Asher’s POV There was one thing I had begun looking forward to every day.
It wasn’t my morning coffee.
It wasn’t finally getting paid after a long shift.
It wasn’t even the quiet moments after work.
It was…
Opening the door to Room 407.
Because every time I did…
Kael was there.
Sometimes reading.
Sometimes pretending to read.
Sometimes asleep.
But always…
There.
I hadn’t realized how lonely life had been until someone started waiting for me.
— Rain clouds gathered above the city that afternoon.
The sky had turned a dull shade of grey, casting long shadows over the campus.
Asher glanced at the time on his phone.
4:47 p.m.
Another message from Mrs.
Han.
“Can you stay an extra three hours tonight?
One of the staff called in sick.” Asher stared at the screen.
Extra hours meant extra money.
Extra money meant fewer worries next month.
He closed his eyes.
“I’ll stay.” — Back at the dorm…
Kael quietly closed his textbook.
The room felt unusually empty.
Liam stretched lazily across his bed.
“So…” “Where’s your bodyguard?” Kael looked up.
“…He’s working.” “Again?” “…Mm.” Liam frowned.
“He works too much.” Kael didn’t answer.
Instead…
He looked toward the clock.
5:15 p.m.
“…He should’ve finished by now.” — Dinner came and went.
Noah and Liam eventually headed to the cafeteria.
“Come with us.” Liam waved from the doorway.
Kael shook his head.
“…I’ll wait.” “For Asher?” A tiny nod.
Liam exchanged a glance with Noah.
Neither of them teased him this time.
Instead…
Noah quietly said, “Don’t stay hungry for too long.” Kael smiled faintly.
“…Okay.” The door closed.
Silence settled over the dorm.
— Outside…
Night slowly swallowed the campus.
Students laughed as they returned from clubs and evening lectures.
The lights in the dormitory windows flickered to life one by one.
Kael sat cross-legged on his bed.
A novel rested open in his lap.
He had been staring at the same page for nearly twenty minutes.
His eyes drifted to the clock again.
7:42 p.m.
“He’s still not back…” A tiny sigh escaped him.
Without realizing it…
His lips formed a small pout.
He hugged his pillow tightly against his chest.
The room suddenly felt much larger than usual.
— Meanwhile…
Asher had barely stopped moving.
Coffee after coffee.
Table after table.
His feet ached.
His shoulders burned.
By the time Mrs.
Han finally removed her apron…
It was almost ten o’clock.
“You’ve done enough.” She smiled warmly.
“Go home.” Asher rubbed the back of his neck.
“…Thank you.” As he left the café…
Only one thought remained in his mind.
“I wonder if Rabbit’s asleep already…” — The dorm hallway was quiet.
Most students had already gone to bed.
Asher unlocked the door as quietly as possible.
Click.
The room was dark.
Only the small desk lamp near Kael’s bed remained on.
Asher smiled.
“He forgot to turn it off again.” He looked toward Kael’s bed.
The blanket was empty.
“Hm?” His eyes wandered.
Then…
He found him.
Curled up on the dorm sofa by the window.
Still wearing his oversized cream sweater.
His head rested against one arm.
A book had slipped onto the floor beside him.
He had fallen asleep waiting.
Asher’s heart clenched.
“…You idiot.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
He walked over carefully.
The little boy looked impossibly peaceful.
One loose curl rested across his forehead.
Asher gently brushed it away.
Kael stirred slightly…
But didn’t wake.
“…You’ll catch a cold here.” Very carefully…
Asher lifted him into his arms.
Kael was astonishingly light.
Almost weightless.
Instinctively…
Kael buried his face against Asher’s chest.
A tiny sleepy sound escaped him.
Asher smiled without realizing it.
He carried him to his bed.
Pulled the blanket over him.
Then quietly turned away.
Only…
Before he could reach his own bed…
A small hand caught the sleeve of his hoodie.
Asher looked back.
Even asleep…
Kael’s fingers refused to let go.
“…Rabbit…” He chuckled softly.
“You really don’t want me leaving, huh?” Carefully…
He sat on the edge of Kael’s bed until the little hand loosened.
Only then did he finally climb into his own bed.
The exhaustion hit him all at once.
His body practically collapsed against the mattress.
Within minutes…
His breathing had slowed.
— Several hours later…
The dorm lay completely silent.
Moonlight spilled gently through the curtains.
A small figure shifted beneath another blanket.
Kael.
Still half asleep.
His brows furrowed slightly.
“…Asher…” The familiar nightmare had begun again.
Not as terrifying as before.
Just enough to make his chest tighten.
Without opening his eyes…
His body moved on its own.
Bare feet touched the floor.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He stopped beside Asher’s bed.
Asher was asleep.
Or so Kael thought.
Very slowly…
Kael climbed beneath the blanket.
He carefully nestled against Asher’s side.
One hand lightly held the fabric of Asher’s T-shirt.
Then…
He wrapped one arm around Asher’s waist.
His breathing slowly calmed.
Warm.
Safe.
Home.
— Asher had been awake.
Only for a few seconds.
Long enough to realize exactly what was happening.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
He simply let Kael settle comfortably against him.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“He’s pretending this is sleepwalking again…” Because tonight…
Kael wasn’t trembling.
He wasn’t crying.
He wasn’t having a nightmare.
He had simply…
Come looking for him.
Asher looked down.
Kael’s face rested peacefully against his chest.
His cheeks looked impossibly soft in the moonlight.
A tiny pout still lingered on his sleeping lips.
“He’s adorable…” The thought escaped before he could stop it.
He reached up.
Carefully brushed another stray curl away from Kael’s eyes.
Kael stayed perfectly still.
Almost…
Too still.
“He’s awake…” Asher realized.
Not fully.
But enough to know where he was.
Neither of them acknowledged it.
The room remained quiet.
Then…
Without thinking…
Without planning it…
Asher leaned down.
His lips barely brushed Kael’s.
Just a featherlight peck.
Gone almost as quickly as it happened.
…
The world stopped.
Asher’s eyes widened.
“What…
did I just do?” Against his chest…
Kael’s entire body froze.
His heartbeat became impossibly fast.
He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.
“He…
kissed me?” Neither of them moved.
Neither dared to breathe too loudly.
The silence that followed was almost louder than words.
After what felt like forever…
Asher slowly leaned back.
His face burned.
He covered his eyes with one hand.
“Why did I do that…?” Kael’s ears were bright red beneath the blanket.
He continued pretending to sleep…
Afraid that if he opened his eyes…
Everything would disappear.
Outside…
The moon watched over the quiet campus.
Inside Room 407…
Two hearts beat wildly in the darkness.
Neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring.
But after tonight…
Nothing between them would ever feel quite the same again.