Above The Patch [Tank LitRPG-Evolution]

A few minutes later, a notification came.

["Noemi" wants to enter your room. Do you accept?]

After pressing the "Yes" button, the door opened. Noemi was standing there, her slender figure illuminated by the soft hallway light. She was wearing a light blue silk nightgown that clung gently to her curves, the delicate fabric highlighting her feminine silhouette. Her long hair cascaded freely around her shoulders, framing her face with its soft waves. The subtle glow of her skin and the sparkle in her eyes made her appear almost ethereal in the dim light.

"Hello," said Noemi, with a slight smile.

Boran looked in surprise for a moment. Seeing Noemi like this was unusual for him. "Come in," he said.

When Noemi entered, she noticed the new furniture. "Looks nice," she said, pointing at the bed.

"Thanks," said Boran, closing the door. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

Noemi took a deep breath and stood in the middle of the room. "I... just... I've been feeling really bad lately," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I can't sleep, my thoughts keep spinning in my head."

Boran looked at her with concern. "Sit down," he said, pointing to the edge of the bed. They both perched on the edge of the bed.

"I just came to chat a bit. When I'm alone... my thoughts eat me alive," said Noemi, folding her hands in her lap.

"What would you like to talk about?" asked Boran, his heart aching as he saw the sadness on his friend's face.

"I don't know..." said Noemi, blinking her eyes. "Maybe just... normal things. The weather, gossip, trivial things. I just need my mind to focus on something else."

Boran nodded, understandingly. "I see."

There was a silence. Noemi suddenly looked nervous. "If I'm bothering you, I can leave. It's late anyway..."

"No, no," Boran said immediately. "You can stay. I couldn't sleep anyway."

Noemi looked relieved. "Thank you," she said with a slight smile.

Noemi reached into her inventory and pulled out a bottle. "I brought the rest of the wine we shared last time. Remember? We only drank half of it. Would you like to finish it together?"

Boran smiled slightly when he saw the bottle. "Good idea but... I don't have any glasses in my room."

"No problem, we'll drink from the bottle."

Noemi opened the bottle, and the sharp, fruity aroma of the wine spread throughout the room. "After everything that's happened lately, I think we both deserve this."

Boran took the bottle in his hand, but hesitated before drinking. Noemi coming to his room at night, with wine... This situation seemed a bit strange to him. But on the other hand, the fatigue and worry in Noemi's eyes showed that she really just needed to talk and relax a little.

"Cheers," said Boran, raising the bottle. "To better days."

"To better days."

They each took a sip of wine in turn. The wine was strong. There was a silence, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable like before. They both sipped their wine, lost in thought.

"Sometimes," Noemi said suddenly, "I think about how strange this world is. It doesn't feel real, but we still experience real feelings in it."

Boran looked at her. In the candlelight, Noemi's face looked both familiar and mysterious. "What do you mean?"

Noemi shrugged. "I don't know exactly. Just... everything here feels fake to me, like it's designed. But our emotions, our bonds... they feel real."

Boran nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand. Sometimes I think about this too. But then I tell myself that maybe what matters is what we feel. Whether it's real or not."

Noemi's eyes met Boran's and for a moment they stared at each other. Boran felt his heart speed up. The air in the room suddenly felt electrified.

"Sometimes," said Noemi, her voice almost a whisper, "I feel like I can do things here that I could never do in the real world."

Boran swallowed, holding the bottle tightly. "What kind of things?"

Noemi didn't answer, just took another sip of her wine, her eyes still on Boran. There was a slight smile on her lips.

Boran felt a knot in his throat. Where was this conversation going? Noemi's looks, her words... they were all confusing. He slowly drank his wine, trying to collect his thoughts.

As Boran handed the wine bottle back to Noemi, his fingers briefly met hers. This brief contact suddenly changed the air in the room. Boran felt himself shiver involuntarily and his eyes met Noemi's. There was something in Noemi's gaze that he hadn't seen before; a determination, an invitation.

Taking the bottle, Noemi took another sip without taking her eyes off Boran. As she pulled her lips from the bottle, she licked away a small drop of wine that remained at the corner of her mouth with the tip of her tongue. This gesture was simple but equally impactful.

"Why are you here, Noemi? Really?" asked Boran, his voice coming out lower and huskier than normal.

Noemi put the bottle beside the bed and leaned slightly toward Boran. "What do you think?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The distance between them was now so close that Boran could smell Noemi's breath; a mixture of wine and light vanilla. His heart began to beat wildly in his chest.

Noemi's breath brushed against Boran's cheek. The distance between them had shrunk to a finger's width. Boran wanted to look away but couldn't. Noemi's gaze held him in place like a magnet.

"I'm here because..." said Noemi, then left her sentence unfinished. She shifted her eyes to Boran's lips. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The flickering flame of the candle in the room made every shadow more dramatic, every breath more distinct.

Boran tilted his head slightly. "Because?" he whispered, his voice so faint it was barely audible.

Noemi smiled, but there was nothing familiar in this smile. It was a smile that showed another side of her — fragile but also determined.

"Because I can't hold myself back anymore."

At that moment, the line between them was erased. In silence, they leaned toward each other and their lips met. The kiss, which began with a light, hesitant touch, quickly turned into something deeper. As Noemi's hands reached for Boran's neck, Boran grasped her by the waist. The tension between them was like a momentary explosion of suppressed emotions.

The candle flame flickered for a moment as if it might go out.

After a while, Boran took Noemi's hand and gently guided her onto the bed. Neither of them said anything. There were only gazes, the warmth of skin, and the weight of that moment.

The flickering candlelight showed two shadows merging in the darkness of the room. The silence was broken occasionally by a rising breath or whisper. The concept of time had melted away, the outside world remained outside this room.

And after a long night, the candle finally went out.