I opened the door and found…
Not my new roommate.
Not the carefully folded bed I had imagined in the corner of the small university apartment.
Not even the sight of some quiet boy, hunched over his laptop, earbuds in, too shy to look up.
No.
What I saw was… his chest.
Smooth, pale, and absolutely bare.
And worse, it was attached to a guy who had the audacity to lean lazily against the window frame, sunlight dripping across him like he was posing for a damn painting.
My brain stalled. I stood there in the doorway with two suitcases hanging from my hands, feeling like the world's biggest idiot.
His eyes. sharp, grey, and filled with the kind of confidence people only faked in movies ,slid lazily toward me. And then, he smiled.
Not a warm smile. Not a "hi, welcome" smile. No.
A smirk.
The kind that said: Oh, so this is the poor fool who's going to share a room with me.
"Cute," he said casually, like he was already bored.
I blinked. "…Excuse me?"
"You're standing there gawking like you've never seen a guy without a shirt before."
My jaw dropped. I wanted to say something snappy, something that would put him in his place, but all that came out was:
"You, you're supposed to be my roommate?"
He tilted his head, pretending to think about it. Then he pushed off the window, strolling toward me with the kind of swagger that belonged on a runway, not in a cramped campus apartment.
"Adrian," he said finally, holding out a hand. "Your roommate, your nightmare, your whatever-you-want-to-call-me."
I stared at the hand. Then at his smirk. Then at the faint scar across his collarbone. My brain short-circuited.
Noah, get it together.
I forced myself to set down my suitcase and take his hand. "Noah. And… don't call me cute."
His smirk widened. "Noted, cute."
God help me.
The apartment was small. Two single beds pushed against opposite walls, one desk each, one shared wardrobe, and a tiny bathroom that looked like it hated both of us already.
As I dragged my bags inside, I noticed Adrian's side was already fully claimed. Clothes scattered over his bed like he'd unpacked during a hurricane. A laptop blinked on his desk, screensaver bouncing. A half-empty soda can sat dangerously close to his pillow.
Meanwhile, my side was empty. Clean. Waiting.
I sighed. "Could you maybe… not leave your stuff everywhere?"
Adrian stretched, grabbing a T-shirt and lazily tugging it on, though he left half the buttons undone. "What, does it bother you?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then I'll keep doing it."
I whipped around. "What is wrong with you?"
He leaned back on his bed, hands behind his head, grinning like the devil himself. "Relax, Noah. You'll get used to me."
I muttered under my breath, "God, I hope not."
But of course, he heard.
And laughed.
By evening, I was unpacked, bed made, laptop set up, and books neatly stacked. I sat cross-legged, scrolling through my phone, pretending I wasn't hyper-aware of Adrian lying shirtless again, this time across his bed, earphones in, humming to whatever song he was listening to.
I hated how… natural he looked. Like he belonged here. Like this was his world and I was just visiting.
"Stop staring," he said suddenly.
I nearly dropped my phone. "I–I wasn't!"
Adrian pulled one earbud out, smirk tugging at his lips. "You totally were."
My face burned. "In your dreams."
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not already in mine?"
I gaped. My heart stuttered like an idiot, and I turned away, pretending to scroll. This guy. This absolute menace. He was going to kill me before midterms.
Around 10 p.m., I decided to shower. I grabbed my towel and toiletries, heading to the bathroom. The door was closed.
I knocked. "Adrian? You in there?"
No response.
I knocked again. Still nothing.
Maybe he'd gone downstairs. I tried the handle it opened.
And then I froze.
Steam curled out, hot and thick. The shower was running. And Adrian Adrian was there, stepping out, water dripping from his hair, towel slung dangerously low around his hips.
"Oh, for f-" I slapped a hand over my eyes and backed up. "Sorry! I didn't know you"
"You could knock louder," he drawled.
"I did knock!"
"Not loud enough."
"I literally" I groaned, stumbling out and slamming the door shut behind me. My face was hotter than boiling water.
From inside, his laughter echoed.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there forever.
By midnight, I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to will myself to sleep.
Adrian's steady breathing came from across the room. Too steady. Too fake.
"Stop pretending you're asleep," I muttered.
His laugh broke the silence. "You're fun."
"I'm not here to be fun. I'm here to study, get my degree, and leave."
"Uh-huh." He rolled over, voice dropping lower. "But what if I make sure you don't forget me?"
I swallowed. Hard.
And for the first time that day, I wondered if maybe just maybe I'd walked into something I wasn't ready for.
Something dangerous.
Something I couldn't ignore.