FIXated

After that grueling cardio exercise during Physical Education class, chests heaved from intensity, lips cracked from thirst, and sweat soaked through shirts and joggers.

Students collapsed onto benches, catching their breath, while others sprawled across the floor.

Raphael dragged himself out of the bathroom after a quick shower, heading towards the vanity.

He leaned closer to the mirror, checking his face from either side. Dull skin. Sunken cheeks. Darkened circles underneath the eyes.

His shoulders dropped.

Ah, I am too exhausted.

His black locks still dripped as he wrung a damp towel several times to squeeze out the excess water before patting it dry, ruffling every inch thoroughly.

Behind him, two distinct voices filled the room, talking about scrubbing each other's backs. He recognized them, Alexis and Antonio.

"Can you reach that spot?"

"Like that?"

"Ah, yes! Alexis... that feels good."

He wanted to wait for them, but apparently, they were taking a sweet time in the showers. A grumble in his stomach sounded.

"Guys, I'm heading out first," he called out to the two who were now arguing over whose turn to scrub.

"See ya tomorrow, Raphael!" Antonio yelled back.

"Catch you later!" Alexis replied as well.

He was hungry, but not as badly as the exhaustion all over his body. His arms, legs, and abdomen were sore. At this point, he would have immediately crashed on the bed if it weren't for his stomach's insistent grumbling.

As soon as he reached the dining hall of the dorm housing, the line was sparse as the first wave of students had just finished their fill. Tables were half-filled with students, scattered all over the place. Some were still seated, locked in a chatting spree, while the others just come here to have dinner as usual.

Raphael grabbed anything that was quick but enough to satisfy his hunger: a bowl of Yang Chow Fried Rice topped with steamed dumplings and a glass of water.

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Instantly, he gobbled down dinner in a few minutes. His face brightened in delight after having his fill, dropping his spoon in the bowl after emptying it.

But the tension in his body still throbbed everywhere as soon as he stood up to clean up, bringing his tray with him.

Afterwards, he headed upstairs. His legs felt heavy in every step, dragging slightly while a yawn escaped from his lips, stretching his arms up as he continued to walk down the hall at a pace he could manage.

One thing is stuck at the back of his mind: Bed.

Soft pillows, cozy sheets, a blanket, and the comforting bounce of a mattress. He wanted to plunge into the softness and finally relax.

No more stopovers. No distractions.

By the time he reached his room, the scene of Harian's glowing fairy lights greeted him first as usual, except Harian wasn't there in his usual spot. No white fluffy roommate to welcome him in sight.

Instead, a note was left on his desk.

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Out for recording sess today.

-Harian

Cute squiggly lines decorated the sides of the notes. Raphael couldn't tell whether it was a flower, clouds, or something else.

He just smiled faintly as he ran his fingers over the piece of yellow paper, flicking it in between his fingers. A sigh of relief breathed out of his lips.

He tossed his gym bag to the side with a dull thud before changing his clothes into sleepwear.

Right after that, he finally collapsed into the mattress of his bunk. His arms and legs stretched out in a comfortable position, finally resting and relaxing.

Surprisingly, His thoughts had gone quiet, undisturbed.

He pulled out his phone to scroll for a minute as his eyes lazily skimmed through the posts, finding what was interesting or not. Just the usual trending posts getting spammed in his feeds.

Nothing caught his attention from all the TeekTock dance videos. All were just mundane, boring stuff about celebrity gossip and internet dramas as his fingers scrolled past several images, tweets, and reels at a quick pace.

A few minutes passed.... His eyes were already half-closed on the verge of falling asleep, head banging lightly, and his hand was limping left and right from the weight of his phone.

Just as he was about to drift into a sleep.

Ding!

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One new message from Sylvia appeared on his notification.

Raphael's eyes snapped open upon hearing the sound as the screen flashed briefly on his face. He reluctantly hovered his thumb over it before finally deciding to check it out and tapped his screen.

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"I want more..."

Nothing else followed right after. He had been waiting for almost a day, and she sent him this, a vague reply.

Raphael's brows furrowed as he reread the words carefully in his mind.

What else does she need from me?

She wants something more.... More than that picture?

He rolled his eyes dismissively as he tossed his phone carelessly to the side, face down, not wanting to deal with it at the moment.

A deep sigh escaped from his lips in exasperation.

He was too tired.

Too groggy to comprehend.

Before he knew it, his eyelids slowly shut down, finally drifting back to sleep, but a whisper seemed to echo in his ear like a soft, intrusive thought.

"More..."

---

In a dimly lit room, Sylvia had been lounging on the soft covers of a king-sized bed, leaning against the headboard while holding her phone in her hand. Eyes lingered in fixation over that last message.

"I want more..."

She witnessed the indicator in his profile lit green when she sent the message. He saw and read it, but no ping, no typing bubbles.

No message sent.

Then, the green circle dimmed gray. Sylvia bit the tip of her nail out of frustration.

Ah, he left me on read.

Her jaw tightened in realization.

Sylvia gritted her teeth harder against her polished nail, slowly chipping it.

Does he really have high tolerance, or just dumb enough not to realize?

Unfortunately, in just a snap, her tongue clicked.

"Tch."

How dare he....

The blanket down her thighs shifted slightly. A man peered beneath, holding her legs apart as he had just resurfaced from a swim, huffing for breath. His tongue licked his lips as if he had just tasted something sweet.

"Something on your mind, Sylvia?"

Callahan's voice spoke low, noticing her gritting her teeth and biting her nail for the past minute. His brows frowned, worried.

Sylvia rolled her eyes and slumped against the headboard, clearly disgruntled while still holding onto her phone.

“Just chatting,” she replied flatly, not bothering to even look at the man in the eye.

Callahan chuckled softly. “He left you on read, didn’t he?”

The moment Callahan stated those words, Sylvia’s thighs clamped shut around his neck like scissors, cutting off his air circulation in a headlock.

Callahan writhed from her grasp, clawing her thighs and pulling them apart in a desperate attempt. His breath choked, grunting while begging her to stop.

"Ack-! *cough* S-s-stop!"

“It's none of your business, Mr. Callahan,” she warned with a cold, serious tone.

“Don't bother me when I am not in a good mood, am I clear?”

She pressed him hard for a second longer, enough to turn his eyes white as he desperately tapped her leg for a timeout. Sylvia quickly loosened her grip, allowing him to breathe.

Callahan gasped for air while in a coughing fit.

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Sylvia watched him for a second longer before she leaned in closer.

"I-I understand." Callahan mustered up a few words in agreement despite his hoarse voice while lowering his head.

"Good."

Sylvia acknowledged as her glance resumed, looking back at the screen. Her expression returned calm but still brewing with irritation beneath.

She could have snapped his neck at that moment.

But she didn't.

Callahan was still hunched over, rubbing his neck to soothe the pain. His eyes locked onto hers after carefully observing her expression.

"Should I continue?"

Sylvia flicked her eyes away from his and scoffed with arms crossed over her chest.

"Go ahead."

After hearing her words, Callahan crept back in between her legs as she spread them apart, lowering his head down and burying his face once more. His tongue slithered in, ravishing her deeply and thoroughly.

Sylvia remained unbothered by the pleasure as she flipped her attention towards her phone, still looking over the empty chat.

Her fingers scrolled up to the previous messages as the image of Raphael flashed in her eyes.

A slow, dangerous smile formed from her lips while her eyes filled with determination.

Fine. He can run and hide for tonight.

But tomorrow... he can no longer escape.