Ava's phone call with Mia ended, and for a long moment she just stared at the screen. Her room was lit only by her desk lamp, the glow bouncing off stacks of notes and Lena's half-finished canvas leaning against her wall.
She walked outside her room and found Ava reading on her laptop with her half finished Chinese food in front of her while Lena was working on another painting at the balcony.
She cleared her throat. "So… Mia wants me to stay with her tonight."
Clara spun around in her chair, eyebrows already raised. "At her brother's place?"
Ava nodded, trying to sound casual as she picked a small mug of from inside the kitchen cabinet. "She said it's safer. Something about things heating up."
Lena let out a low whistle, walking into the house with a grin. "Safer, huh? Sounds like Mafia Headquarters to me." She tugged at her paint-stained hoodie, smirking. "You're about to get the full Russo–Moretti experience. Don't forget us when you come back brainwashed."
Ava rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "It's just one night."
Clara wasn't smiling. She leaned forward, serious as ever. "Ava, I know Mia's family is… different. But are you sure about this? You don't even really know them."
"I know Mia," Ava said firmly, folding clothes into her bag. "And she wouldn't ask me if she didn't want me there."
"That girl lives for dragging people into her chaos," Lena laughed, flopping back dramatically. "Still—take notes, Ava. I want every detail. Do they really hide knives under the couch cushions? Does Marco actually bite?"
Clara shot her a look, but Ava chuckled softly. "If I survive the night, I'll tell you everything."
She zipped her bag shut, slipping her phone into her pocket. For a moment, she hesitated, glancing at the midnight-blue blanket still on the chair, the cozy clutter of books and notebooks scattered across the dining. The dorm was safe, normal, familiar. The house she was heading toward… wasn't.
But Mia had asked. And Ava had never once let her best friend face things alone.
"I'll be fine," Ava said at last, her voice quiet but certain.
Clara sighed, pushing her glasses up. "Text me when you get there. Every hour, if possible."
"Yes mom," Ava promised with a smile
When she finally slung the bag over her shoulder, Lena sat up with a mischievous grin. "Good luck, Ava. If one of them falls in love with you at first sight, don't say I didn't warn you."
Ava shook her head, smiling despite the twist in her stomach. "You're ridiculous."
But as she stepped out of the dorm into the cool night air, she couldn't shake the feeling that Lena's joke wasn't entirely impossible.