Behind Closed Doors
Later that night, the party started to slow down. Guests were leaving, lights were dimmed, and soft music played in the background. Muri walked through the hallway with a soft smile on her lips and heat still lingering from the kiss.
Lex followed behind her, quiet but clearly watching her every move. She stopped in front of her room, turned around, and looked at him.
"You followed me," she said playfully.
"You didn't tell me to stop," he answered, leaning against the wall beside her door.
"I didn't want you to."
She stepped closer, her voice low. "Do you always kiss like that?"
Lex smirked. "Only when I really want someone."
Muri leaned in, just enough so he could feel her breath on his skin. "If you keep looking at me like that, I might do something bad."
He chuckled, but his voice dropped. "What kind of bad?"
She whispered, "Like pulling you into my room… and making you stay just a little too long."
His eyes darkened with desire. "Muri…"
"I'm not asking for more," she said. "Not tonight. Just… stay a while."
He thought for a moment, then nodded.
Inside her room, the lights were low and the air was warm. Her bed was a little messy—open books, a fluffy blanket, a pink notebook with hearts on it.
"You weren't joking about loving romance," Lex said, picking up a manga.
She plopped down on the bed, kicking off her heels. "What can I say? I like love stories… with a little spice."
Lex sat beside her, close but not touching. "You like teasing, don't you?"
"I like seeing how far I can push someone before they break," she said, biting her lip.
He leaned in just a little. "And what if I break first?"
"Then I win," she whispered, touching his chest lightly with her fingers. "But don't worry, I'd go slow… I'd make you enjoy every second."
Lex grabbed her hand gently. "You're dangerous, Muri."
"And you're delicious," she whispered back.
They didn't kiss again—this time. But they sat there together, in the soft glow of the room, hearts racing, thoughts full of what might come next.
Later that night, the party began to exhale.
Guests drifted toward the exits in clusters of laughter and fading perfume. Crystal glasses were cleared away, candles burned lower, and the music softened into something slower, almost sleepy. The grand ballroom that had glittered with noise now felt wrapped in the quiet after a storm.
Muri walked through the hallway with measured steps, her heels in one hand, the other brushing lightly against the wall for balance.
There was still warmth in her lips.
Still the memory of his hands at her waist.
Still the impossible fact that the man she had kissed beneath chandeliers and applause was not only Lex—
but Alexander Nahra.
The heir.
She smiled to herself.
Then heard footsteps behind her.
Steady.
Familiar.
She stopped outside her room and turned slowly.
Lex stood a few feet away, jacket loosened now, tie undone just enough to make him look less like an empire and more like himself.
You followed me, she said, a playful note returning to her voice.
His gaze didn't leave hers.
You didn't tell me to stop.
Muri tilted her head. Maybe I wanted to see if you would.
He leaned one shoulder against the wall beside her door, calm as ever. But there was something in his eyes tonight that hadn't been there before.
Something less guarded.
Do you always test people like this? he asked.
Only the interesting ones.
She stepped closer, close enough to notice the faint scent of cologne and the way his breathing changed when she entered his space.
Do you always kiss like that?
she asked softly.
A slow smile touched his mouth.
Only when I really want someone.
The answer landed harder than she expected.
For a second, Muri forgot how to tease.
Then she recovered.
If you keep saying things like that, she murmured, I might do something reckless.
His eyes darkened slightly. What kind of reckless?
She leaned in, lips near his ear.
Like inviting you inside.
A beat of silence passed between them.
Then she opened the door.
Her room looked exactly as it always did—slightly chaotic, deeply personal, impossible to mistake for anyone else's.
Books lay stacked in uneven towers. A blanket spilled across the bed. Pens, notebooks, open manga, half-finished pages and scattered thoughts covered every surface.
Lex stepped inside and glanced around.
So this is where all the trouble begins.
Muri laughed softly, setting down her heels. This is where the stories begin.
He picked up a notebook from the desk, flipping it open before she could stop him.
Lex—
Too late.
He raised an eyebrow as he read a line aloud.
His hand slid lower as she forgot how to breathe.
Muri snatched the notebook from him, cheeks warming. "Give me that."
He looked entirely too amused.
"You write this?"
"I write many things," she said, tossing the notebook aside. Some more embarrassing than others.
I'm starting to understand you.
That sounds dangerous.
"It probably is."
She sat at the edge of the bed, exhaling as the night finally settled over her. Lex remained standing for a moment before sitting beside her, leaving only a careful space between them.
The room grew quiet.
No ballroom.
No guests.
No expectations.
Just two people who had crossed a line neither of them could uncross.
Muri glanced sideways at him.
"So… Alexander Nahra."
He winced. "Please don't start calling me that."
You hid that from me.
I didn't hide it.
You definitely hid it.
I delayed it.
She laughed. "That's just rich people language for hiding."
Even Lex smiled at that.
Then the humor faded, replaced by something quieter.
"Does it bother you?" he asked.
She looked at him properly now.
That you're rich?
That I didn't tell you.
The question was real.
She considered it.
"A little," she admitted. But not because of the money.
"Then why?"
Because I don't know which version of you is real.
The words settled between them.
Lex looked down at his hands before answering.
"The one in this room."
No hesitation.
No practiced charm.
Just truth.
Something in Muri softened.
She reached over and adjusted the loosened tie still hanging around his collar.
"You know," she said quietly, you're much easier to like when you're honest.
His hand caught hers before she could pull away.
And you're much easier to read when you stop performing.
She froze.
Then laughed softly to cover the fact that it had struck home
.
You really do notice too much.
I warned you.
Their hands remained together.
Neither moved.
The air shifted again—gentler this time, but no less charged.
Then, from somewhere beyond the hallway walls—
a sound.
Faint.
Breathy.
A voice.
Muri's smile disappeared instantly.
Lex looked toward the door.
Both of them knew that voice.
Room 407.
At this hour.
In this silence.
Muri swallowed. "That's impossible."
Lex was already standing.
Stay here.
She rose immediately. "Not a chance."
Another whisper floated through the corridor.
Soft.
Unmistakable.
And closer than before.
They looked at each other only once.
Then together, they stepped toward the door.