Hearts Across Halls

Chapter 14

Elara leaned against the counter in the dorm kitchen, stirring her coffee absently. The events of the night before replayed in her head, especially the look on Cyrus's face when he snapped at her. She'd just wanted to hang out with her friends, but somehow, they'd ended up intruding on his space, and he made sure they knew it.

"I still can't believe he had the nerve to talk to you like that," Emmy said, breaking the silence as she sat at the kitchen table. "We weren't even doing anything wrong! Just existing, apparently, is enough to set Cyrus off."

Tabitha, lounging on the other side of the table, nodded in agreement. "Honestly, Elara, you handled it better than I would've. He's been in a mood all term, and I don't get why. You'd think he was the one being inconvenienced by us living here."

Elara sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's not like I wanted to crash his little chill time or whatever that was. But the way he came at us? I just—"

"He was completely out of line," Emmy finished for her, her voice full of sympathy.

Just then, Elara's gaze drifted to the small window in the kitchen door, and she froze mid-sip. A girl—someone they hadn't seen before—was slipping out of Cyrus's room down the hall. Elara raised her eyebrows, nudging Emmy with her elbow. "Is that...?"

Emmy's eyes widened as she followed Elara's stare. "Oh my God, that's the second girl we've seen leave his room this term."

Tabitha straightened up, craning her neck to get a better view. "You've got to be kidding me. How is a guy like Cyrus—with that attitude—getting girls? What is this, some parallel universe?"

Elara smirked. "Apparently, being a jerk is more of a turn-on than we realised."

Tabitha scoffed. "Clearly we're missing something because he's definitely not charming anyone at our end of the hall."

Just as the three of them were processing the sight of the girl slipping out of Cyrus's room, the kitchen door swung open and Rachel walked in. She paused for a second, glancing back down the hallway where the girl had just passed her.

"Did I just...?" Rachel blinked, her expression a mix of shock and amusement. "Was that... another one?"

Elara exchanged a wide-eyed look with Emmy and Tabitha, then nodded. "Yup. That's two girls this term. Two. We're all equally confused."

Rachel shook her head in disbelief, setting her bag down on the counter. "I mean, Cyrus? Really? He barely says more than five words to any of us, and most of those are complaints."

"Right?!" Emmy threw up her hands.

They all laughed, though Elara felt the lingering tension from last night's confrontation still clinging to her. She wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with Cyrus today.

Rachel, catching the energy shift, looked around the group. "Anyway, what's the plan for tonight? You guys doing anything?"

Her question jogged Elara's memory, and her eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! Charlie's housemates are throwing him a birthday party tonight. He told me to bring you guys. You in?"

Rachel nodded eagerly. "Definitely. I've been dying to get out of this dorm for a night."

"Same," Emmy added. "Anything to get away from Cyrus and his mysterious girl parade."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

The party at Charlie's place was in full swing by the time Elara, Emmy, Rachel, and Tabitha arrived. Music pulsed through the house, vibrating under their feet, and the air was thick with the scent of alcohol, laughter, and that familiar warmth that came with a good night out. Red solo cups were scattered across every available surface, people were crowded into every corner of the living room, and the glow of string lights softened the whole scene into a hazy, relaxed vibe.