Room 303 Chapter 1: Just a Towel

The hallway was quiet. Too quiet.

Layla clutched the white towel tighter around her body, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders as her bare feet padded softly against the cold dorm floor. She glanced down at the keycard in her hand the one that had been working perfectly fine for months and tried it again.

Red light.

She swore under her breath.

The storm outside had knocked out part of the building’s power earlier, and the system must have glitched. Great. Her roommate wouldn’t be back until morning, her phone was inside charging, and all she had was the towel she’d wrapped herself in after her quick shower in the shared bathroom.

She tried knocking softly on her door again. No answer. Layla was many things quiet, introverted, always polite but calm in a towel in a freezing hallway with no backup? Not one of them.

Her eyes scanned the corridor.

Most dorm rooms on this floor were empty students either went home for the weekend or were out late partying. Only two other rooms had lights under the door.

She paused in front of the one directly across from hers: Room 303.

She’d never spoken to whoever lived there. Just glimpses. Sometimes late at night. A deep voice on the phone. Music with too much bass. Once, she thought she heard a moan or maybe that was her imagination.

Her heart pounded.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “This isn’t a movie. Just knock. Ask to borrow their phone. Don’t make it weird.”

But she was dripping water. Her towel wasn’t very long. And the thought of standing in front of a stranger in nothing but this made her stomach twist.

Still… it was better than freezing all night in the hallway.

She took a breath and knocked.

Three short taps.

Silence.

She was just about to turn and flee when the door creaked open halfway.

And there he was.

Kai.

She didn’t know his name until now, but now that she saw his face clearly God. Tall, toned, tousled dark hair, and shirtless. He looked like something out of a late-night drama: sleep-heavy eyes, sharp jawline, sweatpants riding low on his hips, and a single headphone dangling around his neck.

He blinked at her.

She blinked back.

“…Uh.” She swallowed. “Hi.”

His gaze dropped to her towel and lingered.

Her skin burned instantly, and she tightened her grip on the fabric. “I um I got locked out. My keycard isn’t working and my roommate isn’t home, and I don’t have my phone”

“You’re dripping,” he said, voice rough, half-asleep.

“I.. I know. I’m really sorry. I just needed to ask if I could maybe use your phone or”

He opened the door wider.

She stared at him.

“I’m not going to bite,” he said, almost amused. “Unless you’re into that.”

Her cheeks flamed.

She stepped inside.

His room was warm. Clean, but lived-in textbooks on the desk, a hoodie hanging over the chair, the scent of soap and something darker she couldn’t place. Kai watched her from the side, scratching the back of his neck like he wasn’t sure why he’d just let a girl in a towel enter his room at 1:27 a.m.

“Uh… thanks,” Layla mumbled, shifting awkwardly.

“You can sit.” He nodded toward the bed. “Or steal the hoodie if you want.”

Layla blinked.

“Unless you’re comfortable in that,” he added, nodding at the towel.

She wasn’t.

At all.

She reached for the hoodie. It was oversized, soft, and warm from his body heat. When she pulled it over her head, it swallowed her frame, falling to her thighs and completely covering her. She exhaled, finally breathing again.

Kai stared a moment longer, then turned and tossed himself onto the bed, propping himself up on one arm.

“You can crash here if you want,” he said simply.

Her heart stuttered.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” He stretched. “Door’s locked. I don’t bite. Bed’s big.”

She hesitated. “I could just sit and wait… I don’t want to make things weird.”

“You’re wearing my hoodie,” he said. “We’re already past weird.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Carefully, she climbed onto the bed far edge, hands clenched in her lap, trying not to look at his abs or how the waistband of his sweatpants dipped just enough to tease.

The silence stretched.

Then she heard it the soft, low rumble of his voice.

“You always this shy?”

Layla stiffened. “Only when I’m half-naked in a stranger’s room.”

“You’re not half-naked anymore.” His eyes met hers. “You’re wearing me.”

Oh god.

Her thighs pressed together involuntarily.

He didn’t move closer. He didn’t touch her. But the tension between them was thick slow-burning, like kindling ready to catch fire.

“You live right across from me?” he asked, voice low.

She nodded.

“Cute,” he murmured. “Quiet girl. Never expected her to be this bold.”

“I’m not,” she said quickly. “I I just didn’t have a choice.”

“Mm.” A beat. “But now you do.”

She turned to him slowly. “What do you mean?”

Kai’s eyes were darker now. His voice softer, more dangerous.

“You can sleep. Or,” he said, his gaze dropping to her legs curled under his hoodie, “you can stop pretending you’re not curious.”

The air left her lungs.

“I..”

He reached up, just one finger, and brushed a damp strand of hair behind her ear.

“I don’t want anything you’re not ready for, Layla,” he said, whispering her name like it tasted good. “But if you’re wondering what would happen if you stayed a little closer tonight…”

He paused.

“…I could show you.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***