CHAPTER 60
ARIA
A sharp knock came against the door, jerking me awake so suddenly I gasped, heart hammering as though I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.
My body jolted upright in bed, sheets tangling around my legs. For a moment, I sat there, breathing hard, disoriented, before realising the sound had come again—three quick raps against the wood.
“Aria?” A familiar voice floated through the door, low and careful, like he didn’t want to startle me.
“Are you alright in there?”
I blinked, already sitting up, though my body still felt heavy, slow. My throat was dry, my voice scratchy when I tried to answer.
“Yeah. I'm fine… I’m coming,” I croaked, wincing at how raw it sounded.
For a moment I just sat there, staring at the door, willing the fog in my head to clear before I faced him.
I swallowed, my throat dry, my pulse refusing to slow. My hands moved on instinct, clutching at my chest, pulling my shirt higher, as if to cover some guilt I couldn’t name.
The fabric was twisted, sliding off my shoulder, and the movement only made me notice the heat of my own skin beneath my palm—oversensitive, as though it had been touched.
And my lips—God, they tingled.
Slightly swollen, parted, raw in a way that didn’t make sense.
Like they’d been kissed.
The thought struck me so hard my stomach lurched.
That couldn’t be right.
I had been asleep.
Alone.
Hadn’t I?
My eyes darted around the room, searching.
That was when the open balcony door came into view, curtains stirring with the sharp bite of winter air.
The sight rooted me to the mattress, cold crawling up my spine.
I never left it open.
I never forgot.
The knock came again, firmer this time.
“Aria? You okay?”
The sound shook me out of the spiralling haze in my head. I slid off the bed, legs unsteady, and smoothed my shirt down with trembling hands.
When I opened the door, Mark stood there with a polite, slightly sheepish smile, holding his seminar booklet.
“Sorry again,” he said.
“Didn’t mean to bother you, but… I was wondering if you had the handout from the morning session? I must’ve misplaced mine.”
I blinked, still shaking off sleep, my chest tightening for reasons I couldn’t name.
“The handout?” I asked, my voice rough.
“Yeah.” He gave a nervous little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “The one with the case studies they’re going to discuss next. I looked everywhere, but I think I left mine in the hall.”
“Oh.” I hesitated, my mind racing, and not entirely because of the handout. The way he was looking at me, that faint smirk, made my pulse spike.
“ I-I think I have an extra copy. Just give me a second.”
“Thanks, Aria,” he said, his voice warm, teasing even, like he knew the effect he had on me.
“You always seem to have everything under control. Even the handouts.”
I forced a faint smile, though my stomach knotted.
“It’s fine. Really. Just… wait here, I’ll grab it.”
I slipped back inside, my fingers trembling as I gathered the notes, though my mind wasn’t on the paper at all. It was on the lingering warmth of him, the brush of his hand when he touched mine, the pull in my chest that made me want to linger just a second longer than I should.
When I handed him the notes, his fingers brushed mine, lingering too long—just enough to make my heart skip.
“Perfect. Thanks, Aria,” he said, grinning.
“So… how about we grab something to eat? There’s something I really need to talk to you about.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a little nervous, a little awkward.
I hesitated, glancing down, telling myself I didn’t have time for this, that I wasn’t in the mood.
“I… I don’t know. I mean, whatever it is, you can just tell me here—”
“No, not here,” he interrupted smoothly, stepping a little closer.
“It’s important. I really need you to hear me out.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to keep my frustration from showing.
“I really should just—”
“Please. I won’t take up too much of your time.”
I groaned, annoyed, rolling my eyes without bothering to hide it.
My pulse was a little faster—not from attraction, just from the irritation—but I forced myself to take a breath and push the thoughts away.
“Okay, fine,” I muttered, letting him win for the sake of stopping the back-and-forth.
“But just… let me change first.”
He gave a triumphant little grin.
“Deal. I’ll wait.”
I stepped back toward my room, ignoring the small, stubborn annoyance that had settled along my spine. I didn’t like his teasing. I didn’t like the way he lingered just a second too long. I tolerated it because I had to—and I reminded myself firmly not to let it get under my skin.
.........
The hotel restaurant was quiet, the low murmur of conversation and clinking cutlery filling the space. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow across the table and highlighting the angles of his face. I stirred my water nervously, sensing he had something serious to say.
Mark kept talking, rambling about trivial things—the new café nearby, the seminar schedule, some minor gossip about a colleague. I nodded politely at first, but the longer he went on, the more my patience thinned.
“Mark,” I said, cutting him off mid-sentence.
“Can we… just get to the point?” I asked, cutting through his rambling. “What is it that you actually wanted to tell me?”
He blinked, clearly caught off guard, then ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“Right. Yeah… I—well, it’s…” He trailed off, as if searching for the right words.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly, trying to push down the irritation prickling at my skin.
Finally.
He was about to say something serious. Maybe now we could skip the small talk and actually talk.
“Aria,” he said, his voice low and measured.
“I think it’s time I told you the truth… about me.”
I looked up, curiosity warring with apprehension.
“What do you mean?”
He took a deep breath, leaning back slightly, folding his hands on the table.
“Everything I’ve done… the way I’ve acted around you… It’s been deliberate. But not in the way you think.”
My chest tightened. I swallowed, bracing myself for whatever he was about to say.
“I’m gay, Aria,” he said, his eyes fixed on mine, steady and unflinching.
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
“You’re… what?”
He nodded.
“I’m gay. I’ve never been interested in you that way.”
My mind froze.
Flashes of the past came rushing back—the teasing smiles, the lingering looks, the way he’d been “flirting” with me since day one.
Every joke, every casual touch, every moment I’d thought meant something… none of it had.
“You… you’ve been… all this time?” I stammered, incredulous.
“But you've been flirting with me… …”
He shrugged, a faint, almost apologetic smile tugging at his lips.
“I know it probably seems confusing. But it wasn’t meant the way you thought.”
I sank back in my chair, disbelief heavy in my chest.
“I… I can’t believe this,” I muttered, staring at him, struggling to process the truth
“I can’t… I couldn’t be open about it. Too many people would judge, gossip… it would ruin me professionally. That’s why I’ve needed someone like you. To… to act like my companion, to give the appearance that I fit the mould everyone expects.”
I felt my fork drop slightly, clattering against the plate. My mind went blank for a second.
“Wait… what?”
“I know it sounds… strange,” he said quickly, sensing my shock.
“But it’s practical,” he said, leaning forward slightly, his voice low, careful.
“You… you needed someone too. I’ve noticed how you avoid being alone around certain people—especially men who make you uncomfortable. You’ve been careful, keeping your distance, and I get it. That’s why, if you’re willing, we agreed to this arrangement.”
I frowned, unsure where he was going.
“Pretending to be a couple protects both of us,” he continued, eyes steady on mine.
“You won’t be bothered. You won’t have to feel unsafe or singled out. And for me… no one will question me, no one will guess the truth about me. No one will know I’m gay this way.”
He leaned back slightly, letting the words sink in.
“It’s mutually beneficial, Aria. We understand each other, and it keeps everyone else from interfering. It’s practical—but more than that, it keeps us both safe. That’s all it’s ever been.”
I stared at him, my thoughts spinning.
The casual gestures, the little attentions he’d shown, the closeness I’d interpreted as something else… it all fell into place—
“So… everything,” I whispered, voice tight.
“All of it… was… just… strategy?”
He nodded, a faint, almost apologetic smile tugging at his lips.
“Yes. But it’s not wrong. It'll help both of us. You’ll be safe, and I’ll be… protected. It’s practical. It works.”
I leaned back in my chair, shock and a strange mix of relief washing over me.
“Okay, fine,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
“I think the arrangement makes sense. Honestly, I wish you’d told me sooner.” I smirked, teasing despite myself.
“Though I have to admit… I had gotten so irritated every time you flirted with me.”
Mark chuckled, leaning forward, eyes sparkling.
“I noticed,” he said.
“But honestly… it was too much fun seeing you flustered. Admit it—you secretly enjoyed it a little.”
I rolled my eyes, though a small smile tugged at my lips.
“Secretly? Hardly. You were irritating, Mark. Every. Single. Time.”
“And yet, here you are, still talking to me,” he said with a teasing grin.
“So maybe it wasn’t all bad?”
I laughed despite myself.
I shook my head, feigning exasperation.
“You really enjoy seeing me irritated, don’t you?”
“Guilty as charged,” he said, smiling.
“But can you blame me? You’re… entertaining.”
I groaned, pretending to glare at him, but the warmth in my chest betrayed me.
We fell into easy conversation, joking and teasing, letting the morning pass in a rare, comfortable rhythm.
Then Mark’s gaze shifted toward the entrance, and he paused mid-sentence.
“Oh, look—Professor Lean is here,” he said, a flicker of surprise in his voice.
I froze, brows furrowed, without even turning my head.
"Lean?"
“Yeah… seems like he’s staying at the same hotel.”
I swallowed hard, unease creeping up my spine.