"Yeah, I'm covered," Ethan said into the phone, his voice low but easy.
A beat passed.
"No, I'm not going to waste time. I just want to see Precious, surprise her a bit, maybe catch up for a while... Then I'll head back. The show's still tomorrow. I'll be good."
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a familiar voice filled with warmth.
"Okay, dear. Bye."
He smiled faintly. "Yes, yes—I'll say it back. I love you."
The words came out softer than he expected, but sincere. Real. Ethan ended the call, his thumb lingering on the screen for a second before he slid the phone into his pocket.
He was standing in a quiet hallway, somewhere between nostalgia and nerves, the air still and cool inside the dorm building. The faint hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The tiles beneath his feet echoed with each shift of weight. He exhaled through his nose and leaned briefly against the wall, allowing himself a small smile.
The past few weeks had been nothing short of chaos—tabloid headlines, online debates, constant touring—but amid all of it, Sydney had become something... more. If, in the beginning, what drew them together was that wild magnetism, the kind of chemistry that made people stare and whisper, it had since evolved.
Living together, sharing silence as much as laughter, waking up in the same place over and over again—without cameras, without makeup, without the perfect lighting—it had turned into something deeper. Realer.
They'd started using the L-word. Love.Funny how it started—some joking moment, a dare, a tease—but now, it was a rhythm they spoke in without flinching.
Ethan pushed off the wall and adjusted his cap, his other hand tugging at the hem of the hoodie that shielded most of his recognizable frame. He had layered up today: black hoodie, loose-fitting jeans, baseball cap pulled low, and dark sunglasses masking his vivid sky-blue eyes. Not exactly incognito, but just enough to keep the guessing game alive. Still, even beneath the layers, he could feel the curious glances following him. Maybe it was the way he stood. The energy. Or just the curse of being famous even in a crowd of strangers.
He ran a hand over his jaw and muttered, "Get it together, Ethan," under his breath.
He chuckled dryly and shook his head. No point overthinking it. Sydney was his girl. He loved her. And this... this was just a quick detour. A surprise. A brother showing up for his sister.
Still, as he wandered farther down the hallway, glancing at room numbers and trying to piece together memories from faint photos or past FaceTime calls, he realized he didn't actually know which room was hers.
"Where is it..." he whispered, eyebrows furrowed as he scanned the doors.
Closing his eyes, he tried to mentally retrace the few times he'd seen glimpses of Precious's dorm on video calls. A poster? A rug? A plant on a window ledge? He opened his eyes again.
Nothing. Just identical doors and numbers he didn't recognize.
He considered calling her—but that would ruin the whole surprise. And Ethan loved a good surprise.
Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side. The longer he lingered in this hallway, the more attention he attracted. Two students had already walked past him twice, whispering, stealing glances. One of them had even turned back for a third look.
He adjusted his sunglasses and hoodie again, tugging it slightly lower. His heart thudded a little faster—not from panic, just awareness. He knew how quickly this could spiral. One student posted a blurry photo on their story, a "Is that Ethan Jones??" caption, and in minutes the dorm could become a zoo.
He needed to move.
Taking one last look down the corridor, he sighed, disappointed he hadn't found the room. Maybe it was in the other wing. Maybe he had just walked right past it. Either way, his instincts were telling him the same thing: Not now.
Without another word, he stepped out of the dorm home...
Outside the dorm, Ethan stood a little to the side, tucked away in a patch of shade beside a trimmed hedge. The buzz of campus life murmured around him—students walking past, laughter in the distance, the occasional burst of music from an open window. Yet, even here, away from the spotlight, he couldn't shake the pressure.
How am I supposed to do this? he thought, rubbing the back of his neck.
He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone again. His fingers hovered over a few contacts before he tapped on Mom and brought the phone to his ear. As it rang, he looked around, making sure no one was staring too hard. When her warm, familiar voice answered, his chest softened.
"Hi, Mom."
"Ethan?" she said, surprised but happy. "Sweetheart, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he said with a soft chuckle. "I'm at Harvard right now... I came to surprise Precious."
There was a delighted gasp on the other end. "Oh! Ethan, that's wonderful! She's going to be so happy. Wait, are you there now?"
"Yeah, I'm outside the dorm," he said, scanning the building again. "But... I kind of have a problem. I don't know which room is hers."
His mother paused for a second, then laughed. "What? You didn't ask her?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he said sheepishly. "Figured I'd just find it somehow."
"Well, I don't know either!" she said, amused. "I also can't remember the exact room. I just know she was on the third floor or something..."
"Oh, shit," Ethan muttered under his breath, turning his head in frustration.
And that was when he saw her.
His eyes widened beneath his sunglasses. A short girl with familiar curly brown hair stood not too far from the entrance, chatting with two other girls, laughing about something. His heartbeat picked up.
"Later, Mom, I'll call you back," he said urgently.
"What? Ethan? You just called me—what's going on?" she said, her voice rising with concern. "Is everything okay?"
"I'll explain later—I promise! Gotta go!"
Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket. Pulling his hoodie lower and adjusting his glasses, he walked quickly across the courtyard, heart pounding a little harder now—not from fear, but excitement. That girl... he knew her.
As he approached, the girl's voice carried, and the sound of her laugh sealed it for him. He didn't wait. He stepped in and gently grabbed her arm.
"Hey," he said.
The girl turned, startled. Her two friends jerked around instantly, and all three of them froze, eyes wide.
"What's going on?" one of the girls blurted, her voice rising.
"Yeah—Grace, who is this?" the other asked, suspicious.
"Yes! Grace!" Ethan repeated, smiling beneath the hood. "It's you."
She blinked, confused and visibly nervous. "I—I don't know you."
There was fear in her eyes now as she jerked her arm free, stepping back. Ethan realized too late how weird this probably looked—him dressed in all black, sunglasses on, grabbing her in broad daylight.
"I don't know who you are!" Grace said again, backing away. "Don't touch me!"
"Wait, no, no, I'm not a creep," Ethan said quickly, raising his hands. "I swear—"
"Yeah, right," one of the girls snapped. "Creep! Back off!"
"If you touch her again, we'll scream!" the other threatened, pulling Grace closer.
Ethan stumbled over his words, flustered and caught off guard. "Wait! Wait—please, just—"
He reached forward again in a panic, lightly grabbing Grace's wrist. The girls gasped.
"Wait!" he said, louder now, his voice cracking with urgency. "I'm Precious's brother!"
The world froze for a second.
Grace blinked, stunned. "What?"
"I'm her brother," Ethan said, breathless. "Ethan."
He pulled his sunglasses down just enough for her to see his sky-blue eyes and part of his face.
Grace's jaw dropped. "Oh my God."
"Yeah," Ethan said quickly, still watching the other two girls in case they called security. "It's me. I'm just... trying to find her dorm. I got lost."
Grace laughed in disbelief, pressing a hand to her chest. "Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah! Let me show you. I'll take you."
She turned to go with him, but her friends pulled her back.
"Grace, what are you doing?" one asked, alarmed.
"I know him," she said, waving a hand. "He's my roommate's brother. I swear. I'm coming, just go! I'll meet you guys in class."
The two girls stood there, clearly unsure, watching as Grace walked off with the covered-up stranger.
One of them narrowed her eyes and said slowly, "Her roommate's brother?"
The other tilted her head. "Wait... but isn't her roommate's brother—"