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I found myself wondering whether the guy had any educational background whatsoever. Despite my assumptions, it seemed inevitable for someone to be in college.

I wasted no time and stepped into my new room, carefully placing my belongings while absorbing the surroundings.

Stepping into the bedroom at night felt like stepping into a cocoon. The walls were painted in a soothing color, not too bright or too dull. The bed was huge like it was waiting to wrap you up in the softest blankets ever.

The window allowed a gentle glow from the night sky, offering a view of distant city lights twinkling beyond. Comfortable-looking chairs beckoned from a corner, enticing me to sink in and relax.

A simple yet functional desk caught my eye, and though I hadn't explored it yet, I anticipated a bathroom across the hall with similar comforting features.

This room, simple in design, exuded a cozy atmosphere-a warm hug awaiting after a long day. The aura of peace and comfort made me feel instantly at home.

Standing in the middle of the room, I took a moment to absorb it all. It wasn't until I did a full 180 that I realized I had an audience the entire time.

Maddox stood at the bedroom entrance, his curious gaze fixed on me. He entered the room, glancing around, and remarked, "If you need anything, I'm just right next door." However, before I could express gratitude, he added, "Don't need anything!" and sauntered off to somewhere unknown

Glancing at my phone, I noticed the time had slipped away faster than I thought. Looking around once more, I wondered if there was an alternative place for me to stay. While I appreciated Maddox's hospitality, I hesitated to impose on my friend's brother, especially after our earlier encounter.

Sighing, I settled onto the bed, lying on my back, and gazing up at the ceiling. Thoughts swirled in my mind, reflecting on finding myself in such an unexpected situation.

Why did the most attractive guys have to be such jerks?

Even with our brief interaction, I couldn't help but sense a certain self-absorbed quality in Maddox. His confidence and snide remarks left an impression, making me wonder if he had ever experienced insecurity.

The intrusive questions into my life left me unsettled. Who was he to poke into someone else's business right after meeting them? Maddox's questions could have filled a book if I answered them all.

Why did he need to know where I was from? Or why my friend kicked me out?

As I contemplated, something hit me on the head-a small stuffed animal frog.

I recognized it from when I had packed it into my suitcase an hour before.

A deep voice from the doorway declared, "Hey!" I looked up to find Maddox, his gaze fixed on me.

I look up to find Maddox looking at me expectantly, "what?" I question, feeling a little annoyed.

"Earlier you said your roommate kicked you out..." he starts.

I nodded in answer as I waited for him to go on.

"Was it a dorm room that she kicked you out of?" He questions.

I nod again, wondering what he was getting at.

"Well, if you go to your RA and tell him what happened, he might be able to figure out a way to get you back in your dorm, since you weren't kicked out for violating campus housing policies," he suggested.

Maybe I had underestimated him before. Maybe he did have a school education because I hadn't heard anyone talk about campus housing policies since orientation.

Maybe I didn't give him enough credit.

And like my mother always said, "You should give credit where credit is due."

i know she wasn't the first to say it but it didn;t make it any less true.

it still didn't help me at all though. not after I thought about what it would be like to live with my old roommate again, "Yeah, I would... but, yeah, no!" I shake my head at the thought.

A scary thought it was.

"Why? Did she sleep with your boyfriend or something?" He jokes.

"Or something," I respond, not specifying.

He shrugs and saunters off again, leaving me only to my thoughts.

I thought back to tonight, the evening's events lingered in my mind, prompting thoughts of how to avoid her in the shared college campus. Our paths would inevitably cross, and the prospect of facing her again, especially after the earlier exchange, weighed heavily on me.

How was I going to avoid her?

I mean we went to the same college, and hung around the same people, so, how was I going to avoid her forever?

We would wound up crossing paths again one day, probably in the near future.

I was only glad we had different majors and shared only one class together.

Just one class wasn't so bad, right?

Well, maybe it wouldn't be if it wasn't tomorrow at six am, just mere hours after the... exchange.

This would be fun.

I didn't let it bother me so much and decided to do what was best, bother my new roommate.

Lol, just kidding.

Attempting to lighten the mood, I decided to distract myself by exploring the kitchen and seeing if there was any food.

I wondered whether it was acceptable to use Maddox's groceries but realized he had disappeared out of my line of sight.

I would've made sure with Maddox if it was okay.

oh well, I thought as I opened the fridge to discover a wide arrange of food and drinks

"Having a little late-night snack, are we?" I heard him say from behind me.

Startled, I looked back to find him biting into an apple, leaning up against the kitchen island.

The island sat in the middle of the kitchen, and cabinets were lined up against the wall, on one side, the other there was another line of cabinets, diving the kitchen from the hallway that led to the front door, I hadn't seen the living room yet but I bet it was on the other side.

Sat in the middle, between a wall of cabinets on one half and the other half was the fridge and then an open space to walk in

I couldn't help but admit; that this place had quite the setup.

The interior designer definitely knew what they were doing.

Caught off guard, I closed the fridge, quietly apologizing to him before attempting to exit the room

However, Maddox's arm intercepted mine, pulling me back. He released my arm, saying, "You can eat whatever you want; I wasn't stopping you." I nodded, feeling a blush creeping up from his touch.

I nodded, my gaze drifting downwards, a silent plea for the floor to unveil a swift escape, as if I could disappear face-first.

Attempting to escape the awkward moment, I turned to leave, but Maddox grabbed my arm again, spinning me around to face him. He held my chin, looking into my eyes as if searching for something.

I hadn't the faintest clue what that was.

"What's your name?" He asks.

It was then that I realized that we hadn't introduced ourselves yet.

I stepped back out of the hold he had on my chin and held my hand out as I said, "Hi I'm Sage."

He rolled his eyes at the gesture.

After a minute and my unwavering hand held up in mid-air, he comes to his senses and shakes my hand while simultaneously introducing himself, "Hi, I'm Maddox."

I smile.

He dropped his hand and I felt a little disappointed at the loss of contact.

"This has been a weird day," I say, more to myself.

"It definitely has." He agrees.

I look back at him just as he looks at me, "Do you want me to cook you something?" He asks, surprising me.

"You know how to cook?" I say bluntly, without thinking.

He laughs but nods, "There's lots of things I can do." He says, looking at me with a smirk.

He winks at me just before turning around and opening the fridge, looking inside.

"What are you hungry for?" He asks.

A full-course meal... of you. I thought to myself.

I close my eyes, embarrassed at that thought while simultaneously trying to fight off the blush that threatened to appear on my cheeks as I couldn't help but imagine the situation.

"Um... what is there?" I question, clearing my thoughts.

I must have been going crazy. Maybe I was attracted to him.

Maybe I was just attracted to jerks.

he didn't seem all that bad, well, I had yet to get to know him In any capacity really.

"I don't know what you like so let's stick to something simple... spaghetti." He suggests.

I nod happily, agreeing.

"OK, great!" He says.

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an/: let me know what you think!