CHAPTER 4

Davina's POV 

I immediately straightened up, my heart pounding in my chest as I took a shaky step back. “How are you talking?” My voice came out as a whisper, my throat became suddenly dry. “I mean… how are you so—so advanced? Are you, like, some kind of upgraded model or something?”

The guy's brows furrowed, confusion flashing across his striking gray-blue eyes. He looked at me like I had just spoken in an alien language. “What?” His voice was deep and slightly hoarse.

I waved my hands in front of his face, making slow, exaggerated motions, the way people did when testing if a robot could recognize gestures. 

“Can you understand this? Do you have voice recognition? Or—oh! Are you programmed to respond to commands?”

For a second, he just stared. Then, his entire expression shifted in outrage.

“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped, his voice rising. “I'm not a robot! I'm real, you lunatic!”

I barely had time to register his words before my survival instinct kicked in. Every muscle in my body tensed and with a sharp gasp, I turned on my heel, ready to bolt straight out the door. 

But before I could escape, strong hands caught me from behind, one clamping firmly over my mouth, the other holding me in place.

“Don't scream,” he hissed into my ear. His breath was warm against my skin but all I could focus on was the sheer panic clawing at my chest.

I thrashed in his grip, my muffled protests vibrating against his palm. I clawed at his wrist, trying to pry him off, but he was too strong. My heartbeat pounded so loudly in my ears that I barely noticed the way the blanket that had been covering him started slipping.

And then—the fabric fell.

My entire body froze. My breath twitched. My wide eyes darted downward and the instant my brain registered what I was seeing, I let out a strangled squeak and immediately, I spun around so fast that I nearly tripped on my own feet.

“Oh. My. God.” I gasped.

Heat flared up my neck, burning my cheeks like fire. I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head as if that would erase the image that had crept into my brain. I could hear him scream out the word.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. There was a frantic rustling sound as he scrambled to grab the blanket again. 

Neither of us spoke. I was too mortified to turn back around and he was probably too busy wrapping himself back up. Several deep breaths later, I managed to find my voice again even though it came out shaky. 

“What the hell are you doing in my bed?”

The guy exhaled sharply and I could hear the irritation that was laced in his tone when he finally responded. “I was sleeping.”

I clenched my fist still refusing to look at him. “That's not what I mean! Who are you? And why are you in my house on my bed?”

There was silence, so this time, I turned back around—careful to keep my gaze locked on his face this time. “Okay.” I said, straightening my posture and crossing my arms. “Who are you and why are you here?” 

The guy—who I really hoped wasn't some kind of elaborate prank-gone-wrong—arched an eyebrow. “Didn't we just go over this?”

“No, we don't,” I shot back, frustration bubbling up. “I still have no idea who you are, how you got into my house, or why the hell were you sleeping in my bed.”

With my voice rising, his expression remained frustratingly calm. “I walked in.”

I blinked at his response. “You walked in?”

“Yeah.”

“That's breaking and entering!”. I threw my hands up, my voice rising. “What! Did you just magically unlock the door and stroll inside like you own this place?”

His jaw tightened slightly as it was obvious. “I didn't break in. The door was unlocked.”

I opened my mouth, then promptly closed it. Crap. That… actually sounded like something my dad would do. He had a bad habit of forgetting to lock the door when he left for work.

But that still didn't explain why this guy was in my room, sleeping on my bed.

I narrowed my eyes on him. My fists were clenched by my sides as my patience was wearing thin already. “Are you stealing something? Are you some kind of weirdly attractive burglar?”

At that, his entire face twisted in disbelief. “Seriously?” He flared up.

I pointed a finger at him, my voice firm. “Just answer the damn question.”

He let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his already messy black hair. “You're unbelievable.”

“Oh. I'm unbelievable?” I scoffed. “You're the one who broke into my house!”

“For the last time. I didn't break in! Think about it, would I be sleeping if I had broken inside?” His voice finally snapped, his frustration matching mine. “What's inside that head of yours… It is supposed to be the brain, right? Then what were you thinking cuz you were the one who thought I was a robot! Sprawling your hands around me. Just imagine!”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but then—I had nothing. Because he was right.

I thought he was a robot. And well… I had started touching him to check if he was, uh… and now I'm starting to think if I really had a brain. Heat crawled up my neck at the memory. I quickly looked away, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from dying of secondhand embarrassment.

After a long pause, I finally exhaled. “It wasn't my fault I thought of you as a robot.”

He scoffed under his breath. “Well, now you know I'm real and I didn't break in.”

I hesitated for a moment, before glancing back at him. “Then… Why are you here? Like why in my room? Of all the places to crash, why here?”

The guy—who was still wrapped in the blanket—studied me for a moment. Then, finally, he sighed and answered.

“I'm Kael,” he said, his voice calmer now. “I'm an exchange student.”

I frowned slightly, the pieces still not fitting together. “Okay… and?”

He ran a hand down his face, looking like he was already exhausted with this conversation. “And Coach Russell is hosting me.”

I blinked at his final statement. My brain took a second to catch up. Then—*Oh my God*

Coach Russell. As in, my dad. 

My dad was hosting an exchange student. And he never told me.

“Coach Russell is my Dad… So he was the one who allowed you to sleep on my bed in my room… I'll have to have a word with him when he gets back.”

“No. No. No, no, no, no… he opened the door for me and told me to relax on the couch inside the sitting room. But I had to find my way here myself. You can't tell him anything about this, okay.”

I looked down at his hands, as he gripped me and then, I looked at his face. “Oh! You're scared he would cancel everything he did for you or what…” a smile curled around my lips.

“It's not that… but you can't tell him anything…. Are we cool on this?”

I shrugged and immediately loosened his grip, hurrying out of the room.