I had always imagined university as the beginning of something big.
Freedom. Independence. A life beyond the routines of school, beyond the town I grew up in. The moment I stepped onto campus, I felt it—that quiet hum of excitement in the air. Students moved in clusters, some rushing to class, others lounging under trees, laughing, talking.
This was it.
My dorm was small but cozy. Bare walls, a simple desk, a bed that squeaked if I moved too much. But it didn't matter. I had the space to myself. A fresh start.
Vee showed up before I even finished unpacking, flopping onto my bed like she owned the place.
"You're actually serious about keeping it this neat?" she scoffed, kicking at my perfectly arranged books. "You do know you're supposed to actually live in a dorm, right? Not treat it like some minimalist prison cell?"
I threw a pillow at her. "I just got here. Give it a day."
She grinned. "Right. We'll see how long that lasts."
The teasing was familiar, grounding. We'd been inseparable since high school, balancing each other out—me, the quiet planner, Vee, the chaos in human form. If someone had told me back then that we'd end up at the same university, I wouldn't have believed it. But here we were.
This is how it should be.
We spent the afternoon wandering campus, Vee dragging me to places I had no real interest in—some club that played underground horror movies, a café where students did tarot readings. It was fun, in a way that made me think, Yeah. I could get used to this.
Then we met him.
Kaze wasn't the kind of person who made an immediate impact. He wasn't loud, wasn't attention-seeking. If anything, he blended in too well.
Our first interaction was nothing. A passing moment in the hallway. Vee nudged me and whispered, "That guy gives me the creeps."
I barely looked up from my notes. "Who?"
"Him."
I followed her gaze. A tall figure leaned against the wall, scrolling through his phone. Nothing about him stood out—dark hair, sharp features, an expression that was unreadable but not unfriendly.
"You're being weird," I muttered.
Vee raised an eyebrow. "You don't see it?"
I rolled my eyes. " See what?"
She hesitated. "He's too... exact."
I frowned. "That's a stupid reason to call someone creepy."
"Maybe. But I'm usually right about these things."
I didn't think much of it. People were weird. University was full of strangers, and not all of them were going to fit neatly into expectations.
But later, I caught a glimpse of him again—this time in the library, sitting perfectly still, his book positioned at an angle so precise it felt intentional.
And when I passed by, his gaze lifted—brief, fleeting.
Not a glance. Not an acknowledgment.
Like measuring something.
A shiver crawled up my spine. I shook it off.
Vee's getting in my head.
And that was the end of it.
For now.
`` Vee's getting in my head.
Should've let her stay there.``