TWO MATES TO LOVE

ned the door, and I forgot why I had been in such a hurry

re, made entirely of white marble, evoked the elegance and grandeur o

shed and cold beneath my feet, emitting a distinct sound with each step I took. There was a double door to my left and another to my right; when a girl gently pushed

light of stairs was flanked by intricately carved railings, as if each step was an invitation to an intellectual journey. Next to the base of

g me a sense of peace I didn't know I could feel. I tightened my grip on my bag strap and climbed the stairs,

o find mine. Almost at the end, I found it: 82. I bit my lip nervously and took out the key that came wi

d a desk. A single bed was against the right wall, just a few inches from the desk. On the left wall, there was a door, likely the bathroom, and just before the door

le, but at the same time

that the room exuded. This would be my new home for a while, a

thes and uniforms. Since I didn't bring much, there were some empty drawers left. I placed a p

the room: a sink with a cabinet underneath, a mirror on the wall, a toilet beside it, a nearly transparent plastic curtain, and the shower. I got comfortable, took off my clothes, and turned on the shower. The steam from the hot water soon fi

ot water gradually started to turn cold, an

appened. Was the hot water limited? This had to be a bad joke. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathro

yone was around. Nothing. No one was in the corridors. I stared at the door

hing my towel tightly against my body, I took a few steps and knocked on the door acr

there? Damn, I di

oth and perfect that I felt a bit envious. "Hi," I mumbled with an awkward smile. She was so perfectly dressed, and I was jus

was taking a shower, and the hot water suddenly ran out." I pointed to the door be

uch, one thing after anoth

erything, but the decor was more colorful, with posters of unfamiliar people decorating her walls. There were many photos on her desk and a laptop; her sheets were purpl

led, feeling a bit embarra

e if I hadn't shivered hard when the cold air from her open window hit me. "Oh, I'm sorry." She hurried to close the window when she noticed my chat

t recognize, but it somehow made the small bathroom feel even cozier. I

alized she was talking to someone outside, and then there was silence. Maybe I had interrupted some of her plans by being in her room. I d

elt like an intruder, so I just carefully avoided breaking anything as I made my

My whole body collided with the wall that he was, and to avoid falling, I grabbed onto the side of his shirt, letting go a

made me melt. His face had a confused and troubled expression, his light gray eyebrows furrowed. His hair was also a pale gray

, and an unfamiliar heat flushed my f