JASMINE
"Ma'am… It's time for school. Exams are in a few weeks."
Elena's voice cut through my sleep like a butter knife through cold butter. I groaned, rolled over in the king-sized bed, and yanked the duvet over my head.
"The heck… I graduated ages ago. Why am I going back to school?" I mumbled into the pillow, snuggling deeper like it could hide me from reality.
"Ma'am… no. You haven't graduated. In fact, you…"
"Shhh. Five more minutes of denial, please." I stopped her from talking. All I just wanted to do was sleep.
(Host… you are in this world to do things Jasmine does, why are you deciding to let things sleep off easily?)
I still refused to open my eyes as I heard Elena sigh the kind of sigh that said she would have aged ten years since I woke up in this body. Just then her footsteps faded and the Blissful silence returned.
I smiled into the darkness. Finally, peace, I could sleep the whole day.
(Host.. danger… male lead on his…)
System words were hardly over before strong arms slid under my knees and back.
And then my eyes flew open. Stephan's face hovered above me calm, annoyingly handsome even at this hour. Before I could scream, the world flipped.
Splash! Ice-cold water swallowed me whole.
I flailed like a drowning cat. Arms windmilling, legs kicking, water splashing everywhere.
"HELP! I CAN'T SWIM! THIS IS A SWIMMING POOL! I AM GONNA DROWN! SOMEONE SAVE ME! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE IN A POOL!"
I thrashed so hard bubbles exploded around me. My pajamas billowed like a parachute gone wrong.
Until a throat cleared right above me, I froze mid-panic, water streaming down my face, and cracked one eye open.
Stephan stood beside the tub, arms crossed, suit still perfect, one perfect eyebrow raised. Water dripped from the edge of the tub onto his shoes.
"You are in the bathtub," he said slowly, voice low and dry. "Not a swimming pool."
Only then did I blink and look around. The tile, the faucet, and then the bubbles. Definitely not a swimming pool.
"Oh."
I tried to stand with some dignity. Slipped on the soapy bottom. Fell back in with another splash, soaking him from the knees down.
Stephan's lips twitched. Like he was fighting a smile and losing. Like this man, I find my own vulnerability as weakness.
"What the hell was that for?!" I yelled, finally managing to stand, water cascading off me like a broken waterfall. My pajamas clung to every curve. "Do you want me dead before I even finish this stupid thing?!"
"I woke you up," he said calmly. "You should be thanking me… You were almost late for class."
"Thanking you?! I almost had a heart attack! I thought I was in the deep end of the ocean!"
He tilted his head. "Well, you are wide awake now. Good. So now you are going to school today."
I stared at him like he had suggested I join the circus. "Excuse me? I am not a student anymore. Why would I…"
(Host… I already told you. She is still a college student. A very lazy, repeating-one, love-sick college student who keeps failing because she prioritizes men over books. Stop making him think you have completely lost your mind.)
My jaw dropped at once "Wait… I am still in college?" That world felt like a very traumatic issue for me.
(System… why the heck would I be going to school?)
(Because that is how the story is designed.) I sighed out loud and then looked up at Stephan.
"You also think I need to go to school?" Stephan sighed this time around, the long-suffering sigh of a man who had had this fight too many times.
"You had problems last semester. Now I have spoken to your professors. They are letting you retake the exams this semester. You need to study hard."
I opened my mouth and closed it speechless. "You… talked to my professors? For me?"
He looked at me like I was being deliberately slow. "You are my wife. Of course I did."
That little sentence did something dangerous to my heart. Warmth spread through my chest. Before I could respond, he turned to leave.
"Wait!" I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.
He froze. Looked down at our joined hands, then slowly back at my face.
"So… we are not talking about divorce anymore?" I asked quietly, hoping I hadn't pushed faster than my shoulder.
(Yes Host… that is it..)
He stared at me for a long beat and then the anger in his eyes softened, as he poked his hands into his pocket.
"I am giving you one last chance," he said. "If you stop acting stupid. If you stop thinking about Henry… maybe I won't mention divorce again."
I smirked despite the butterflies rioting in my stomach. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of it." He tried to pull his hand free but again I yanked back and that turned out so bad. too hard.
Because of a silly mistake of mine, we both lost balance and crashed into the tub together.
Water exploded over the sides, instantly making his suit. My pajamas were already ruined. We landed chest-to-chest, legs tangled, faces inches apart.
I swallowed. "I… I am so sorry." I tried to apologize but he just ignored me and tried to stand.
I panicked and grabbed his shirt to steady him, locking our eyes. I swear I felt my whole world stop staring at this handsome man in my arms.
All the time I have always traveled to didn't tell this is the first time I would thank the system for giving me a handsome man.
"St… I…" I was lost at once but before I could even settle the situation he kissed me.
My whole brain stopped at that minute. His lips were warm and firm, tasting of morning coffee. One hand cupped the back of my neck, fingers threading into my wet hair, tilting my head just right.
The other slid down my side tracing the curve of my waist through the soaked silk, then lower, gripping my hip with possessive strength.
I moaned into his mouth at once the helpless sound I couldn't stop.
His tongue slipped past my lips, stroking mine in a slow, sensual rhythm.
Heat exploded everywhere. My hands fisted in his wet shirt, pulling him closer. The water sloshed around us as he pressed me against the tub wall, body pinning mine, every hard inch of him flush against me.
(Host! +5 points! His heart rate just jumped to 145 bpm!) The system sounded like an excited fangirl.
(Keep going! This is gold! He's falling so fast! Look at that chemistry!)
I barely registered it at all. All I could feel was the way his tongue teased mine, the rough pad of his thumb brushing the underside of my breast through the thin fabric, the hitch in his breath when I arched into him, the low growl that vibrated against my lips.
He deepened the kiss, hungry now. His hand slid up my back, fingers splaying wide, pulling me impossibly closer. Water dripped from his hair onto my cheek. My nails dug into his shoulders. Every nerve lit up like fireworks.
Then abruptly, as he regained himself he pulled back.
He stood up fast making the water cascade off his ruined suit. Chest heaving. Eyes dark, pupils blown wide with his lips red and swollen.
I stared up at him, dazed, breathless, body still buzzing.
"I didn't mean to…" I whispered.
He shook his head roughly. "When you get back from school," he said, voice gravelly and low, "the doctors will check on you. This isn't the wife I married."
At once he walked out dripping, footsteps echoing on the floor leaving wet footprints and silence behind.
I could only sit there in the cooling water, heart pounding, lips tingling, cheeks burning.
(Host… +5 more points. He's confused and aroused by the fact that you are winning.)
I touched my swollen lips.
"Yeah," I whispered to the empty bathroom. "But at what cost?"
(Host since you are going to school today and you got aim point you could buy some information with your points so you know what you will meet in school.)