Xavier (Sugar Baby 2) ✔️

eighth: faces

The sprawling campus did nothing to ease my nerves.

A colossal central building stood at the centre. A taller building to my right consisted of the hostel rooms. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue living in the hostel, but for now, it would have to do.

The thought of sharing living space with a stranger was making me nervous. My plan basically consisted of keeping my head low and keeping interaction to a minimum. I followed the admission office sign where I was supposed to deposit the fees and get my schedule. I wasn't sure how different my classes would be as a mature student. I took the staircase up to the first floor where the office was located and found myself in a sleek, long white hall with glass doors on either sides. I started walking and passed a number of rooms, 'Registrar,' 'Accounts', 'Student Welfare'.

I finally reached the glass door with 'Admission Office' labelled on it and took a deep breath. Inside was another sleek white room, the gentle sound of the air conditioner floating in the air. A few closely placed cubicles stood in front of the walls. I walked over to the first one where a middle-aged man with a neatly ironed check shirt was gazing intently at a sheet of paper in his hand.

"Er...I am here for admission," I bit my lip at how lame I sounded.

He gazed at me. "Your name?"

"Xavier Easton."

He reached for his drawer and opened it, searching for something before he took out a manila folder and handed it to me. I deposited the fees as he attached the receipt to my admission letter and handed it back to me. I waited while he went over his computer system. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to take deep steady breaths. This was the normal world. This was a place where I would just be Xavier. I wasn't used to being just Xavier with anyone except Gray.

My heart lurched painfully at the thought of him.

After a few minutes, he handed me the folder and gave me a swift smile. "Your room number is one hundred one. On the eleventh floor."

I nodded and took the file from him as he continued.

"You should proceed to the auditorium. The commencement address will take place soon."

I took my leave and walked straight towards the elevator. No way in hell was I going to be in the public eye any longer than I had to. I pressed the elevator button and walked inside, slumping against the cold metal the moment that the doors shut close. I already hated it.

Everything was so raw. Everyone would know me. I couldn't put up the facade.

The eleventh floor was a long hallway identical to the one I had just returned from. Several doors stood on either side of me. I started walking ahead, my heart thundering in my chest. I hoped that whoever my roommate was, would still be at the orientation and I could wallow in peace. However, my prayers were unanswered.

I took a deep breath and turned the handle of the dark brown door which led to my room. It was locked. A minute later, the door opened and a tall guy beamed at me. "Hey there, Xavier?"

I gave him a weak smile, suddenly shrinking. The guy seemed to be even taller than Gray, who was three inches over six feet. "Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry I didn't check the room allotments."

"Jeremiah Hunt," he said, taking a step back to let me in. "They put the mature students together."

I nodded as I walked into the room. It was painfully small. Smaller that Gray's bedroom and looking even more compact because of the two beds on either side of the walls. Glancing to the left I saw that Jeremiah had already made himself at home. Photographs of some famous video games that I had no idea about were plastered onto the cream coloured walls. A wardrobe stood at the foot of each of our beds and a large shelf had been engraved into the wall near its head. A door stood on the opposite side which was currently shut. Gazing at it I realized that it led to a small balcony overlooking the campus.