Tom’s Morning Confusion and Carolina’s Presence
As Tom woke up, lying on his side, his body instinctively reacted to the first rays of morning light. While his mind struggled to process the events of the night and the chaos within him, his body responded in an entirely different way. He forced his eyes open, becoming aware of the physical reaction his body was having. A mix of unease, discomfort, and a strange sense of helplessness echoed through his thoughts.
But everything was so tangled that, no matter how much he tried to deny it, he couldn’t suppress his body’s natural response.
The soft morning light illuminated the corners of the room, casting away the lingering shadows. Tom lifted his head from the pillow and glanced around. His thoughts drifted to the previous night—Derek’s messages, the photos, and the whirlwind of emotions he was struggling to understand. It was all too overwhelming, and the more he thought, the more confusing everything became.
Lost in deep thought, he was momentarily detached from his own body, even from the changes he had woken up to.
A feeling of unease settled within him. The disconnection between his emotions and his body made him feel even more alien to himself. Rubbing his eyes with his hands, he tried to sit up in bed.
And then, the door opened.
He heard Carolina’s footsteps entering the room.
She had decided to wake Tom up after breakfast. Slowly pushing the door open, she stepped inside and saw that he was still asleep. Her curiosity mixed with a touch of concern. He hadn’t come to his room last night. For a few moments, she stood there, watching him.
Then, Tom stirred. As he became aware of his body’s reaction and the discomfort it brought, Carolina’s gaze inadvertently drifted toward him.
His bare chest, the way he was sitting up in just his boxers—the atmosphere in the room shifted subtly.
Carolina hesitated for a brief second, unsure of what to do. But then, her eyes moved away from him, scanning the room before settling on his face. There was something in his expression—a mix of confusion and unease.
As she stood there, she realized how worried she was about him.
But at the same time, she could sense something different about this morning.
She wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but she felt it.
For a fleeting moment, she considered stepping back, closing the door, and leaving. But something held her in place.
Tom was waking up, and she could see the discomfort in his expression, the way he was struggling to process whatever was on his mind.
A deep silence filled the space between them.
Then, Carolina took a step forward and spoke softly:
"Tom, breakfast is ready. Is something wrong?"
Tom closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
Trying to suppress the storm of emotions inside him, the discomfort, and the strange tension of the morning, he slowly sat up.
When he looked at Carolina, he noticed something in her expression.
She was looking at him, and for a brief second, he felt that she was feeling something too.
But understanding what it was…
Had just become even more complicated.
Chapter: Tom – The Chaos in His Mind and the First Thoughts of the Morning
After Carolina closed the door, Tom remained motionless in his bed for a few more seconds. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, but his mind was elsewhere.
Derek’s message.
His phone was still in his hand. The glowing numbers on the screen only intensified the unease Derek’s text had already caused.
"Did you see how much I made from the photos? Maybe we should grab a drink sometime—I'll buy you dinner."
Tom clenched his jaw, reading the message again.
He already knew how reckless, how utterly careless Derek was. Selling photos of their teacher, Isabella, without her knowledge… and now, treating it like some kind of game.
Tom’s fingers hovered over the screen. He knew he shouldn’t get too involved with Derek. But at the same time… he needed money.
He couldn’t deny that truth.
He hesitated for a moment before typing a short response:
"Maybe someday. Not in the mood right now."
Tossing the phone onto his nightstand, he let his head fall back onto the pillow.
But peace didn’t come.
The tension in his body still lingered. His thoughts kept drifting between Carolina and Isabella.
Last night…
Seeing Carolina that way, looking at her with entirely different eyes while living under the same roof…
He had never looked at her like that before.
But now, no matter how much he tried to push it away, that image was burned into his mind.
That moment—Carolina, sitting alone in the living room late at night.
The thin fabric of her nightgown slipping slightly off her shoulder with the subtlest movement. The way he had suddenly realized how effortlessly elegant, how undeniably womanly she was.
That awareness had planted itself in his mind like a virus.
Tom shook his head as if trying to physically dislodge the thought.
But his body was more honest than his mind.
He took a deep breath. He needed a cold shower.
Getting up, he walked toward the bathroom, adjusting the elastic waistband of his boxers. Ignoring the tension in his body, he stepped inside.
As soon as the cold water hit his skin, he gasped.
But his mind kept playing tricks on him.
Isabella Moreau.
How her curves became more defined as she reached up to write on the board.
How her blouse would slightly loosen at the collar when she moved.
How she bit her lip while asking questions, her gaze sweeping over the classroom.
Tom hadn’t realized it before, but his eyes had been memorizing her every movement.
And now, as water trickled down his body, her voice echoed in his mind.
"You’ve been very distracted lately, Tom."
But what if… she had said it differently?
Tom clenched his teeth. Turning the water hotter, he tried to wash away the images in his head.
But they were already engraved in his thoughts.
Carolina and Isabella.
Both so different. Yet both had become inescapable ghosts in his mind.
Social Friends App: Braun and Scharline
After stepping out of the shower, a notification sound pulled Tom’s attention back to his phone.
Derek again?
Swiping the screen, he noticed a new notification from the Social Friends app.
He opened it, scrolling through recent posts.
And then—he saw it.
A new picture of Scharline.
But what really caught his eye was who was with her.
Braun.
They were standing together—too close.
Tom frowned slightly. He didn’t know much about Braun, but Derek had mentioned him a few times.
"There isn’t a single girl he hasn’t taken to bed."
That sentence triggered something inside Tom.
Braun, with that smug, confident smile, standing beside Scharline.
Tom hesitated.
What exactly was Scharline to him?
His mind wrestled with the question as he turned off his phone and exhaled deeply.
This morning wasn’t going to give him any peace.
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Braun and Scharline…
Tom stared at his phone screen once more, opening Scharline’s profile and scrolling through her posts.
His eyes moved over her ordinary pictures—snapshots of her daily life, a casual coffee moment, nights out with friends.
But in every single one, her beauty stood out.
There was something effortlessly striking about her.
But… hadn’t Braun noticed that too?
Derek’s words echoed in his mind:
"There isn’t a single girl he hasn’t taken to bed."
That was the thought that unsettled Tom the most.
Did Braun really see Scharline that way?
And more importantly…
Would Scharline ever let something like that happen with Braun?
That question stabbed into Tom’s mind like a knife.
The water cascaded down his body as he remained frozen, still staring at the screen. Droplets slid down his hair, merging with the soft glow of the screen’s light.
His finger, almost involuntarily, hovered over another picture of Scharline.
And for a brief moment, a stupid thought crossed his mind.
"I wonder if she ever…?"
The thought remained unfinished.
Tom hesitated, his mind catching up with itself.
He knew how ridiculous and unnecessary this was.
But still…
There it was.
Lurking in the dark corner of his mind.
He wondered what Braun thought about her.
And maybe the worst part of it all…
He wondered how much Scharline had let Braun in.
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