Layers of Heat

Layer 3

Leila and Winnie were on their way to the community room where the dorm meeting was scheduled to start in ten minutes. There were still plenty of seats open, so they decided to take a table at the back.

"Wake me up when the meeting starts," Winnie mumbled as she rested her arms and head atop the table.

Last night, Winnie had been busy studying and hadn't gotten enough sleep. In fact, Leila had to forcefully wake her up just thirty minutes ago. Though her friend enjoyed and aced through classes that involved practical skills in her culinary major, other general education classes were a complete utter chore for her. Regardless, she had to pass them, even if it meant staying up late and studying to near death.

To pass the time, Leila scrolled through her phone. As minutes went by, the room slowly began to fill. Another pair of roommates who were friends came and joined them at their table, and Leila conversed with them while Winnie continued to nap during their chatter.

As the meeting was about to start, the two empty chairs beside Leila became occupied, and she turned to see Ken and Miles.

"What's up," Miles greeted the whole table with a smile.

Winnie suddenly twitched and lifted her head to glare at him. He met her glare with a smirk, but neither of them exchanged words before treating each other as if they didn't exist. Leila wondered what exactly happened between the two of them to make them so hostile to each other. From what she experienced, both of them were nice people, and yet, they just couldn't seem to get along.

As the meeting went on, about half an hour later, Leila started feeling her bones stiffen, signaling a chill about to start. Soon enough, she really did begin to shiver. Though she was wearing a sweater, the cold probably had something to do with the fact their table was by the large windows. Adding to that, there was no ventilation nearby.

Unfortunately, there was still thirty minutes left, so Leila debated running back to her room for a jacket. However, movement from the side caught her attention, and she saw Ken unzipping his sweater and holding it out to her.

Leila smiled apologetically, but also had no shame in accepting his offer. As she used his sweater like a cloak around her shoulders, she scooted her chair closer to his. Ken realized she wanted to say something and leaned his ear down towards her. With her lips mere inches from him, she whispered.

"Let me know if you get cold. I can give your sweater back."

He smiled and nodded before also scooting closer to her. The movement caused a wave of heat to fan against her, like a blast of tropic wind. Again, she was practically drooling at the warmth radiating off of his body and was tempted to just completely lean into him.

But Leila resisted. No matter how comfortable Ken made her feel, they were basically still strangers! Though she was sometimes told by her friends that she had no self-awareness, she at least had the common sense to not rub up against a person she just met.

It didn't help that the big guy seemed too nice for his own good. If Leila were a worse person, she'd fully take advantage of his generosity and plop right into his lap.

Speaking of his lap...

She glanced at his body, seeing the slight curves of muscles beneath his gray t-shirt, knowing if she were right up against that chest, she'd practically be sitting in a sauna.

Leila sighed, both in bliss and disappointment.

Of course, the entire interaction between the two was noticed by their respective friends, Winnie and Miles. Though the two of them absolutely despised each other, they still couldn't help but meet each other's gazes across the table in complete bafflement—Miles less so than Winnie, since he had already experienced some of it last night.

Regardless, the way Leila and Ken seemed to flirt so openly—yet...obliviously?—was the weirdest thing they had witnessed of their friends. At least, that was what they assumed according to the other's shocked expression.

Both of them never got along, but since they had spent the last three years together taking nearly all the same classes, they had gained a certain connection that allowed them to have a conversation through their eyes alone.

Winnie frowned. What is going on?

Miles sneered. Why would I know?

You know something.

I really don't.

They glared at each other, irritated by the other.

Ironically enough, Leila and Ken also noticed their friends' strange interaction as well, and couldn't help but wonder if they really couldn't get along or if they just didn't want to admit they were fairly close.

—

When the meeting ended, Leila reluctantly parted with Ken's sweater. Winnie couldn't have been more sick and tired of Miles's presence, and so, with a quick goodbye, Leila chased after her friend as they went back to their dorm room.

Once the door shut behind them, Winnie turned around and asked, "So who was that?"

Leila expected the interrogation, so she answered, "Ken."

"Ken? How does he know Miles?"

"They're roommates."

Winnie clicked her tongue. "Small world."

Leila chuckled. "That's what Miles said when I told him I was your roommate!"

Rather than find the coincidence funny like she had, Winnie's face twisted into a look of disgust. Of course, that only made Leila laugh even more.

"I don't get it. You and Miles are nice people. Why don't you get along?"

"Because he's an arrogant, pretentious, superficial prick," Winnie spat.

Admittedly, Miles was a really good looking guy, so if he happened to care about appearances, Leila wouldn't be surprised. However, he never gave off that kind of air when she spoke with him yesterday. Then again, Winnie knew him far longer than she had, so she couldn't exactly dismiss her friend's words without cause.

"Enough about him," Winnie scoffed. "What I want to know is when you started dating that Ken guy."

Leila blinked. "We're not dating."

"Let me get this straight. He's willing to offer you his sweater. You're willing to wear it. The two of you giggle like you're a pair of teenagers sharing a secret and are even cuddling in public." Winnie stared at her with flat eyes. "But you're not dating?"

"I'm pretty sure Ken and I weren't giggling."

"So you admit to everything else?"

"He's just being nice."

"By cuddling?! And what's up with you? I've never seen you so flirty with a guy in the three years we've been together."

Leila thought about Ken, the first thing she recalled being his warmth. A sigh escaped her lips as she dreamily said, "He's so hot."

Winnie nearly shouted an exclamation before pausing, realizing something from her choice of words. "He's...hot?"

"That's what I said."

"Hot. As in temperature hot. Not looks hot."

Being friends as long as they had, of course Winnie knew about Leila's hatred towards the cold. If some beefcake who was practically a walking heater was in her friend's vicinity, why wouldn't she become immediately attached to him? Leila's out-of-nowhere relationship with Ken suddenly made a ton of sense.

After some thought, Leila remarked honestly, "Both, I guess?"

It was then that Winnie realized her friend was probably just as confused and clueless as she was when it came to Ken and what exactly he was to Leila.