Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 49: Awkward Moment

After a long soak in the warm bath, the tension in Eleanor’s shoulders had finally started to melt away. She dried herself off in silence, pulled on her fresh tunic, and ran a hand through her damp silver hair before giving Sophia a quick nod. "Don’t stay too long, or you’ll end up falling asleep in there," she said with a slight smirk.

Sophia waved lazily from the tub, her arms resting along the edges. "I’ll be fine. Just five more minutes."

Eleanor didn’t argue. She slipped out of the women’s bath and made her way quietly back to their room, leaving Sophia alone to enjoy the last few moments of peace.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the inn, Marcus and Jason had already finished their bath as well. Jason was the first to leave, drying his short black hair with a cloth as he exited. Marcus trailed after him, still quiet, his mood subdued from the events of the day. He muttered something about needing another pipe and shuffled off in his towel, steam rising from his back as he went.

That left Liam, alone now, standing by the corner of the bathhouse. He took a deep breath as he rolled his shoulders and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. The warmth of the water had helped relax his body, but his mind was still racing—thinking of Marcus’s situation, of the mission they were about to undertake, and the weird way fate kept pushing them around like chess pieces.

He stepped out of the steam-filled men’s bath and headed down the short hallway that connected to the rooms—just as another door opened from the other end.

Sophia had finally finished. She stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself loosely in a towel. She moved slowly, a bit dizzy from the heat of the water and the tiredness of the day. She didn’t even notice that the towel hadn’t been properly secured. With one hand holding a small bundle of clothes and the other brushing her damp blonde hair away from her face, she pushed open the door—

And in that exact moment, fate played its next card.

The towel slipped.

It wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough.

The soft cotton loosened and slid down her body in one smooth motion, pooling around her feet before she even realized what had happened.

Sophia gasped, instinctively freezing in place.

And right there—just a few steps away—Liam turned the corner.

His eyes widened instantly. Time seemed to halt for a breath.

He saw her.

Completely.

Her soft, pale skin gleamed under the hallway lamp. Her large, full breasts were bare, her pink nipples firm from the cool air. Her wet hair clung to her neck and shoulders, dripping slightly as it framed her flushed face. There was something surreal in the moment—an unexpected vulnerability in both of them, a flash of something raw and unfiltered.

Sophia’s blue eyes locked with his.

Liam couldn’t move. Couldn’t even breathe.

And neither could she.

The hallway was silent—just the distant sound of voices from the inn below, and the echo of two hearts thudding wildly in the quiet.

And that’s where the moment hung—bare, breathless, suspended in silence.

For a heartbeat too long, Liam stood there, frozen.

His eyes drank in the soft curve of her hips, the fullness of her breasts, the way her skin still glistened from the bathwater. The pink of her nipples stood out against the warmth of her skin, and her hair, wet and golden, clung to her collarbones like strands of silk. Time didn’t just slow—it stopped. His brain screamed for him to look away, but his body simply refused to listen.

Sophia blinked once. Then twice.

She was still locked in place, stunned by the sheer awkwardness of the situation—but the heat in her cheeks was rapidly rising. Her heart raced in her chest, her fingers still suspended mid-air holding her change of clothes. And then the realization truly hit her.

Her towel was on the floor.

She was completely, totally naked.

"Liam!" she yelled, her voice cracking slightly—half in embarrassment, half in pure rage. "Close your fucking eyes!"

Liam snapped out of the trance like he’d been hit with a shock spell. "Shit! I—I’m sorry! Sorry, sorry!" he stammered, whipping his head to the side so fast it looked like he’d almost given himself whiplash. He clamped both hands over his face and turned around, facing the wall like a soldier caught doing something terribly wrong.

"I didn’t mean to! I swear! The towel—it just, it—" he fumbled over his words, practically tripping over air as he tried to explain himself. "I didn’t see anything... I mean—I saw something, obviously, but not in like... that way!"

Sophia’s eyes narrowed as she crouched down quickly, snatching the towel up and wrapping it tightly around herself, tying it properly this time with flushed, angry hands.

"Oh, you saw something, alright," she muttered furiously, cheeks burning red. "You were practically drooling!"

"I was not—drooling," Liam muttered, still facing the wall like it was the most interesting piece of architecture he’d ever seen. "I was just... surprised. That’s all."

"You were staring like your system glitched," she huffed, holding the towel close to her chest.

"I said I’m sorry!" Liam repeated, a little louder now, still not turning around.

The hallway was awkwardly quiet for a second.

Sophia exhaled deeply, calming her heart. She could still feel his gaze on her skin, even if he’d turned away. It was stupid. Embarrassing. And kind of... weirdly flattering?

She took a slow step forward.

"I’m decent now," she said in a calmer tone. "You can breathe again."

Liam slowly turned his head, cautious like a man checking for traps. When he saw she was fully wrapped up again, he nodded—still refusing to make full eye contact.

"I didn’t mean to be a creep," he said quietly. "You just... caught me off guard."

Sophia gave him a look, one that was half-exasperated and half amused. "Yeah, well... next time, knock."

He gave a weak smile. "Next time, hold your towel tighter."

She rolled her eyes and walked past him, her footsteps soft against the floor.

And as she disappeared toward the girls’ room, Liam finally let out a long, shaky breath, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Now that image’s never leaving my head."

He tried to shake the thought.

Tried.

But his brain was already burned with the memory of Sophia’s soft skin, the glisten of her body under the light, and the flash of blue in her wide, embarrassed eyes.

Yeah, sleep tonight was going to be impossible.

Liam stepped into the room they shared, trying hard to act normal. His face was still flushed from the awkward—and frankly stunning—moment that had just happened outside the baths. His mind was still reeling from the accidental glimpse of Sophia, and no matter how hard he tried, the image lingered like a ghost refusing to be forgotten.

Marcus looked up from the edge of his bed, puffing lazily on his tobacco pipe. Jason was sprawled out, cleaning the dust from his golden staff when they both noticed Liam’s unusually stiff entrance.

Jason squinted. "Yo, Liam... you good?"

"You look like someone slapped you with a frying pan," Marcus added, brow raised. "Face all red like that. What happened?"

Liam paused for a second too long. He could feel both their gazes lock on him, sharp and curious. He couldn’t exactly tell them what had just happened with Sophia. That would be... a terrible idea.

"I’m fine," he muttered, brushing past their stares as he walked toward his bed.

Jason leaned forward, unconvinced. "You sure? You’re walking like you just escaped something. Beast in the hallway? Ghost in the tub?"

"Or maybe," Marcus smirked, "he bumped into a certain blonde-haired archer on the way out?"

Liam didn’t flinch, but he didn’t respond either. He just tossed his towel onto a chair and grabbed the flask of water beside his bed.

Jason chuckled. "Ohh, so it was someone. Come on, man, spill."

"No," Liam said flatly, sitting down. "Drop it."

"Aw, come on—" Marcus started again, but Liam shot him a sharp look, one that made both of them quiet down.

"Just tired," Liam added a beat later, more calmly this time. "And I’m not in the mood."

Jason raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Grumpy leader mode activated."

Marcus muttered something under his breath and leaned back, puffing on his pipe again. "Still say something’s up."

But Liam didn’t reply. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and tried to focus on anything else. Anything but what he saw. But it wasn’t so easy to forget. Not with how beautiful Sophia looked. Not with how surprised she was. Not with how he felt in that frozen second. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He just hoped she’d forget it too.