‘They’re not dorms, they’re halls of residence,’ I correct, wincing at the priggishness of my own voice. Altogether too librarian-like. ‘And it’s not like Marshall, they’re co-ed.’
‘Fuck yeah!’
To my horror, he holds up his hand for a high five.
‘Absolutely not.’
Arms falling down by his side, he tuts. ‘Can’t believe you’d leave your roomie hanging. Wouldn’t have thought you were that kind of girl.’
‘Like I said, you don’t know me,’ I reply before the rest of his words filter through the fug that is my brain. ‘Wait, what do you mean roomie?’
Ethan chuckles, a low, rumbling sound. ‘That’s right, neighbour. Looks like we’re sharing a dorm for the rest of the year. Sorry,a hall of residence.’
No way.
If Ethan Taylor had applied for the junior year abroad program,I would’ve heard about it. Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly the keeper of extracurricular activities at Marshall, but it’s a small enough school and word travels fast, especially when that word involves the captain of the soccer team leaving the country. Besides, there were meetings, interviews, endless applications. You couldn’t just decide to switch schools on a whim, there was a whole process that took up most of my sophomore year and half the summer, and Ethan had not been at a single in-person meeting or online orientation. If he had, I might not be staring at him now like I’d never seen a human being before in my life.
‘You’re studying here?’ I make myself say, even though I don’t want to hear the answer because what else could it be?
‘That’s right.’
‘At Hemden?’
‘For a librarian, you aren’t very smart.’
‘That’s because I’m not a librarian.’
‘Well, not to scare you but I heard the academic requirements here are kinda intense so that’s still something to think about.’
It’s too much. I’m supposed to be with Alice, soft launching my new life, not being patronized by someone who has probably had his GPA massaged by every soccer coach since kindergarten.
A thoughtful look clouds his face, full lips pinching into something doubtful as his brows draw together.
‘You really didn’t hear I wasn’t back at Marshall this year?’
‘No,’ I reply, astounded by his arrogance. ‘Not all of us are subscribed to the Ethan Taylor daily newsletter.’
He brightens. ‘There’s a newsletter?’
‘I have to go.’ I push past him, marching to the front door, my nose and knee still sore but not nearly as sore as my pride. I’ll figure this out later.
Oblivious to my minor meltdown, Ethan follows, half a step behind me as I hit the stairs, like he’s automatically invited.
‘Where are we headed? You think they card around here? I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink. Hey, were we on the same flight over? I flew in from Charlotte last night, direct flight to Heathrow—’
I can’t take it anymore, the close proximity, his cosy idle chat, acting like the whole world hasn’t been turned upside down. Because it hasn’t, not for him. This is just another day of Being Ethan Taylor, the universe bending to his will as usual. As soon as my foot touches the ground floor, I spin around to face him, one hand still clinging to the warm wooden banister and Ethan towering over me from the second step.
‘Look, Ethan …’ I begin and he grins back at me like a happy puppy dog.
‘Ha, you know my name. Iknewit was you.’
‘Look, Ethan,’ I repeat myself, searching for the best way to handle this. Deadlines I can do but when it comes to talking to people, I’m not good on the spot and all I can come up with are worst-case scenarios. If I’m too friendly, he’ll want to tag along. Too mean and he could easily ruin my year at Hemden before it begins. Either way, if Ethan comes with, Alice, Jenna, Oliver and the others will all meet the librarian instead of Mia, and I’ve travelled four thousand miles for nothing.
There’s only one other option, I realize as I take in a deep, calming breath. Tell him the truth.
‘The thing is, I came to Hemden to get away from Marshall,’ I say slowly, watching his forehead furrow with confusion. ‘And I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone here about the whole librarian thing.’
To his credit, he seems genuinely puzzled.
