{Elira}
~**^**~
By the ti I stepped into our dorm room, I was expecting to be greeted by the usual end-of-day calm—the rustle of sheets, soft music from soone’s earbuds, the faint sound of Cambria humming while journaling... maybe even Nari’s soft snore.
But to my surprise, everyone was still awake. And not just awake—alert.
Juniper sat cross-legged on her bed, filing her nails while pretending not to look curious.
Cambria was folding laundry at the foot of her bed, humming sothing upbeat under her breath. Tamryn was at her desk, reading sothing on her tablet with that unreadable expression she always wore when she was too deep in her thoughts.
And Nari... Nari was the biggest surprise of them all.
She was seated upright, eyes glued to her screen, fingers flying across her tablet keyboard with laser focus. I blinked, half-wondering if I’d stepped into a parallel universe.
She didn’t even look up when I walked in.
"Wow..." I whispered to myself.
"You sure took your ti today on your mystery trip," Juniper called out, not even bothering to hide the teasing in her voice.
Before I could respond, Cambria looked up from her pile of laundry and smiled. "What Juniper really ans by that crooked statent is that she missed you."
I chuckled, warmth fluttering in my chest. "Aww, how sweet. I missed you guys, too."
Making my way to my bunk, I unhooked my backpack and carefully placed it on my desk. The weight of the container inside it had been nagging the whole walk back.
I was just about to unzip the bag when I caught Nari in my peripheral again—still typing furiously.
Then Cambria ca down from her bunk and walked over to my side with a soft smile on her lips.
I leaned toward her and whispered, "What’s Nai so focused on?"
"She’s working on her first blog post," Cambria whispered back, her lips curving into a proud smile. "She wants it ready before the end of the week."
I nodded, impressed. "Wow... so this is what a serious Nari looks like."
Apart from seeing Nari’s serious study face, I haven’t ever seen her serious about anything else, so this ca as a big surprise to .
It also made realize that Nari’s playfulness and silliness doesn’t exempt her from taking her personal tasks and treating it as important.
Cambria giggled softly.
I finally opened my backpack and carefully pulled out the takeout container. The warm scent of creamy pasta and fried chicken wafted into the air, and I quickly set the container down on the desk before it leaked or sothing.
"You brought food inside the dorm?" Cambria asked, staring at with round eyes.
And just like that, all eyes in the room turned toward .
Juniper practically teleported to my side. "Wait—what?"
Nari’s fingers paused mid-sentence. She sniffed the air like a wolf catching a trail and then slowly turned her gaze toward .
Her tablet hit the mattress with a soft plop, and she bolted upright, making a beeline for .
Even Tamryn, who normally wouldn’t bat an eyelid for anything less than a dorm ergency, locked the door behind her and walked over with a frown creasing her forehead. "You’re breaking a dorm rule, Elira."
"I know," I said quickly, guilt rising up my throat. "I didn’t an to. I swear. I was... kind of forced to take it with ."
The mont those words left my lips, I felt the shift. Cambria’s lips twitched. Juniper arched a perfectly suspicious brow. And Nari—oh goddess—Nari actually smirked.
"Okay, okay, don’t ask any more questions," I added quickly, holding up my hands as soon as I realized I had divulged an important information, hinting that there was more to the takeout—that I was with soone.
Tamryn sighed. "You could get all of us in trouble if the dorm mistress finds out. You know the rules."
Although Rennon assured that I wouldn’t get caught, my roommates, especially Tamryn, seed like they would be needing more than just verbal assurance.
"I do," I said, nodding sincerely. "If anything happens, I will take full responsibility."
Cambria gently patted Tamryn’s arm. "Co on, Tam. Let’s not be so uptight. We haven’t been caught yet."
"Exactly," Nari said, throwing an arm over Tamryn’s shoulders. "Live a little, Captain."
Juniper grinned. "We’re not going to get caught. We’ve got snacks in our drawers all the ti even though they are not part of the prohibited items."
Tamryn narrowed her eyes but eventually rolled them and returned to her desk with a muttered, "Fine. But this better not beco a habit."
"Thank you," I whispered.
Nari clapped her hands. "Now, open the container. Let’s see what you’re hiding."
I peeled off the lid, and imdiately the savory aroma filled the room in full force—creamy pasta, salad, corn dog, fried chicken with mayo sauce, and sothing rich and garlicky that made my stomach rumble even though I’d barely eaten since lunch.
"Ohhhh, this slls sinful," Nari said, practically drooling.
"I didn’t think you guys would want any," I admitted, feeling a tinge of guilt. "If I had known, I would have asked for more."
"You should have asked for more since you have us," Juniper said, wagging a finger at .
Still, I divided the al into equal portions using spare paper plates from the cabinet. Even Tamryn got a serving, despite her earlier protest.
The food disappeared faster than I expected, followed by satisfied sighs.
"I will discard the container," Juniper offered, standing and stretching.
"Thanks," I said, smiling.
As she left with the container, Tamryn checked her phone, then turned to .
"You’ve got ten minutes before our math session."
"Goddess," I breathed, already rushing to my wardrobe. "I will freshen up quickly and co right out."
I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and darted toward the bathroom, the echoes of Nari’s complints on the food still bouncing behind .
Nari was a lowkey foodie, but this was sothing she would never admit out loud.
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