Meilin's POV
Ava slammed the dorm door shut with her hip and dropped her bag like it had personally offended her. "Okay. Spill."
I clutched the edge of my desk. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You bumped into him, apologized, forgot his name, and then practically stopped breathing when he sat beside you." She smirked, pulling off her cardigan. "We're definitely talking about it."
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "He was just… there. Like he appeared. He wasn't even supposed to be in the orientation room!"
"Exactly. They're seniors. Second-years. What kind of power move was that?" Ava raised an eyebrow. "Also, did you notice how the entire room went dead silent when Theo and Austin walked in?"
"I thought I was the only one who felt that."
"You were not. I swear, even the projector hesitated."
I laughed in spite of myself. "Okay, but the worst part? He—he leaned in. Like—in. His face was right there and he asked me my name like it was the only thing he needed to know."
Ava collapsed on her bed dramatically. "And his voice is deep. Of course it is. Of course Mr. Tattoos and Ego has a deep, ruined-your-life voice."
"And he smells like—"
"—cigarettes and heartbreak?"
"Exactly!"
She wiggled her brows. "You like him."
"I don't!"
"Say that again without blushing."
"I'm not blushing!"
She rolled over onto her side, smiling with a wicked glint in her eyes. "You're so screwed."
I stared at the ceiling. "I really am."