Chapter 6: Money Troubles and a Shirtless Gamer

Lila's POV

I walked into the campus administration office right after my morning lecture, heart beating a little faster than usual. The end of the month was coming fast, and the tuition fees had to be paid soon. I stood in front of the counter and explained my situation as calmly as I could.

“I work as a cleaner in the men’s dormitory,” I said. “Can you deduct the fees directly from my salary? I’ll make sure everything is covered.”

The lady behind the desk looked at me with kind but worried eyes. She felt bad — I could see it in her face — but there wasn’t much she could do. My scholarship had been rejected for reasons no one could explain clearly, and that made everything worse. I had no other options. No family money to fall back on, no extra jobs that paid enough. This cleaning position was all I had. After a long conversation and lots of paperwork, she agreed to set up the deduction, but warned me it might take time to process. I left the office feeling a mix of relief and stress. At least the fees wouldn’t pile up immediately, but I still had to keep working hard every night.

From there, I headed straight to the dormitory. The sun was starting to set, and I wanted to get changed and start my shift early again. Before I could even step inside the main entrance, the dorm administrator stopped me in the hallway. He was a middle-aged man with a stern expression and a clipboard in his hand.

“Someone complained that your work isn’t being done properly,” he said flatly. “There have been a few notes about unclean areas.”

I blinked, surprised. “But I followed every instruction. I mopped the floors, took out the trash, and cleaned the common spaces like you told me.”

He waved his hand, not really listening. “I don’t want any more complaints. Just get to work and make sure everything is spotless tonight.”

I nodded quietly and walked past him toward the staff changing room. It stung a little, but I tried not to let it bother me too much. This job was temporary. I just needed to push through.

Changing into the tight black uniform felt routine by now. The short dress hugged my round belly and thick thighs, the white apron sitting snug over my heavy breasts. I had gotten used to the way it clung to every soft curve, even if I still wished it fit better. I grabbed my cleaning cart and headed up to the second floor.

The flirting and teasing from the guys had become part of the background noise. I didn’t want to listen anymore. Deep down, I wished I wasn’t so chubby — maybe then the comments would stop. But wishing didn’t change anything, so I focused on the tasks instead. I had started finding little tricks to make the work easier, like organizing the trash bags by floor and keeping extra supplies on the cart so I didn’t have to run back and forth as much.

I was mopping the second-floor hallway when a guy suddenly stepped out of his room. He held out his tumbler with a grin. “Hey sexy girl, can you get me some water?”

I didn’t answer. I just took the tumbler from his hand and walked toward the pantry area to fill it. It was easier to stay silent than argue. As I passed the open lounge door, I tried to keep my eyes forward. But then a loud noise came from inside — the sound of excited shouting mixed with game sound effects.

Curiosity got the better of me. I slowed down, glanced inside, and stopped completely.

A guy was sitting at a desk in front of a big computer screen, completely focused on his game. At first, nothing seemed unusual. He wore headphones and his fingers moved quickly on the keyboard. Then, without warning, he reached down, grabbed the bottom of his shirt, and pulled it off in one smooth motion.

My eyes widened. He was incredibly sexy. Toned chest, smooth skin, and a lean but strong build that came from hours of casual activity rather than heavy gym work. Messy light brown hair fell across his forehead, and a small piercing glinted in his ear. He tossed the shirt aside without caring who might see and kept playing, completely relaxed.

I swallowed hard, unable to look away right away. My body reacted instantly. Heat rushed between my legs, and I felt myself getting wet — fast and strong, the way I always did when something turned me on. The sight of his bare upper body, the way his muscles shifted slightly as he leaned forward, the casual confidence in how he sat there half-naked… it was too much. My thighs pressed together under the short uniform, and a fresh wave of slickness made my panties damp.

I knew I shouldn’t stand there staring. This was exactly the kind of thing that got me in trouble with my own thoughts. My mind started wandering on its own — imagining what it would feel like if he noticed me watching, if he invited me closer, if more than one guy was in the room doing the same thing. The fantasy flashed through my head quickly, making me even wetter. I bit my lip, trying to push the images away.

The guy — I guessed his name might be Theo from the way he played so intensely — didn’t seem to notice me at first. He was too caught up in the game, laughing at something on the screen and muttering to himself. But the longer I stood there, the more aware I became of how exposed I felt in my tight uniform. The fabric was already sticking to my sweaty skin from all the mopping, and now my body was reacting in ways that made me feel shy and excited at the same time.

I forced myself to move. I finished filling the tumbler with water and turned to head back down the hallway. My legs felt a little unsteady, and every step reminded me of the warmth between my thighs. I delivered the water to the guy who had asked for it, then went back to mopping, trying to focus on the wet tiles instead of the image burned into my mind.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The way he had casually taken off his shirt, the smooth lines of his chest, the easy way he sat there like being half-naked was no big deal. It was such a simple thing, but for someone like me — who got aroused so easily — it felt dangerous. My dirty little secret fantasy flickered again in the back of my mind: being surrounded by guys who looked like that, all of them paying attention to me, touching my soft body, making me feel wanted despite my curves.

I shook my head and pushed the cart further down the hall. This job was supposed to be about earning money for tuition, not about getting distracted by attractive guys who lived here. Yet in just a few days I had already met Jax with his deep voice, Miles with his gentle hands, and now this shirtless gamer whose confidence made my knees weak.