Chapter 4: New Beginnings

That post on the campus app caused a huge stir. Of course, the resident advisor heard about it too. Looking at my room change request, he frowned and said meaningfully: “Moving out is easy, but where will you go?”

The implication was clear. Other guys’ dorms might not want me either. As if... just because I liked another guy, I’d become a plague. I could see it in his eyes, the way he hesitated, like he was about to warn me off the whole campus. I swallowed, heart racing.

“I’ll just live off-campus, sir.”

“Come live with us.” I answered with a bitter smile, just as a calm voice spoke up beside me. I froze. Turning, I saw the RA from the neighboring athletics department, looking at me like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Such a good-looking young man—perfect for our floor.”

My RA frowned, leaned over, and lowered his voice: “This is Eli Becker.”

But the athletics RA just moved away, still looking at me, and didn’t bother to lower his voice: “I know who he is. Why so hush-hush?”

“Eli, room 601. You know where that is, right?”

601? I paused, confused. Why did that sound familiar? I tried to remember, but my brain was running slow from stress and lack of sleep.

After running around for all the paperwork, I finally got back to the guys’ dorms over three hours later—already past 7:30 p.m. It was dark out, and people were coming and going under the dorm building, mostly heading to or from dinner. The parking lot lamps buzzed overhead. I didn’t expect anyone to actually wait for me at the entrance.

This guy wore jeans and flip-flops, his handsome face topped with messy hair. Leaning against the wall, he yawned lazily. When he saw me, he came over, naturally took my suitcase, and spoke in a deep, magnetic voice: “Noah Evans. You must be Eli, right? C’mon, let’s get you outta the hallway before someone steals your stuff.”

Then he turned and walked inside. I just stood there, dazed. I finally remembered why 601 sounded familiar. Because of the Noah Evans in front of me. The tallest, longest-legged, best-looking guy in our department—good family, popular with the girls, and the first to publicly come out as gay: the ‘trailblazer.’

With absolute brains, brawn, and cash, he beat up, convinced, or drove out every roommate who was prejudiced against him. So now, 601 was just him, living alone. Rumor had it he hung a rainbow flag in his window and no one dared touch it.

“Noah... Noah, uh, dude...” I stammered, hurrying to catch up. “You don’t mind me moving in?”

Noah glanced down at me, not even slowing his steps. “You got some contagious disease?”

I froze. “Uh, no... just...” I wanted to say, I like guys. But thinking about it—who here doesn’t? For a moment, I had nothing to say.

But Noah didn’t wait for me to finish. He just paused, looking down and weighing my suitcase. “This is all your stuff? Just this? What about your bedding?”

My face stiffened. Thinking of the bedding soaked in alcohol, I was annoyed: “Threw it away.”

“Tsk.” Noah frowned, was silent for a moment, then said, “Why throw out your comforter for no reason? What are you going to do tonight?”

“Sleep in my bed.”

I was so focused on talking to Noah, I didn’t notice we’d stopped on the third floor—right where I used to live. And just as he said, “Sleep in my bed,” the door to 303 opened.

Derek and the other two appeared. When the three saw me and Noah, their expressions turned odd. Especially Derek. His dark eyes locked on my face, his expression stormy. I swallowed, bracing myself for another round of judgment.

Dorm leader Marcus Quinn, like me, had clearly heard of Noah Evans. For once, he didn’t mock me—just looked back and forth between me and Noah, then sneered: “Tch, you sure know how to pick a roommate. A perfect match.”

Noah frowned, his gaze sharp as a blade as he swept over Marcus’s face. No words needed—the pressure was enough. Marcus’s expression changed immediately. He turned away and tugged at Derek: “I’m starving, let’s go. Stay here any longer and I’ll lose my appetite.”

He shot one last glare at me before dragging the others away. The whole vibe felt like a middle school lunchroom, cliques and all. Derek said nothing, his eyes glued to my face, as if waiting for me to say something. After a while, he just sneered, then walked down the stairs. I pulled myself together and walked upstairs as if nothing had happened. But with every step, I couldn’t help glancing down at that receding figure. To say I wasn’t upset would be a lie, but... My heart ached, a hollow kind of pain I couldn’t shake.

“That’s the guy you like? He’s just average.”

Suddenly, Noah’s cool voice sounded beside me, making me jump and suck in a sharp breath. I missed a step, slipped, and tumbled down the stairs. It was summer, and I wasn’t wearing much—just cargo shorts. My hands and knees hit the steps directly, pain shooting through me. My knee throbbed, and I could already picture the bruise—right where my mom would notice if I went home. My face went white.

Noah looked as calm as ever, expression unchanged. But he did seem to have a conscience, helping me up and patting my back. “Why so jumpy? I saw the trending post. I’m not blind.”

I was even more dumbfounded, forgetting the pain as I stared blankly at Noah. Is this the legendary guy who single-handedly conquered the guys’ dorms? He’s this chill about everything? I started to think maybe I’d landed in the right place after all.