of her sweat on his hands.
The room was dark.