Lumen Noir

Penelope Clarke never meant to share a dorm room with a man.

But a housing mistake, a full campus, and a limited allowance leave her with no choice but to stay-and learn to coexist with Derrick Carter, the cold, unreadable stranger who couldn't care less about her presence.

He doesn't ask questions.
He doesn't offer explanations.
And he definitely doesn't leave.

What starts as an uneasy arrangement turns into something quieter. Easier.
A fragile kind of friendship built on unspoken understanding.

Until one night ruins it.

A party. A moment. A kiss neither of them should have crossed.

By morning, Derrick pretends it never happened.

Instead, he replaces silence with distance-and distance with something far crueler. Girls come and go, doors close, and every action feels deliberate. Like a message he refuses to say out loud.

Penelope tells herself she doesn't care.
That she won't break.
That she'll make it to graduation and leave him-and everything he represents-behind.

But Derrick isn't letting go.
Not of the room.
Not of the tension.
And definitely not of her.

Because the more she tries to walk away...
the more he reminds her exactly who she belongs to.