Mirabe expertly ignored the fact that the man in front of her was shirtless, keeping her gaze steady on his waist. The wound there was pretty shocking—arge area on his side was scraped raw, surrounded by dark bruises, clearly the result of some serious impact and friction. Throughout the entire trip back, he hadn''t shown even a flicker of difort. Mirabe gave James a sideways nce, impressed with his resilience.


    James, resting his chin on his hand, sensed Mirabe''s stare and lowered his head a bit. But all he could see was the top of her bowed head, her expression hidden from view. With a slight shift, one of James''s calves peeked out from under his robe without him realizing it.


    Just as Mirabe was getting ready to apply the ointment, she paused for a moment: ".


    Soon, a cool and slightly stinging sensation spread across his waist. James tensed, not from the wound''s pain, but from the feel of her fingers brushing against his skin. Mirabe noticed and hesitated briefly before continuing, her head still down as she said, "Just hang in there."


    James pressed his fingers to his temples and shut his eyes. If he hadn''t been keeping it together, he might not have stayed in that position for long. The room was quiet, and though applying the ointment took just a minute or two, it felt like forever.


    Mirabe drew back her hand, her face calm. She tossed the bandage onto the bed, "You can wrap it yourself."


    With that, she turned to leave. But as soon as she started to step away, her hand was snatched. Before she knew it, a strong pull sent her falling backward, and the next second, she was lying t on the bed.


    Mirabe''s eyes flew open, meeting James''s deep, unreadable gaze.


    "Who just leaves a wound half-treated?" James asked, bracing himself beside her, his whole body almost pressing against hers, his solid chest exuding strength.


    They were incredibly close.


    Mirabe suddenly felt her throat go dry. She nced away, her hand finding the bandage she''d tossed earlier. Reluctantly, she gavein, "Alright, get up, I''ll wrap it for you."


    Her voice was nonchnt.


    "Before that, we could do something else," James murmured into her ear. He brushed a kiss against her earlobe and took the bandage from her hand, tossing it off the bed.


    Mirabe''s face flushed as if it were on fire, especially when she felt the strength poised between her legs... But then, a series of soft kisses drowned out her thoughts.


    Who knows how much time passed before a sudden ringtone shattered the moment they''d been lost in.


    Mirabe''s mind cleared a bit, and she nudged the man on top of her, "The pizza''s here."


    "Forget it," James replied, his voice rough, his hands still holding her waist tight, not wanting to let her go.


    "I need to get back to campus soon," Mirabe said, ring at him, her bright eyes still shimmering with emotion.


    At the mention of ''campus'', a look of defeat crossed James''s handsome face, reminding him that his girlfriend was still a student.


    With a sigh, he tightened his arms around her, rolled over so she was on top, and pressed her head to his chest, staring up at the ceiling, "All I want to know is, when are you graduating?"