CHAPTER 3

Davina's POV 

By the time I reached home, my thoughts were still tangled in knots. 

I slammed the door shut behind me, flipping on the light. The house was eerily quiet, just as I expected. Dad wasn't home. He was probably working late again, which meant I had the place to myself.

That was good. That was what I wanted. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Maybe later but definitely not tonight.

I marched straight to my room, my mind replaying the betrayal over and over again. Casper and Jules. I still couldn't believe it. And then, there was Shannon. Urgh

Without thinking, I flung my bag across the room. It hit the floor with a dull thud and I was about to collapse onto my bed—But then, I froze. My breath hitched in my throat. Because there was someone already in my bed.

A guy. A shirtless guy.

What the—f*ck

I staggered back, my chest lingering and it was obvious. Who the hell was he? How did he even get in?

My brain went into a state of deep thinking. My bed. My freaking bed. And a half-naked stranger was sleeping in it like he owned the place?!

I could barely process what I was looking at. His dark hair was tousled, strands falling over his forehead as he lay on his side , one arm draped lazily over the pillow. His breathing was slow and steady, like he'd been asleep for a while.

He looked comfortable. Too comfortable. And for a split second, my brain tried to reason with itself. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe stress had finally made me lose it. Maybe—

The guy shifted on the bed, his body stretched slightly as he rolled onto his back.

And that was when I knew. Nope. It wasn't a hallucination. Panic shot through me like lightning. This was an actual, real human male in my room. 

Could it have been my wish that had come true? No… that's not possible. A break-in? But why would a burglar break into my house just to take a nap? 

I scanned my desk for anything remotely weapon-like. A pen? Too flimsy. A textbook? Maybe, but it would require me to get close enough to hit him.

Oh my God. Was he dead? I was so confused as he remained there.

No. No, no, no. He was breathing. I could hear it, the slow rise and fall of his chest. Okay. It wasn't a corpse. That's progress. 

I advanced forward, my fist already curled by my side. But then, I saw it.

His torso was all muscle, his abs were chiseled in a way that looked almost unreal. His stomach was toned, making every ridge and line stand out. Six-pack. No, maybe eight. My brain refused to do the math probably because I was too busy staring.

His chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths, the faintest hint of definition among his collarbones catching my attention next. Broad shoulders and sharp lines. A body that looked like it belonged on a magazine cover, not in my bed.

I should have been freaking out like the way I did a few seconds ago. I could have called the police. But instead, my mind—’traitorous, evil thing that it was—’took a completely different route.

I started imagining things. I mean, I thought of what would it be like if he woke up right now? If his eyes—which I had yet to see but were probably devastating—opened slowly, locking onto mine? If his lips curved into a lazy, knowing smirk and his voice still rough from sleep as he said something like. “Couldn't sleep without me, huh?”

I sucked in a sharp breath. No. Nope. Stop. I was officially losing it.

This wasn't some scene from a romance novel. This was real life. And there was a half-naked stranger in my bed and I was standing here drooling over him like an idiot.

I shook my head and reached for my phone with shaking hands. 911? Dad? Who was I even supposed to call?

Then, my screen lit up with a new message notification. It was from my cousin who was out of the state. I unlocked my phone to read her message.

*Hey, I sent the hyper-realistic sexbot. Did you get it yet?*

I blinked at her text and stared. Then, very, very, very slowly, I looked back at the guy in my bed. The dots were not connecting. But then, another message of hers popped on the screen of my phone and without thinking, I opened it.

*The sexbot! I ordered one for you as an early birthday gift. The site said it'd be delivered today. Super realistic. Like, scary realistic. What do you think?

I dropped my phone.

WHAT. THE . ACTUAL. HELL

********************

A slow smile but a curious one, crept into my lips. It happened after a long thought. 

It was crazy, right? The fact that this wasn't a real person—just some hyper-realistic, insanely detailed robot my cousin had sent me as a joke. And yet, looking at him now, at the way his chest rose and fell in rhythmic breaths, at the way his muscles looked so perfectly sculpted. It was hard to believe.

Everything about him felt human. 

I hesitated for a second. Then, before my brain could catch up with my actions, my fingers moved.

The tips of my fingers brushed lightly against his stomach, tracing the firm ridges of his abs. It was hard. Solid. Warm. I gasped. How was this even possible? He was supposed to be metal and wires underneath, right? But not this. It looked… real.

I swallowed my own spit, my pulse picking up as my hand slid a little lower, my curiosity completely taking over. 

*Did he have everything a real guy had?* I thought 

The blanket was still covering him from the waist down, so there was no way to tell. Unless…

I didn't think twice again. My fingers dared to move further… Just a little down the blanket… as my eyes were fixed on the spot. Just enough to—

But then, a strong hand shot out, gripping my wrist. I gasped. 

“Mind telling me what you're doing?” A voice. A deep one. Real and unmistakably human voice rang out.

I froze. My eyes snapped up to his face. He was awake. And he was talking.

And I felt my entire soul leave my body.