Chapter 11

With money temporarily solved, she threw herself into preparing for her thesis defense. Darren occasionally visited but didn't disturb her much when he saw how busy she was.

The day her defense ended, Darren came to find her.

"Let's grab dinner."

Darren took her to the fourth floor of the cafeteria, usually reserved for faculty or wealthier students.

It was her first time there.

Darren handed her the menu. "Order whatever. Carter and Patrick are coming too, so order for them as well."

"I don't know what they like?"

"They'll eat whatever you order."

She ordered all her favorites.

Soon Darren's friends arrived.

She couldn't join their conversation, so she focused on eating.

After finishing her meal, Darren and his friends were still deep in discussion with no sign of wrapping up.

Seeing Hannah looking bored, Darren whispered in her ear, "Go pay the bill."

Hannah didn't think twice. She'd taken plenty of his money—paying for dinner was nothing.

After paying, she said goodbye and left.

Carter watched Hannah's retreating figure thoughtfully. Darren kicked his chair, annoyed. "What are you staring at?"

Carter snapped back. "She has girlfriend awareness—efficiently handling our meal and paying without being asked. But there's something oddly detached about her, not like a girl in love."

Patrick commented, "That's just her personality. She's always been a loner. Makes sense she can't connect with us yet."

Darren stayed silent.

Both were new to dating—maybe they just weren't there yet.

After dinner, Hannah didn't return to her dorm but went to the hotel for her housekeeping shift.

She worked late. With the dorm locked, she went to the rental apartment to share a bed with Laura.

Hannah crashed immediately upon arrival, then woke to clean, took Laura for checkups, completely unaware the campus forum had exploded again.

Someone posted a photo of Darren whispering in Hannah's ear.

The poster left no caption, but Darren's intimate gesture and his lingering gaze clearly showed he was looking at his girlfriend.

After it was posted, Darren liked it and commented: "Nice shot."

This was Darren acknowledging Hannah as his girlfriend.

His first officially recognized girlfriend—the forum went wild.

Quincy stared at the photo, breathing heavily, glaring at Hannah's empty bed with burning anger and resentment.

Hannah knew she liked Darren.

Yet she shamelessly pursued him anyway.

Full of schemes while pretending not to care about anything.

Quincy dug her fingers into her pillow so hard her fresh manicure broke, but she didn't care.

It wasn't that she needed Darren—she just couldn't stand hypocrites and schemers.

She especially hated people who climbed over her to get ahead.

Their three-person group chat:

Quincy: Look, she didn't come back last night. She has no relatives in the city.

Lisa: Maybe she worked too late and the dorm was locked, so she crashed at work.

Quincy: She's been logged by the RA countless times for coming back late. She always made it back before.

Lisa: Could she have been with Darren?

Jessie sent a photo to the group.

Jessie: Unlikely she was with Darren. My friend is dating Carter. Last night Darren was partying with them, and Hannah wasn't there.

Quincy: See...

Lisa: ...

That weekend, Darren invited Hannah out again.

The first time at such clubs, she'd found them deafening. Now she could even read on her phone amid the noise.

As things wound down, she expected Darren to call an Uber.

But no ride came.

Darren held her hand without speaking.

She looked up at him. His face was slightly flushed, eyes avoiding hers, lips barely parting as he said, "Could you... stay with me tonight?"

Without thinking, she blurted, "My mom's not feeling well. I need to check on her."

Only then did she realize what Darren was asking.

She noticed his reddening ears, and her heart skipped.

She was seeing bashfulness on this golden boy's face.

Reflecting on their recent time together, it did feel like they were dating.

He... did have feelings for her.

"Isn't your mom back home?"

"I brought her to New York. I worry about her being alone."

Darren looked puzzled. She rarely mentioned family, so he didn't know her situation—only that she was probably poor. Without a place in the city, how was her mother staying here?

He figured it was an excuse to avoid sleeping with him.

Though he wasn't exactly innocent, looking at her fair skin, he wanted to be the good guy for her.

"Then I'll drive you home."

Hannah looked up sharply.

Warmth spread through her chest.

She'd assumed since Darren had spent money, he'd expect something in return.

She'd mentally prepared rejections, planning to write IOUs for his expenses.

She hadn't expected respect.

Like a normal couple.

For once, Hannah let Darren drive her to her rental.

Darren surveyed the run-down neighborhood. "You live here?"

He could summon Hannah anytime, and she'd go anywhere with him, but she seemed wrapped in protective armor, unreadable.

Unless directly asked, she volunteered nothing about herself.

But asking felt intrusive.

Like why only her mother was in the city, whether her father had passed away or her parents had divorced.

Hannah nodded. "Yes. Thanks for the ride."

As Hannah unbuckled, Darren suddenly pressed her shoulder, leaning in.

She closed her eyes, expecting a kiss, but Darren only brushed his lips against her forehead.

Yet this simple gesture flooded her with warmth.

Her eyes dropped to his lips. For a moment, she wanted to kiss him.

Lacking courage, she got out.

From the second-floor landing, she peered through the stairwell window.

His tall frame leaned casually against his car, white shirt glowing soft in the moonlight.

Even his smile was pure, uncomplicated.

Like a smitten teenager secretly dropping off his girlfriend.

He waved, motioning her to go up.

Her hand touched the window, feeling crumbling paint.

The flakes on her fingers weren't even as white as his shirt.

She lowered her gaze and climbed the stairs without looking back.

She'd been juggling various jobs all month, sometimes sharing Laura's bed, sometimes crashing in the hotel's storage room.

Yesterday, Laura suddenly couldn't breathe and was rushed to the ER. Darren's money covered the hospital deposit.

She needed to stay overnight, so she'd come back to grab clothes.

Walking into the dorm felt like facing a tribunal.

Quincy crossed her arms. "Hannah, what exactly are you doing at hotels?"

Hannah brushed past Quincy to her desk. "Working."

Quincy pressed bluntly, "What kind of sketchy work?"

Jessie quickly tugged Quincy's sleeve, whispering, "I thought we were just asking casually?"

Hannah finally snapped to attention. "What are you implying?"

Quincy met her stare. "Someone saw you staying at hotels. Are you someone's mistress?"