Chapter 88- The Toilet Confession

Raven didn’t let go of her hand immediately. His thumb kept doing that slow circle thing against her palm, and Yuna’s brain felt fuzzy. Like someone turned down the volume on her thoughts.

"So," Raven said, leaning back in his chair. His other hand was still between Hana’s thighs under the table, making the older woman bite her lip hard enough to leave marks. "Gareth. Your boyfriend. Tell me about him."

Yuna blinked. "I... what?"

"Humor me." His purple eyes locked onto hers. "How long have you known him?"

"Since we were kids," Yuna said automatically. The words just came out. Like he’d pressed a button. "We grew up together. Same neighborhood."

"Childhood friends." Raven nodded like he was solving a puzzle. "Let me guess. He’s good at art, isn’t he? Painting, specifically."

Yuna’s eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Men like Gareth always have one thing they’re passionate about that isn’t their career." Raven’s voice was casual, almost bored. "Football is what pays. But painting? That’s where his soul goes. I’d bet he doesn’t show those paintings to anyone. Keeps them locked away."

Yuna felt her chest tighten. "He... he used to paint. When we were younger. But his mother said it wasn’t practical, so—"

"So she groomed him into the perfect son." Raven’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Bet she groomed you too. To be the perfect wife."

"She didn’t groom me!" Yuna’s voice came out sharper than she intended. A few people glanced over, but Raven just sat there, unbothered. "Gareth’s mother is a wonderful woman. After my mother died, she—she took care of me. She’s the one who suggested the engagement, but only because she knew we cared about each other."

"Did she." Raven’s tone made it a statement, not a question.

Beside him, Hana let out a soft whimper. His fingers were doing something under the table that made her thighs clench.

Yuna tried not to look. Tried to focus on defending Gareth’s mother. But her voice wavered. "She just wants what’s best for both of us."

"What’s best for her son, you mean." Raven tilted his head. "Tell me something, Yuna. Has Gareth fucked you yet?"

The word hit her like cold water. Her face went nuclear red. "That’s—that’s inappropriate—"

"You’re a virgin." Raven said it like he was commenting on the weather. "I can tell. You carry yourself like someone who’s never been touched properly. All that tension in your shoulders. The way you sit with your knees pressed together."

Yuna wanted to run. Wanted to throw her coffee in his face and storm out. But she couldn’t move. Her body felt heavy, warm, like she’d been sitting in the sun too long.

"We’ve kissed," she said quietly. "A few times. But Gareth is busy with the tournament, and—"

"And he doesn’t make time for you." Raven’s thumb pressed against her palm again, right in the center. "You tell yourself it’s because he’s focused. Because he has goals. But the truth is simpler, isn’t it?"

Yuna’s breath hitched.

"He doesn’t want you enough to make you a priority."

The words cut deeper than they should have. Because they were true. God, they were so fucking true, and hearing someone else say it out loud made her chest ache.

"That’s not—" Her voice cracked. "He cares about me."

"I’m sure he does." Raven finally let go of her hand. The loss of contact made her feel cold. "In the same way he cares about his old paintings. Something familiar. Comfortable. Safe." His eyes flicked down her body in a way that made her skin prickle. "But you don’t want safe, do you, Yuna? You want to feel something real."

Hana made a choking sound. Her face was flushed, her pupils blown wide. The wet spot on her jeans had grown bigger.

Yuna stared at her. At this older woman who was clearly so desperate for this man’s touch that she couldn’t even speak properly. Part of her was disgusted. Part of her was... curious. Jealous, even.

What did it feel like to be wanted that badly?

"I can teach you," Raven said, his voice dropping lower. "How to be a woman. How to make Gareth see you differently. How to take control instead of waiting for scraps of attention." He stood up smoothly, and both women looked up at him like he was something holy. "But first, I need to see what I’m working with."

Yuna’s brain stuttered. "See...?"

"Your body." Raven said it so matter-of-factly. "I need to evaluate whether Gareth’s boredom is because you’re not trying hard enough, or because he’s an idiot."

"I’m not—I’m not going to just—" Yuna’s protest died in her throat as Raven started walking away.

Hana scrambled to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair. Her hand shot out and grabbed Yuna’s wrist. "Come on," she hissed, her voice desperate. "Trust me. Just—trust me."

And for some insane reason, Yuna did.

She stood up. Let Hana pull her along. Followed Raven through the mall like she was tethered to him by an invisible string.

Her heart hammered in her chest. This was crazy. This was wrong. She should go back to Gareth. Should call him and tell him some strange man was—

But Gareth wouldn’t answer. He never answered when he was "in the zone" with his team.

"Where are we going?" Yuna asked, but her voice sounded far away.

Raven glanced back at her, and his smile made something low in her belly twist. "Somewhere private."

They walked down a bright hallway. Past clothing stores and a bookshop. The lights overhead were too bright, making everything feel surreal.

Yuna didn’t notice when they turned toward the restrooms. Didn’t notice the little symbol on the wall indicating women’s facilities.

But she damn sure noticed when Raven walked straight through the door marked with a female silhouette.

"Wait!" Yuna lunged forward, grabbing his arm. "Stop, please. It’s for women."

Raven kept walking. A woman in a business suit came out of a stall, washed her hands at the sink, and walked right past him. Didn’t even glance in his direction.

Yuna froze.

Another woman—younger, college-aged—was reapplying lipstick in the mirror. She looked straight through Raven like he was made of air.

"What..." Yuna’s voice died.

Hana walked past her into the bathroom. Yuna watched in horror as a third woman—a mother with a toddler—moved around Hana like she wasn’t there. The little girl didn’t even look up.

"They can’t see us," Raven said, answering her unspoken question. He moved toward one of the stalls at the far end, the larger accessible one. "To them, we don’t exist."

Yuna’s brain struggled to process that. Invisibility? Magic? Was she having a fucking stroke?

Raven pushed open the stall door. Inside was clean, spacious. Bright white tiles and a western-style toilet. He walked in, turned around, and sat down on the closed lid like it was a throne.

His legs spread. Arms folded across his chest.

"Come inside," he said simply. "I told you everything about your boyfriend. Now I need to check your body to see if he’s bored with you or just an idiot."

Yuna’s mouth opened. Closed. "Wh-what?"

Hana walked past her into the stall. The space immediately felt smaller with three people inside. Hana’s thick body took up room, her massive tits straining against the hoodie.

Raven looked at both of them. Outside, someone flushed a toilet. Water ran in a sink. Normal bathroom sounds that made this whole situation feel even more insane.

"Strip," Raven said.

One word. Casual as asking for the time.

Yuna’s brain short-circuited. "What?!"