Semua Bab All Shades of Passion: Bab 161 - Bab 170

Steven POV.The bell for dinner rang and we were forced to wipe ourselves clean and leave the locker room.Dinner couldn’t start fast enough, and once it did, it couldn’t end fast enough.It was ridiculous, honestly, how every sound in the dining hall felt like an obstacle between me and whatever the hell was supposed to happen tonight. My whole body was buzzing.No, not from fear, not exactly. But from that tightly coiled anticipation that made it hard to breathe.The fluorescent lights shone above us, the nurses chatted, the old residents argued about taste, and the old fans rattled weakly in the corners. Everything felt loud, bright, and present.But I wasn't paying attention. My eyes were fixed on Fabian, who sat across the hall, two tables down, eating like nothing unusual had happened.As if we hadn't just made out in the locker room. Like he hadn’t called me cupcake. Like he hadn’t whispered that we had all night. Meanwhile, I was here, trying my best not to tremble every t

Steven POV.I could practically feel the shift in the air. The way Max looked at Fabian, his eyes widening with interest and his lips curving into a bright grin as though he'd just spotted a target.“So,” Max purred, “you’re the infamous Fabian," he repeated, his eyes roaming over him.Fabian blinked, clearly confused. “Uh… yeah.” His brows lifted. “And you are?”Max stood, not hurriedly, but slowly, theatrically, giving Fabian a full visual sweep. I caught it instantly. The way Max’s gaze traced Fabian’s arms… his chest… the sweat-darkened collar of his shirt. Max’s eyes lingered too long, too boldly.My jaw tightened, but I kept my posture calm, expression neutral.Max extended a hand, his finger rings glinting. “Name’s Max. Guess we’re roommates.”Fabian shook his hand.“Oh right. Sister Rosita told me,” Fabian said. “You’ll need to bring in another bed though," he said glancing down at the bed where Max had been lounging. "This one’s mine.”Max’s lips curled. “I don’t mind sharin

Steven POV.4 days down. 3 more to go till the lockdown was over.I thought wistfully to myself as I gazed up at the ceiling the next morning.I'd barely slept last night. Not because of any noise, Max slept like a cat curled behind a pair of noise-canceling earbuds—but because the entire room felt off-balance. Like someone had rearranged the furniture in the dark and my mind kept bumping into corners I wasn’t used to.Ever since I met Fabian, I'd been losing sleep constantly for one reason or another. My reason for not sleeping last night was the current situation I was in. Just when I'd made up my mind to finally take a bold step and explore my feelings for Fabian, Max shows up and complicates things.Why now? I wondered.Why couldn't he have shown up the very first day I got here? How about showing up on my doorstep on the night of the storm before I started sharing a room with Fabian? Then maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't have gotten this far. My attraction to Fabian wouldn

Steven POV.Fabian jerked upright, eyes widening when he saw me.“Steven—” he began.I didn’t know what expression I was wearing, but from the flicker of guilt in his eyes, it wasn’t a good one.Max, still sitting on him, dragged his thumb across his own swollen lower lip, “I guess your timing,” he purred, “is impeccable.”Jealousy like I'd never felt before scalded me and I could feel my skin redden and burn.Fabian quickly pushed Max off him, looking flustered. “Steven, it’s not what it looks like—”I laughed, a short, sharp sound that wasn’t really a laugh. “Really?” I asked. “Because it looks pretty fucking clear from here.”Fabian froze.Shit. My voice sounded so harsh and hoarse that it surprised even me.Max slid off the bed with feline grace, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “Relax,” he said with a slow grin. “It’s just a kiss.”“Just a kiss,” I repeated, feeling something inside me twist. “Right.”Fabian stood, panic flickering in his eyes. “Steven, look at me. It's

Steven POV. The Next Morning was here, along with it came the end of the lockdown. Morning light spilled through the blinds long before I was ready to face it. The room was quiet now, the kind of quiet filled with things unsaid. My suitcase lay open on the bed and I was packing mechanically: charger, extra shirts, toothbrush, notebook. Everything in its place. Everything neat. Everything was easier than dealing with the tightness in my chest whenever I felt Fabian’s eyes flick toward me and then away again. He stood by the wardrobe, arms folded, face unreadable. Max sprawled across the other bed like he had nowhere better to be, scrolling through his phone, annoyingly comfortable for someone who’d set an entire emotional minefield under all of us. I zipped my bag slowly, partly to buy time, I didn't know why I did it. However, Fabian’s attention lingered on the movement, but he didn’t say anything. He hadn’t said anything to me directly since last night. Max hummed a song to h