My boyfriend's roommate suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and developed a severe case of identity dysmorphia. He spends his days staring into the mirror, calling himself "Arthur." But Arthur is my boyfriend's name. He genuinely believes he is Arthur, which means he also believes I am his girlfriend, and he constantly sends me highly inappropriate messages. I awkwardly showed my boyfriend a shirtless mirror selfie his roommate just sent me. But he just begged me to endure it a little longer: "Julian only got into that accident because of me. I can't afford the legal settlement if his family sues. Just play along and humor him for me, please?" Later, separated only by a single door. Enduring it became incredibly difficult. Even my muffled cries were completely shattered by Julian. 1 Waiting outside the emergency room with Arthur, his hands were ice-cold with fear. He kept muttering frantically under his breath: "I didn't mean to, I swear. I was just replying to a text..." I didn't catch everything he said, but I tried my best to comfort him: "I heard the injuries aren't life-threatening. Don't worry, if there's a financial settlement, I'll help you figure it out." However, my words did absolutely nothing to calm Arthur down. It wasn't until the surgery was over and his roommate finally opened his eyes in the recovery room. Arthur snapped out of his daze and sprinted to the bedside. "Julian! You're awake!" "Thank God you're okay!" But Julian's reaction was incredibly bizarre. He frowned, tilting his head as he scrutinized my boyfriend. After a long, tense silence, he finally spoke, his voice dripping with an oppressive, chilling authority: "Who are you?" My boyfriend froze in shock: "Me? I'm your roommate, Arthur." A cold, uncanny smile spread across Julian's face. His eyes flashed with pure mockery: "Where did this pathetic imposter come from?" "I am Arthur." 2 According to the doctors, Arthur's—or rather, Julian's—condition was incredibly complicated. During the crash, Julian was in the passenger seat and suffered severe head trauma. Because Arthur, sitting in the driver's seat, was the last person Julian interacted with before losing consciousness... Upon waking up, Julian developed a profound, catastrophic cognitive dissonance. Julian genuinely believed he was Arthur. Because they were close roommates, Julian knew everything about Arthur's life. As a result, Julian started speaking with Arthur's exact cadence and mannerisms. He transformed from his naturally aloof, introverted self into someone highly talkative and outgoing. He perfectly internalized Arthur's zodiac sign, his birthday, and even his entire social circle. Arthur frantically asked the doctors when Julian would recover. The doctors admitted there was no immediate medical solution. The best course of action was to discharge him and let him reintegrate into a normal routine. Hopefully, his self-awareness would eventually reboot, and he'd remember his true identity. But days turned into weeks. Julian showed absolutely zero signs of improvement; if anything, his behavior became even more extreme. 3 My final class before winter break ended. I stood outside the boys' dorms, waiting for Arthur. The winter snow fell heavily, slipping down my collar and making me shiver violently. Suddenly, a pair of large hands wrapped a black-and-white checkered scarf snugly around my neck. A familiar scent washed over me. It was the crisp, cedarwood cologne I had specifically picked out for Arthur. "Arthur?" My heart leapt with joy. Before I could turn around, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me completely into his embrace. His hot breath ghosted across my ear, standing impossibly close, sending a shiver down my spine. His long arms wrapped around my waist, his fingers intertwining with mine. The heat radiating from his palms felt like it was seeping straight into my heart. "Sorry to keep you waiting." "Why are your hands so cold?" That voice... that wasn't Arthur. I froze completely. Looking up, I saw Arthur practically sprinting down the dorm steps. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw us, his face turning an ugly shade of green. "Julian, why the fuck are you hugging my girlfriend?!" 4 Starting that day, Julian began relentlessly texting me. At first, it was just mundane, everyday updates. Nothing too crazy. I completely ignored him. I assumed that if I gave him the silent treatment long enough, he'd eventually get bored and stop. But Julian only escalated. I awkwardly handed my phone to Arthur. The illuminated screen displayed a blatant, post-shower selfie of Julian's perfectly sculpted abs. Even though his face was cropped out, the distinctive flame tattoo on his forearm made it undeniably clear who it was. "This is getting out of hand. I'm really uncomfortable with this." Arthur let out a heavy sigh. "Mia, please, listen to me." "I know how insane this is, but I talked to a lawyer the other day. If the Thorne family decides to pursue legal action, I'm going to owe a catastrophic amount of money." "I was the one driving when the crash happened. The Thorne family is insanely wealthy and powerful; I literally cannot afford to piss Julian off." Arthur hesitated for a second before continuing: "Could you just... play along for a little bit? If Julian recovers quickly, he probably won't press charges against me." I was absolutely floored by Arthur's suggestion. "Are you out of your mind?!" He looked at me with pathetic, puppy-dog eyes: "Mia, I'm begging you." "Didn't you tell me the other day that you'd help me figure this out?" "But..." I desperately tried to reason with him. "Look, Julian doesn't have a girlfriend. I'm sure he just wants someone to talk to; he won't do anything crazy." "Besides, if Julian actually tries anything inappropriate, I am your actual boyfriend! I'll be the first one to step in and beat the shit out of him!" He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. "You're the best, Mia." As he spoke, Arthur actively unblocked Julian's contact on my phone. 5 That evening, I was supposed to video chat with Arthur. I was lying on my stomach in bed, wearing a simple nightgown, and dialed his number. "Hey, Mia." On the other end of the screen, Arthur was aggressively mashing his keyboard, deep into a video game. His eyes were glued entirely to his monitor. But I couldn't ignore the intense, piercing gaze shooting toward me from right behind Arthur's shoulder. Julian was leaning casually against a wardrobe, staring at me with freezing, predatory eyes. A bizarre, deeply uncomfortable feeling washed over me. I'm literally talking to my actual boyfriend, why does it feel like I'm being caught cheating?! "Arthur, could you pause your game for a second..." Arthur turned around. He saw Julian pick up his phone, yank off his headset, and yell: "You guys talk, my match just started." Before turning back to his game, Arthur actually had the audacity to wink at me. I glared angrily, my eyes locking with Julian's. Those dark, abyssal eyes were staring straight through me. My face flushed bright red. I instinctively yanked the neckline of my nightgown higher and blurted out: "I am not your..." I swallowed the word "girlfriend" before it could escape. I remembered Arthur's pathetic pleading. I had no choice but to suppress the intense disgust and awkwardness I felt. Julian retracted his gaze and adjusted the phone's camera angle. "You blocked me, but you're video chatting with my roommate." "Why are you avoiding me?" Why am I avoiding you?! Because I am literally not your girlfriend! "I'm not avoiding you. I just... had something to ask your roommate." I sighed helplessly, realizing this was the perfect opportunity to express my boundaries. "Also, could you please stop sending me those kinds of pictures?" "What kind?" Julian raised an eyebrow. "The ab pictures... and the ones where you aren't wearing..." My face was burning. "Just stop!" "Fine." This time, Julian agreed shockingly fast. But he immediately laid out a new condition. "Ever since I was discharged, you haven't come to see me once." "If I don't send those pictures to bait you, you wouldn't even talk to me, would you?" My ears burned even hotter. This was getting completely out of hand. I was forced to bite the bullet and continue pacifying him: "As long as you promise not to send inappropriate pictures, I promise I'll keep talking to you." "And... I'll come see you." "Then how about tonight?" Julian's gaze flicked casually toward Arthur. Arthur was completely absorbed in his game, acting like a braindead dog, aggressively fighting a boss battle. He had absolutely zero idea what kind of predatory, borderline-insane things his usually aloof roommate was saying to his girlfriend. 6 It was almost time to meet Julian. I had sent Arthur multiple texts and called him several times, but got absolutely no response. With no other options, I had to go to the meetup alone. Julian's car was parked directly beneath my dorm building. Being confined in such a small space with him was incredibly suffocating and awkward. Julian, on the other hand, looked perfectly relaxed. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater—another exact copy of Arthur's wardrobe—looking incredibly sharp and poised, showing absolutely no signs of being a recently discharged trauma patient. Watching how smoothly and flawlessly Julian drove, I couldn't help but feel suspicious. If he has a traumatic brain injury and amnesia, how is he driving this perfectly?! It was bizarre. While stopped at a red light, Julian suddenly turned to look at me. "What's wrong?" His intense stare gave me goosebumps. Beneath his dark eyes, there were churning, predatory undercurrents that felt like they were trying to swallow me whole. Julian didn't answer. He suddenly leaned completely over the center console, reaching toward the side of my face. I instinctively flinched backward. My palms were sweating profusely. But he was just reaching over to buckle my seatbelt for me. I had absolutely no idea that his gaze had briefly, intentionally locked onto someone standing right behind the car. Outside the window. Arthur, arm-in-arm with a younger girl, was standing frozen on the crosswalk, his jaw practically on the pavement, watching everything happening inside the car. 7 The car pulled into the driveway of a luxurious, multi-story townhouse in the suburbs. This was Julian's home. "Thirsty?" Seeing me hovering awkwardly in the entryway, Julian offered me a bottle of coconut water. "No, I..." I was just about to invent an excuse to decline. Julian suddenly remembered something, pulled his arm back, and tossed the bottle back into the fridge. "Almost forgot. You're on your period." My brain completely short-circuited, and I froze in place. Hold on. How the hell did Julian know I was on my period?! That was way too accurate for a random guess! "Why aren't you sitting down?" Julian pulled me over to the plush sofa. He was over 6'2", with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Even sitting casually on the sofa, the oppressive, dominant aura he radiated was impossible to ignore. I intentionally sat a safe distance away from him, desperately trying to keep my head clear. And, more importantly, to state exactly why I was here: "Julian, I need to talk to you." "We can talk about absolutely anything, except breaking up." Julian lowered his eyes, his fingers gently, rhythmically tracing the pulse point on my wrist. Furious that he had perfectly anticipated my move, I snapped: "Fine! Let's talk about something else." "I came here today to tell you the truth. You were in a car crash, you suffered a traumatic brain injury, and you have identity dysmorphia. You think you are Arthur. But the truth is, Arthur is your roommate, and I am Arthur's girlfriend." Julian let out a lazy, cynical chuckle: "You say I'm not Arthur. Do you have any proof?" "Check your ID." Julian pulled out his wallet and handed me his ID card. But the card clearly displayed Julian's photo expertly photoshopped onto Arthur's personal information. I didn't even have to guess; this was 100% Arthur's doing. If you looked closely, you could even tell the photo was slightly crooked. It was such a pathetic, obvious fake, yet Julian actually bought it. My shoulders slumped in total defeat. I honestly had no idea how else to explain it to him. Suddenly, Julian's voice drifted lazily from above my head: "I actually have a way to prove it. But I'm going to need your cooperation." I grabbed onto the offer like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline: "Tell me! I'll do whatever it takes!" 8 The exact second the words left my mouth. Julian reached out and effortlessly lifted me onto his lap. He casually wrapped one arm around my waist, using his other hand to brush my bangs aside. His fingertips trailed down my earline, coming to a rest at the nape of my neck. Beneath me were Julian's solid, muscular thighs. The overpowering scent of a strange man's pheromones violently shattered every social boundary, aggressively invading my senses and forming an inescapable cage. By the time I finally realized what was happening, there was nowhere left to run. My brain practically exploded. All my composure evaporated instantly. I vaguely realized I had just guessed exactly what "method" he intended to use. I instinctively pressed my hands against Julian's chest to push him away. But he effortlessly captured my wrists, pulling them to his lips and leaving a trail of wet, tingling, agonizingly slow kisses across my skin. Even though his facial features were significantly sharper and more devastatingly handsome than Arthur's... He was wearing the exact same black turtleneck sweater, and he was enveloped in the exact same crisp, cedarwood cologne. It was incredibly disorienting. He was too close. So close our lips were practically brushing. So close the scorching heat radiating from his neck was burning the tips of my ears. I was losing the ability to distinguish whether the man in front of me was Arthur or Julian. I snapped out of my daze instantly. I babbled frantically: "Don't touch me! I'm on my period!" Julian finally released me. He stared intently at the flushed, red marks on my neck, smiling with absolute satisfaction: "Well, the timing of the period matches up perfectly." "And you taste incredible. There's absolutely no way you aren't my girlfriend."
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