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Novel Catalog
Chapter 42
Her lips were moist and a soft shade of blush pink. Ivor could almost imagine how sweet they must taste…
He swallowed hard.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Bonnie’s eyes snapped open, and their gazes met, locking in an awkward moment.
Ivor was still leaning in, his face so close to hers that their noses were almost touching. The sudden proximity felt strange, as if he were under a spell.
“What are you doing?” Bonnie asked, her voice clear and slightly alarmed. She quickly pulled back, creating some distance between them.
Ivor was startled, but he quickly composed himself, rising from his position. “I was about to wake you,” he said, his voice steady but still a little shaky. “You might catch a cold sleeping like that.”
Bonnie studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. She didn’t see anything unusual in his face, but then her thoughts turned back to how he usually treated her—distant and guarded. Maybe she was just overthinking it.
“Anyway, there’s no need to dwell on it,” she muttered, her focus shifting to the chessboard. “We haven’t finished our last match.”
Ivor’s brow furrowed, concern evident in his voice. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I forgot you have your SATs coming up. You should go back to sleep. We can leave the chessboard as it is and finish the match after your SATs.”
“That works for me.” Bonnie nodded, her expression neutral. Without another word, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Ivor stood still for a moment, staring at the door. Then, his gaze flicked to his own room. He felt a strange emptiness settling in, like something was missing.
Meanwhile, Bonnie had just switched on the light in her room when she noticed Jim standing by the window. Her lips curled into a slight frown as she spoke.
“Looks like you’re coming and going as you please,” she said, her tone teasing but also a little serious. “Better watch out. There are a lot of skilled people here at the Knight’s. We wouldn’t be able to explain ourselves if someone saw you sneaking into my room in the middle of the night.”
Jim scowled but didn’t back down. “That’s because you decided to come back here in the dead of night,” he said, his voice gruff. “Why were you in Ivor’s room for so long?”
Bonnie shrugged, not missing a beat. “We were playing chess.”
“You’ve been playing chess all this time?” Jim raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding.
“Yes,” she said with a hint of a smile. “You could say our desire to play chess is like your desire to spar. Remember how we met?”
Jim scratched the back of his head, sheepishly recalling their first encounter. He had been desperate to spar with someone, and fate had led him to her. Ever since, he’d pestered her, eager to test his skills against hers.
“I remember,” he muttered. “You kicked my ass, and I couldn’t get enough of it.”
Bonnie laughed softly, but her smile faded quickly. “Trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about. Now, hurry up and leave. If someone comes in—”
She was cut off by a sharp knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Both of them froze in surprise.
“Who is it?” Bonnie gestured for Jim to remain still, her voice low.
“It’s me,” came Ivor’s deep voice from the other side of the door.
Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”
“You left your phone in my room,” Ivor called back.
“Oh.” Bonnie’s response was calm, though her mind was racing. This seemed like a perfectly valid excuse for him to be here, meaning there was no way to stop him from coming in now.
She shot Jim a quick, silent look, and he immediately caught on. Without a word, he slipped into the restroom.
Bonnie opened the door to find Ivor standing there, his eyes scanning her room with that deep, calculating gaze of his.
“What took you so long?” he asked, his tone casual but with an edge of suspicion.
“I was just in the restroom,” Bonnie replied smoothly, her face giving nothing away.
Ivor glanced toward the restroom. “Why’s the door closed if you were just in there?” His voice held a note of curiosity.
Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure, her expression neutral. “Force of habit,” she replied, her voice steady despite the growing tension.
Ivor’s eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the restroom door. Then, without warning, he said, “The toilet in my restroom wasn’t working. I’ll need to use yours.”
Before Bonnie could react, Ivor marched toward the restroom, his steps decisive. With one swift motion, he swung the door open, catching her completely off guard.