Killer Empire

Chapter 28

THE RESOUNDING SLAM of the bedroom door echoed through their safe haven. Devora had just stepped out of the shower, a towel still wrapped around her body when Nathan returned to their room. Grabbing another towel, she wrapped up her wet hair, tucking each strand into the soft fabric before trudging out to greet her roommate.

He hadn't noticed her so far. In fact, Nathan looked too tired to care about anything else other than closing his eyes for a quick nap. Yet, in Devora's eyes, Nathan's exhaustion didn't seem like it was one from his physical body but rather his mind and soul. He looked as though he had run out of fuel to continue fighting on.

When Devora had hopped into the shower, she hadn't thought that Nathan would be back so quickly. Most of her clothes were still on her side of the room, folded neatly on the edge of her bed. Underneath her towel, she only had her undergarments on, the mere bare minimum. That meant that she had to make her presence known, to get Nathan out so that she could get herself dressed.

However, her roommate was on the bed, sprawled over the soft mattress with the back of his hands covering his eyes. Devora thought of the possibility of simply sneaking past him, grabbing her items, before dashing back into the bathroom. However, Nathan wasn't an ordinary civilian. Even a needle dropping to the floor could probably get caught by his trained ears.

Clearing her throat to get his attention, Devora gripped her towel tightly, praying it wouldn't fall off by some stroke of bad luck. The sound she made caused Nathan to sit up immediately, most likely because he hadn't thought there was anyone else there in the room with him. The very second he noticed Devora was standing there with nothing but that flimsy towel covering her figure, his cheeks flushed. Scarlet bloomed across his skin as he hurried to look away, quickly turning his gaze to the floor instead.

"Sorry," he apologized, coughing slightly in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness. "I didn't know that you were in the room." He scratched the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Don't worry about it," Devora murmured. Scurrying across the carpeted floor, she reached for her clothing. "I didn't think you would be back so soon either."

As soon as her fingers made contact with her clothes, Devora made a mad dash for the bathroom, slamming the door shut before her cheeks could betray her. Red was already starting to color the exposed areas of her skin, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the hot water from her shower or embarrassment.

She got dressed quickly, pulling on her shirt and pants with haste before stepping out of the bathroom once more. This time, Nathan had already moved from his bed and was now standing right in front of the large windows, looking out. His arms were folded, head leaning against the glass panels as if deep in thought.

"Do you want to use the shower?" With the words tumbling out of her lips unsurely, Devora gestured to their shared bathroom.

The air was thick with tension, almost suffocating her. She forced down the uneasiness, keeping her gaze steady despite having Candice's prior words flooding her mind.

'It's so obvious that he will move mountains for you,' Candice had said. However, Devora had yet to know how true those words were. For now, it was nothing but a mere assumption, something she couldn't depend on. Hence, there was no use getting flustered over speculations.

"No... Uh... I'm good. I'll go later." Nathan barely even turned around when he spoke. Instead, his eyes found hers through the reflection shown on the glass windows.

His voice sounded so raspy that Devora theorized that he had probably cried — or was close to it — before returning to their room. Only he himself knew what Julius Cain had said to him that could've caused such a reaction. Of course, Devora had a guess. It wasn't one she dared to lightly bring up considering how it nearly crumbled their budding friendship previously.