Minra should have been asleep by now.
She had taken a shower, changed into the loose shirt and comfortable pants Shuun had given her, and slipped under the covers of the ridiculously luxurious guest bed.
And yet—
She couldn’t sleep.
Because her mind wouldn’t stop.
Because, no matter how hard she tried—
She kept thinking about him.
Shuun.
The man who was just a room away.
.
She turned onto her side.
Then her back.
Then onto her stomach.
And still—she was too awake.
Because her brain wouldn’t shut up.
Because for the first time, she was really thinking about him.
Not just as the actor playing a role in her story.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Not just as the picky perfectionist who had tested her endlessly.
But as a person.
As the man who had trusted her with his acting choices.
As the man who had respected her work instead of twisting it.
As the man who had seen through every one of her lies.
And now—
He was the man who had let her stay.
Minra’s breath hitched.
Because this wasn’t like before.
This wasn’t about fighting him, avoiding him, keeping up walls.
This was about the simple, quiet fact that right now—
He was just a door away.
And somehow, that felt too close.
Meanwhile, in the Other Room…
Shuun leaned against the armrest of his couch, swirling the last bit of his wine in his glass.
He should have gone to bed.
But he wasn’t tired.
Not yet.
Because his mind was somewhere else.
Because, whether he wanted to admit it or not—
He was thinking about her.
Minra.
The woman who had spent so long avoiding him.
The woman who had been so stiff, so careful—until now.
The woman who had finally let her guard down.
And suddenly, he had seen a different side of her.
Something…unexpected.
Something…cute.
And the worst part?
He hadn’t been prepared for that.
.
He had been so used to her walls.
So used to the way she tried to keep distance, tried to stay unreadable.
But tonight—he had seen something else.
The way she had panicked when she realized she was too comfortable.
The way she had tried to convince herself she could just leave.
The way her fingers had tensed slightly against the fabric of her clothes when he told her to stay.
And now, she was in his home.
Probably tossing and turning in that guest bed, overthinking every moment.
And Shuun?
Shuun found himself smirking.
Not because he had trapped her.
Not because she had lost.
But because this wasn’t a game anymore.
This was just…interesting.
Because she wasn’t just a writer anymore.
She was her own kind of character.
And suddenly, without realizing it—
He was invested in her.
.
Minra buried her face into the pillow, groaning softly.
Why am I thinking about him so much?
Why did his voice still linger in her head?
Why did his expression, his words, his presence feel so much closer than they should?
Minra clenched her fists.
She had to stop this.
She had to sleep.
But no matter how hard she tried—
She couldn’t shake the fact that right now, Shuun was just a room away.
And the worst part?
At the same time—
He was thinking the exact same thing.
.
Chapter 20: The Late-Night Encounter