“The hot one by the entrance. I saw a video of
him on Tik Tok the other day.”
I pushed open the dorm doors and reached for
the chowder. He held onto the bag, stopping me. “Give me your phone.” He held out his other hand.
“No.” I let go of the bag and turned to go back inside. He caught my arm and, before I could react, pulled my phone from my pocket.
“What are you doing? You don’t know my passcode…” I tried to grab it back. Before I
could finish the sentence, he unlocked it.
“Is there anything I don’t know about you?” His
smile widened. He held me steady while he
quickly unblocked his number. It was pinned, so
it was easy to find. And the passcode was his
birthday, so it was easy to guess. He knew
everything.
10:25
<
“Here,” he said, placing the warm container in
my arms. “I feel like I’m feeding a pig.”
I looked up at him. “Ethan…”
“Ethan,” a voice called out. I looked past him
and saw Sarah in the passenger seat. She
opened the door, her cheeks flushed. “Did I fall
asleep? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Ethan let go of my arm and smiled at her. “You
were out cold, so I let you sleep.”
“My club went to an escape room tonight, and
Ethan was there too!” Sarah walked towards
me, taking my hand. “He offered me a ride
back.” She gestured to the chowder. “And this
clam chowder was so good, I ate it on the way
back and passed out.”
He took Sarah for chowder and brought me the
leftovers?
>
“Sarah wasn’t feeling well, so I took her to get
something to eat.” Ethan caught my gaze.
“Oh.” I forced a smile. “Thanks. I’ll see you
later.”
“Wait, Amy!” Sarah grabbed my arm, stopping
- me. Then, to Ethan, “Can I get your Venmo? I’ll
pay you back for the chowder.”
I followed her gaze to Ethan. The container was
digging into my hand, leaving a red mark.
