Chances

Chapter 21

{ Desi's POV }

"Did you have fun tonight with everyone?" Naomi asks politely, thumb lightly caressing the outer part of Desi's index finger as they walk back to the younger girl's dorm.

Desi nods, giving her a delicate smile. Then she looks down at the stuffed pink elephant that Naomi won for her and she smiled wider. "I did, with the exception of that scary ass movie. I'm still freaked out by it, if I'm being completely honest. But it made me proud when Carina wasn't holding back with Lily at the carnival and it made me really happy to see Daniel and Amanda getting along well, like I said earlier."

"Aw, still scared?" Naomi teases, playfully nudging her shoulder. "And I agree with you. I'm happy for both Carina and Amanda. Amanda, especially, because she definitely seemed like she was Miss Moving On tonight. Trevor who?"

The two girls reach the door and Desi hesitantly turns around to face Naomi. She bites her bottom lip and fumbles with her fingers shyly. Naomi raises an eyebrow curiously, waiting for her to speak.

"Uhm...do you mind coming in for a bit?" Desi finally asks. "The movie still kind of has me shaken up and I... I don't really want to be alone after that."

"Is your roommate not here?"

"No," Desi shakes her head. "Stacey is gone for the weekend because it's her mom's birthday so she went back home."

Naomi smiles as she looks at Desi with a soft face. "Of course. If that's what will make you feel better."

Desi grins in complete relief. She wasn't lying about what she said earlier. She's never been a fan of scary movies whatsoever, but they are always a lot worse at night afterwards when all you can do is think about them.

So Desi unlocks the door and steps aside for Naomi to head in first before closing it behind her. Naomi has only been in the room a couple of times before since they normally spend time outside of each other's dorms, so this is making Desi somewhat nervous. And the fact that they're entirely alone isn't helping to calm her down either.

Desi watches Naomi as she immediately walks over to Desi's side of the room and begins to gaze at all of the pictures that Desi has on her wall of her family. She has a pretty big family, so it practically fills up the entire area.

"You know," Naomi says, eyes still wandering around the photos, "I always wonder how anyone can be so damn sweet and as caring as you are, but then I remember your family and your relationship with them and where you came from and it all makes perfect sense."

She blushes warmly at the compliment. Naomi calls her sweet, but she obviously doesn't know just how sweet she is herself.

Desi then strolls towards her bed and places the elephant on her pillow before standing beside Naomi, eyes following and landing on the picture she's currently focused in on. In it, 16-year-old Desi is lying on the bed reading a picture book out loud to all of her siblings, who are crowding around her, trying their best to see over each other's heads. Desi would always read them bedtime stories every night and it's one of the things she misses most about home.

Hopefully someone else took that role now that she's at college. They're probably all in bed now. Well, minus Riley, who probably is running around like the hyper little thing that she is.

Desi smiles wistfully at the memory before she gives Naomi's arm a gentle squeeze before she grabs some clothes and heads into the bathroom. There, she brushes her teeth, washes her face, and changes out into her sleeping clothes.

She steps out of the bathroom and-

"BOO!"

Naomi pops out from the side right in front of her face and Desi brings a hand up to her heart, feeling the rapid thumping against her chest while Naomi looks like she's having a grand old time laughing her ass off.