Chapter 2 DORM ROOM

MICHELLE’s P O V

‘‘M-Me…?’’ Devon Kai smirked as he pointed to himself, before throwing the towel on one of the two twin beds that were pushed against opposite walls and then brushed a few strands of dirty blonde hair out of his eyes and look at me as if asking me why I didn’t know a famous guy like him. ‘‘You look lost…’’

But instead of answering him, I shrugged my shoulders, and looked around the room, and although I had expected to have a roommate, I knew I wasn’t mistaken when I read the policies and conditions of the school, that all upperclassmen had individual rooms.

‘‘I think… I think I live here?’’ I inquired with some trepidation while carefully rechecking the room number. It still said 218. This was my room.

‘‘Damn. I thought I was one of the lucky ones who wouldn't have to share a room because I am the best student here...’’ he frowned as he slipped around me to pick up a small cloth—probably a boxer brief—that was on the floor.

I was startled and then swallowed because of his close proximity, so I moved to the side, but he gestured with his hand toward the room. ‘‘Make yourself at home, I guess…’’

It took a little while for his words to register with me, and when they did, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Make myself at home? In a room with my crush in it? Was he out of his mind?

I had no idea whether the rapid heartbeat I was experiencing was due to anxiety or excitement, but I could already feel it beating hard in my chest.

That was impossible! Alarm bells set off in my head, and all I wanted to do was walk out of the door as quickly as possible and back out.

But it was too late to do that…

‘‘T-thank you…’’ I mumbled instead, taking a tentative step over the the bed. My gut screamed at me, willing my feet to march back to the dorm master and inform him that I don’t want this room. I can’t room with Devon Kai because I’m actually a girl and I have a big crush on him. He’s also one of the reasons why I’m here. I want to get close to him but not to the point where we would sleep in the same room together.

That wouldn’t end well. Out of habit, I reached for a strand of hair, completely forgetting that Rina had recently cut it off. After being reminded of it, my stomach sank even lower, and I tried to divert my attention by taking another look around the dormitory room.

It wasn't very complicated at all. My first impression was that it was too small for two people because the room was taken up almost entirely by two twin beds that were placed against opposite walls.

The floor was covered with a thin carpet, and there was very little room to move around in there. The sink was protruding from the wall in the corner to my left, and there was a door to the bathroom next to it, which struck me as a little strange. Wasn’t the sink supposed to be inside the bathroom?

The right side of the room was decorated in various shades of navy blue and was covered with pictures and posters. Some of the posters featured a man wearing boxing gloves. Very Devon Kai…

My nose wrinkled in response to the pervasive odor of sweat that was present in the room. The smell of male body odor was never overwhelming at the old school I went to, but it certainly didn't have a pleasant aroma either.

In spite of its confinement, the space had an inviting... atmosphere. Cozy. I couldn't lie; the truth is that I was looking forward to having a good night's sleep in the bed.

I guess I just hadn't factored in the possibility of having a roommate in this scenario.

I could feel him following closely behind me as he closed the door, which triggered a fresh wave of anxiety to course through my veins. I took a deep breath and clenched both of my hands around the suitcase to prevent it from shaking.

Because it was the first time I'd ever been alone with a boy, the thought of it caused my throat to tighten with excitement while also adding a trace of growing panic.

I tried to push it out of my mind despite the fact that my hands were shaking as my father's voice kept popping into the back of my head, warning me about the horrible things that boys did to girls. This was Devon Kai Carter, for crying out loud! Because, as far as I am aware, girls were the ones who were pursuing him, he would not do something inappropriate to me, duh!

But the thought of him doing something to me made me giggle silently. But of course, as long as he believed that I was a boy, he wouldn’t hurt me in any way.

‘‘By the way, my name is DK--- Devon Kai...’’ he said as he leaned against the desk that was positioned in the middle of both beds and flashed a smile that reached all the way to his eyes.

I know…

I imagined myself biting my bottom lip as I took in his lean build, with hints of muscle lining his tanned arms. I believe... If we got into a physical altercation, there's no way I could defeat him.

‘‘I…I’m Michael…’’ the words were a challenge to force out, barely above a whisper as I carefully set my suitcase near the empty bed. My mind struggled to make sense of all of this information.

Had he already begun to suspect something? I scratched my chin nervously and spoke around the lump that was developing in my throat. ‘‘M-Michael Rivera...’’

I was uneasy as a result of the weight that his gaze seemed to put on my shoulders. ‘‘I guess we're roommates now, Mike...’’ he already composed a nickname for me, and I'm loving it. ‘‘You play any sports?’’

‘‘Uhmm, no…’’ I responded in the same subdued manner, bewildered by the question. ‘‘But I would like to be a boxer…’’

Just like you…

‘‘But you’re small and skinny though…’’ He started walking towards me, and the next thing he did caused me to go completely still.

He lightly touched me, and I immediately jerked backwards in response.

‘‘Well, the walk-on tryouts are scheduled for the following week. You should give one a shot…’’

I blinked, knowing full well that I wouldn't stand a chance against the mamoths that I'd seen on the internet with him. Devon, on the other hand, had the physique of the jocks from my previous school with his athletic build and boyish smile.

It was difficult to focus on anything when my mind was still struggling to fathom how this guy and I were both assigned to the same room.

‘‘I will, but...’’ I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase my thoughts so that they wouldn't come across as rude. Even though I really wanted him to be my roommate, I realized that staying in the room by myself would be for the best in this situation. ‘‘…do you know why we’re sharing a room? I thought all upperclassmen had singles?’’

‘‘We usually do, but Goldstein is renovating the Wigglesworth dorm...’’ he explained, tossing the boxer briefs to the side before moving back to sit on his navy blue comforter. ‘‘They began construction this past spring, and it is anticipated that it will take a year to complete...’’

‘‘Perfect…’’ I mumbled something under my breath and struggled to contain a sigh as I did so.

‘‘It’s not so bad…’’ he shrugged his shoulders, offering a crooked smile. ‘‘Honestly, I’m one of the better roommates you could get stuck with…’’

His reassuring smile worked, and my shoulders relaxed a touch more as I slipped both backpack straps off my shoulders. His smile also did funny things to my stomach, making it warm and jittery. Or maybe I was just nauseous.

I quickly averted my gaze so that he wouldn't notice that I was staring at him. When I looked at the pictures that were hanging on his wall as well as the assortment of school supplies that were sitting on his desk, I couldn't help but wonder how he was already unpacked and settled in. Didn't the dorms just start letting people in a few hours ago?

‘‘Enough with the talking…’’ he suddenly said, before I even had the chance to ask him the question that was on my mind. ‘‘Shall we go take a bath together...?’’