The dorm smelled faintly of popcorn, the buttery scent drifting into the hallway as Lena tore open another bag and dumped it into a bowl. Clara had already stacked DVDs—half romantic comedies, half thrillers—on the desk, while Ava curled up in the corner of the couch with her blanket pulled to her chin.
"You're all hopeless," Mia said, sliding on her jacket. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, Dante's name lighting up the screen. She sighed. "Aren't you staying" Lena asked as she noticed Mia getting dressed."Brother wants me for dinner. Probably another lecture about staying out of trouble."
"Do you ever listen?" Lena teased, throwing a piece of popcorn at her.
Mia caught it midair and smirked. "Of course not." She winked, then glanced at Ava. "Don't let them drag you into anything too stupid while I'm gone."
Ava raised her brows, amused. "Like a movie marathon? Truly dangerous."
"Exactly." Mia's grin softened, then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.
The room settled quickly into warmth—the flicker of the TV, Lena draped dramatically across the rug, Clara with her laptop still open even as she half-watched the screen. Ava sat back, blanket snug around her shoulders, the glow of the movie reflecting in her eyes.
Hours slipped by before headlights flashed briefly against the window. Moments later, the knock came.
Clara frowned. "That's late for Mia…"
When she opened the door, Mia stumbled in, laughing under her breath, her arm hooked around Ethan's. He steadied her with the kind of quiet strength that made the room pause. Ethan's hoodie was dark, his expression unreadable, but his presence filled the doorway like a shadow stretching long.
"Relax," Mia said, waving off Clara's worry. "Dinner turned into Dante being overprotective again. Ethan gave me a ride back."
Ethan's gaze swept the room, landing briefly on each girl before stopping—inevitably—on Ava. She met his eyes just once, and it was enough to make her heart catch.
"You're good now," he murmured to Mia, releasing her hand.
"Always." She smirked, but she didn't miss the way his glance lingered a heartbeat longer on Ava before he left, the door clicking softly shut behind him.
The girls shuffled back to their movie, but Ava barely noticed the screen anymore. She shifted, curling deeper into her blanket. Lena, already half-asleep, leaned against her shoulder, and Clara soon joined from the other side, Mia sat on the floor in front of them with her heads on Ava's laps. Their warmth pressed in on her, cocooning her in the kind of comfort only friends could give.
But Ava's mind was elsewhere. On the hooded boy whose silence spoke louder than words. On the brief steadiness of his eyes on hers.
By the time the credits rolled, her friends were asleep against her. Ava lay awake, heart unsteady, wondering why a stranger's gaze still echoed in her chest.