I Dream-Manipulated My Cold Crush To Win Him, But He Saw Through Me All Along Chapter 07

I Dream-Manipulated My Cold Crush To Win Him, But He Saw Through Me All Along Chapter 07

My routine stayed the same–classes, study lounge, tennis with my roommate.

But here’s the thing.

In less than a week, I’d started running into Miles constantly.

On top of that, I got messages from him every single day now.

Nothing serious, though.

Just stuff like which barbecue joint was legit, which coffee shop made the best latte, or where on campus the next flea market was popping up.

The frequency was so ridiculous that even my roommate couldn’t help but joke. “Is Miles some kind of NPC on a programmed patrol route?”

I had the same question.

When I ran into him at Whittier Dining Hall for what felt like the hundredth time, tray in hand, I finally blurted it out.

“Miles… are you, like… stalking me?”

His expression froze on the spot.

He pressed his lips together, looking uncomfortable.

Then, when he spoke, his voice had a heavy undertone of hurt,

“Sorry. It’s just nobody can stand my personality. I don’t know how to talk to people. You’re literally

the only one on this entire campus who can hold a conversation with me.”

By the time he finished, the tips of his ears were bright red.

Looking at him, I thought he might shatter any second.

Something tugged at my chest.

What the hell.

I was actually finding a six–foot–three, pale–skinned, ridiculously good–looking guy… pitiful.

My voice softened before I could stop

it.
“It’s no big deal. Hit me up whenever you’re bored.”

The awkwardness in Miles’s eyes hadn’t completely faded, but he looked up at me in surprise.

And when he saw that I wasn’t just brushing him off, a stunning smile spread slowly across his face.

I completely blanked out.

Damn.

That was dangerous.

Miles naturally settled across from me with his tray.

Somewhere between casual chatter and small talk, the topic drifted to insomnia.

He frowned, looking genuinely troubled. “I’ve never slept well. I have constant nightmares. I wake

up in the middle of the night completely terrified.”

My guard went up immediately. “Nightmares?”

His lashes dropped, shielding whatever was in his eyes.

“Yeah. When I was a kid… I used to get locked in dark rooms. Guess it left some trauma.”

The comments went into overdrive:

[Holy crap. I just checked the character lore. This guy’s backstory is straight–up tragic.]

[He has a crazy controlling father. If he so much as breathed wrong, he got treated like an animal. His mom was literally driven to death. His childhood was pure hell.]

[No wonder he went full simp for the female lead later. She gave him one smile and he was done

for.]

I blinked. What?

After reading through those lines, my heart clenched into a tight knot.

Before my brain could catch up, I blurted out, “I can help with that.”

Miles looked startled for a second. Then his smile widened.

“Really, Naomi?”

Looking at his warm, smiling face, my heart suddenly skipped half a beat.

But I forced myself to stay calm. “Yeah. But I need something you keep on you. Something

personal.”

Miles didn’t even hesitate. He slipped an agate bracelet off his wrist and handed it over.

“It was my mother’s. Take it.”

The agate beads were so richly colored they practically glowed. Even an idiot could tell they were

worth a fortune.

I held my breath and accepted it.

The moment I looked down at the bracelet, I missed the flash of darkness in Miles’s eyes.

The corner of his mouth curved into something knowing, something dangerous.

His voice dipped low, smooth and coaxing.

“Then I’m counting on you, Naomi.”