With a bit of stuttering, I answered him. “Y-yes... I’m sorry. I came in without permission,” I replied. I swallowed as I waited for his response, and my feet even moved under the shower.
“I myself told you to come here, no need to apologise,” he replied in a low voice. He was silent for a moment before continuing in a calm voice. “Your clothes might take a while to arrive. Take your time, and when you finish, I have some hot chocolate.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but Zioh interrupted again. “Thanks, Tshabina…” he said after a pause, each word slow and tender.
I pursed my lips as my chest felt warm. “You’re welcome, Zi.”
Letting out a short breath, I began stripping off my clothes again, pulling down my shorts, hoodie, undershirt, and underwear. Now my naked body was directly meeting the warm water falling from the shower above. I closed my eyes to feel the sensation.
But suddenly, the darkness turned to pitch black behind my eyelids. My eyes shot open, and I was right. Only the city skyline remained beyond the glass, a sprawl of glittering lights against the void.
Not only that, a loud noise erupted from the walls, startling me. What was this? The song “Spark” filled the entire room, making me step back in fear.
My toes hit something on the floor, and I groaned in pain.
“Hey, are you alright?” Zioh’s voice called from beyond the door; his words quavered.
“Y-yeah, just—” My words cracked as my hand groped blindly along the wall. “Z-Zioh, the lights went out and… And the music came on by itself!”
Then his voice came again, lower. “Damn it,” he muttered, as if he knew exactly what had happened. “It’s alright, don’t be afraid.” His voice dropped. “It isn’t completely dark…” He paused, then gentled his tone. “There’s a panel by the entrance, next to the door. You can control the lights from there.”
I immediately looked to the right and left, but I couldn’t see anything. “W-which side, Zi?”
“Next to the door,” he replied.
The problem was that the door wasn’t even visible now. The darkness in this room obscured the color of the door.
I was quiet for a long time, and Zioh called out again. This time, his tone wavered. “Are you okay? Did you find it, Tshabina?”
“I—I can’t see anything, Zi!” The trembling in my body escaped through my mouth, and a frantic thudding erupted behind my ribs. I was never good with pitch-black darkness.
Another pause, and his voice came softer, almost careful. “Is it all right if I come in?”
My breath caught. I hesitated, then with a careful movement, I felt along the wall until my hand found a coarse fabric, something I believed to be a towel, and clutched it tighter around me. “Y-yes, Zi.”
The door opened, spilling faint light into the far end of the bathroom. His shadow crossed the room, his tall frame moving towards the wall panel, and I released a shaky breath.
The lights flared back, too bright against my stinging eyes, making me squint. And there he was, Zioh, clear now, with his gaze fixed wholly on me.
My body stalled, locked in place, clutching the towel desperately to cover myself. Cold rushed through me despitethe hot water still dripping from my hair. My heartbeat pulsed through my hand, gripping the towel’s edge.
Swallowing hard, I forced myself to move a few steps. “The lights… they just went out,” I stammered. My eyes darted away from him. “And the music started playing on its own.”
Zioh’s eyes flicked around the room, then back to me. “Yeah... that’s for the—” He paused. “Relaxation.” He swallowed. “It’s automatically set like that, every midnight.” He pointed to the smart panel beside him, embedded in the wall.
When my gaze returned to him, I realized he wasn’t just looking at my face. His eyes lingered, sliding lower over the towel clutched tightly to my body. His dark pupils remained fixed on me, wide and unblinking. It wasn’t the kind of look that made me want to hide. It made me feel such warmth, setting my heart stirring with a feeling I couldn't name.
My knees weakened.
Then, he moved. Slowly. Closer.
My breath hitched as he approached. His step grew louder and louder in my ears, making my heart feel as if it was about to jump out of my chest. My fingers gripped the edge of the towel tighter, terrified it might slip.
When he finally stopped, his presence washed over me. I held my breath as he kept moving his body closer, narrowing the distance between us, allowing me to feel the heat from his body.
The scent of his body wafted towards me, making my entire body tremble. I reflexively closed my eyes.
But after closing my eyes for a long time, nothing happened. Feeling confused, I blinked. His smile was the first thing to greet me. Zioh looked down at me with his gentle, deep eyes. His hand held a bathrobe, and he held it out to me.
