I almost laugh. “I don’t want to either, but it’s part of the college experience, right?”
“I’d rather shove a pinecone up my ass.”
We settle into our study session, flipping through textbooks and jotting down notes. It’s a comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional whisper from nearby students and the shuffle of turning pages. I’m so absorbed in my task that the rest of the world falls away.
Until the energy in the air shifts.
It starts with a glance, then another, until it feels like the entire library is looking at me. My skin prickles with anxiety, and a knot forms in my stomach. I try to shake off the sensation of being watched, telling myself that I’m paranoid and imagining things.
Raven snaps up her head, her gaze scanning the area. “What the fuck is everyone staring at?”
I shrug.
“The fire alarm isn’t going off, but everyone looks like their asshole is burning.”
She scrunches her face in confusion, her brows knitting together. Her cell phone makes a buzzing sound, and she unlocks the screen, her eyes darting back and forth.
“Blimey!”
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Well, my dear Watson, it looks as though we have a case on our hands.”
I frown. “What?”
“Xavier just updated his relationship status.”
“Huh?”
“He made it official. You two are ‘in a relationship.’” She glances around the room before returning her attention back to me. “Apparently, everyone is freaking the fuck out. It’s the first time he’s ever done that, and I’ve known him since middle school.”
She shoves her phone in my face. The display is on the social media site, and she taps the profile picture. Sure enough, a status update is the first thing I see.
Xavier Donovan: Obsessed Delilah Scott.
Relationship: Taken.
Comment: Delilah is mine. Everyone else can fuck off.
“Bloody hell,” I mumble, my accent horrible compared to Raven’s.
She laughs and throws her arm around me, pulling me close. I want to disappear when she clears her throat.
“Listen up everyone, my roomie here has the magic pussy thatsnatchedX. Pun intended. Now, be good boys and girls and mind your fucking business. Please and thank you.”
My cheeks burn, and I stare down at her phone, blinking in disbelief. The post has only been up for two minutes, but it already has hundreds of likes and shares. Raven drops her arm and turns to me.
“So, are you going to move in with him now?”
I shake my head. “No, I need my own space.”
“You’re always welcome in the den of poetic chaos.”
“Thank you. Do you think we can go back to studying?”
“Erm… I don’t think so, Watson.”
She angles her head, and I follow the unspoken direction to find Xavier standing a few feet away.
