Chapter 43 The First Day as a Couple
Evelyn's POV
The morning sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains like golden threads, sneaking into the dimly lit room. I groaned groggily and instinctively rolled over, trying to escape that annoying brightness, burrowing deeper into my soft pillow.
But the moment I moved, every muscle in my body seemed to protest silently all at once.
"Ow... why does everything hurt so much?"
I couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. My foggy brain instantly cleared halfway. My whole body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together again. The soreness spread from my shoulders all the way down to my calves, every muscle screaming with exhaustion.
Of course—last night's grand ball, plus standing in those heels for so long afterward, and this was the price I was paying now.
I struggled to open my eyes and reached for my phone on the nightstand, my fingertips fumbling across the screen for ages before finally pressing the power button.
The screen lit up, the harsh light making me squint. It took a while to adjust before I could make out the time.
It was only seven-thirty in the morning.
"So tired..."
I let out a huge yawn, with absolutely zero desire to get out of bed. Thinking the cafeteria probably wasn't serving yet, I was about to stay in bed for a while longer, but my eyes unconsciously landed on the delicate wooden jewelry box on the table.
It was Kane's fire opal jewelry.
"I'm going to find him for breakfast anyway, might as well return it to him."
I forced myself to crawl out of bed.
I washed up and changed clothes.
To accommodate how I felt today, the magic wardrobe picked out a loose, comfortable beige knit sweater paired with wide-leg jeans and flat shoes.
I pushed open my door, walked to Kane's room, and knocked gently.
"Knock, knock, knock."
After just a few seconds, the door opened.
Kane was clearly already awake, and looking pretty alert too. He wore a black silk robe, the collar slightly open, revealing his collarbones and the subtle lines of his chest muscles. His silver hair fell carelessly across his forehead—less sharp than usual, more sensually lazy, like a large cat that had just woken up.
"Morning."
His voice carried that special huskiness of someone just waking up. I quickly responded.
"Morning..."
I felt a bit awkward, my cheeks warming slightly as I held out the jewelry box. "Um... I should have returned this last night, but... just take it back."
"No need."
Kane didn't take the box. Instead, he reached out and grasped my wrist with a gentle but firm touch.
Caught off guard, I stumbled forward. "Kane!"
I cried out, nearly dropping the jewelry box, breaking into a cold sweat.
"I meant to give it to you in the first place."
"Put it away. We had an agreement."
I looked at him with a somewhat serious expression.
Kane took the jewelry box, didn't even glance at it, and casually set it on another box in the corner.
Kane leaned down slightly, those deep golden eyes right in front of me, reflecting my somewhat flustered face like a golden ocean hiding whirlpools.
"Evelyn."
He called my name in a low voice, his warm breath brushing against my lips, tempting me.
"Good morning kiss."
Before I could process what he meant, his lips were already pressed against mine.
Unlike last night's restraint and carefulness outside the door, this kiss carried the morning's particular dominance and passion, completely unlike his usual self.
His lips were soft and warm, with an irresistible force, parting my lips.
I froze, my hands instinctively clutching the collar of his robe, knuckles turning white. My whole body went weak, only able to stay upright with his support.
The kiss wasn't long, maybe just ten seconds or so.
But to me, it felt endless, as if I were about to suffocate.
When he finally released me, my face was completely flushed, my lips still carrying the warmth of his touch.
"Good morning, my girlfriend."
Kane looked at me, his thumb gently brushing across my lips, his eyes full of affection.
"Good... good morning, boy... boyfriend."
I responded quietly, not really wanting to look at this somewhat different person. I never imagined he could be this passionate.
Kane quickly washed up and changed. "Let's go get breakfast."
He naturally took my hand. Looking at our intertwined fingers, I said somewhat awkwardly, "I heard the cafeteria has blueberry pancakes today, fresh from the oven."
"Okay!"
At the mention of food, I instantly perked up, my earlier shyness half-dissolved by the temptation of good food.
However, when we walked hand-in-hand to the Starflame Tower dorms, we found a crowd gathered around the bulletin board, chattering about something.
I pulled Kane over for a look and found a temporary notice posted there.
[Urgent Notice: Due to Olivia having an emergency matter to handle, this morning's Magical Creatures 101 class is canceled. Please arrange your own study time.]
I couldn't help feeling happy. My somewhat tired body instantly got excited—I could finally go back to sleep after eating.
"Let's go back then. I don't want breakfast anymore, I just want to sleep."
I started acting spoiled, thinking that if Kane still wanted to eat, he could go by himself and bring breakfast back to my room for me.
"I'll go buy breakfast and bring it to your room."
Kane looked at my happy expression and said calmly.
"That would be perfect! I'll go back to my room and wait for you."
After saying that, I turned and headed back to the dorm, not daring to look back at Kane as he stood there.
I didn't know what expression Kane had now, but I really couldn't worry about it. After getting back to my room, I quickly lay down on the sofa, grabbed the small blanket nearby, and covered myself with it.
The fluffy fleece blanket felt so comfortable.
"This is perfect!"
I didn't know when I fell asleep. In my dream, I seemed to hear knocking. "Knock, knock, knock."
I really wanted to get up and open the door, but my body felt heavy as lead. My consciousness struggled a few times between waking and sleeping, but ultimately gave in to drowsiness.
In my daze, I seemed to hear the footsteps outside the door pause, fall silent for a moment, then softly sound again, gradually fading away. I thought I should get up and open the door, but my body wouldn't obey, and in the end I did nothing, falling back into a deep sleep.
When I woke up again, the room was completely quiet.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and reached for my phone to check the time.
It was already past nine.