Chapter 2

I first met Alex in the fall of my junior year.

Back then, Sophie kept talking about how Alex was coming to visit and bringing her all kinds of delicious food.

Out of the four of us in the dorm, Sophie was the only local, so her family would drop off snacks every now and then. We'd all gotten used to mooching off her.

So when someone knocked on the door that afternoon, I didn't bother to look up. I shouted, "Sophie, your brother's here. Go get the door."

Sophie bounced over to open it, while I stayed sprawled out on my bed, messing around on my phone.

Then I heard a voice. "Why are you so skinny? Mom told me to keep an eye on you at meals."

His voice was low and a bit husky, with a lazy, amused tone.

I looked up.

I was stunned.

Alex was standing in the doorway.

He was wearing a dark gray hoodie, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, showing off lean, toned forearms with veins faintly visible.

One hand held two big bags, while the other ruffled Sophie's hair, a nonchalant smile on his face.

Then he lifted his gaze and swept his eyes across the room.

Our eyes met.

He paused for a moment, nodded politely at me, then looked away.

But I couldn't look away.

I kept staring at him.

I couldn't help but notice every single detail, including his eyes, his nose, his lips, the curve of his jaw, the shape of his collarbones, and the faint outline of his chest beneath that hoodie.

I swallowed hard.

The gulp was embarrassingly loud.

It was so loud that Sophie turned around and shot me a look. "Emily, what are you doing?"

"N-nothing," I stammered.

I quickly buried my face in my pillow, my ears burning.

But I couldn't help myself. I peeked up again, stealing another glance at him from behind my pillow.

He set the bags down on Sophie's desk and started unpacking them one by one. There was beef jerky, chocolate, nuts, fruit, and a box of cookies that looked pretty fancy.

"These are for you guys." Alex said, his voice still lazy and casual, "Share them among yourselves."

Sophie was chattering away beside him, but I didn't catch a word.

I kept staring at his hands.

His fingers were long and well-defined, with clean, neatly trimmed nails.

As he unpacked, his fingers brushed against the plastic bags, making a soft rustling sound.

I had no idea why, but watching his hands made my heart race.

Soon, he was gone.

Sophie walked him out, and I sprawled at the window, peering down. He walked along the tree-lined path below, his posture tall and relaxed, legs ridiculously long, and his stride so casual yet somehow mesmerizing.

Sunlight dappled through the leaves, glimmering on his shoulders.

I kept watching, glued to the window, until he finally turned the corner and vanished from sight.

"Emily?" Sophie walked back in.

"Why are you sprawled at the window?" she asked.

"N-nothing," I stammered.

I quickly drew back, pretending nothing had happened.

"Your brother's pretty handsome," I said.

"Yeah?" Sophie replied, sounding indifferent. "He's alright. I'm used to it."

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

Sophie shot me a look. "Why are you asking?"

"Just asking."

"No. He hasn't dated anyone, like, ever. My mom's always stressing about it," she said.

"Oh," I said, and didn't say anything more.

But inside, something quietly fell into place.

Alex had no girlfriend.

He never had one.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

I kept tossing and turning, my mind stuck on his face, his voice, and that lazy way he messed with Sophie's hair. I couldn't get him out of my head.

Eventually, I drifted off and had a dream.

Not gonna lie, the dream was definitely not something I could tell anyone about.

Anyway, when I woke up the next morning, I had to wash my sheets.