Adrian's POV
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn't move.
I sat frozen on my bed, staring at the door, counting Ethan's footsteps in the hallway.
One. Two. Three.
He was getting closer.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through. I'd imagined this moment for months—planned every detail, bribed the right people, made sure everything was perfect.
But now that it was actually happening, I couldn't breathe.
Four. Five. Six.
The footsteps stopped outside Room 304.
This was it. Ethan was right outside. In three seconds, he'd walk through that door and see me sitting here. What would his face look like? Shocked? Angry?
Would he hate me even more than he already did?
My phone buzzed again. I pulled it out with shaking hands.
Derek: "Did he arrive yet? Don't mess this up."
Derek: "And for God's sake, don't do that creepy smiling thing you do when you're nervous."
I almost laughed, but the sound died in my throat because the doorknob turned.
The door swung open.
Ethan stood there, suitcase in hand, and the world stopped spinning.
He looked exactly like I remembered but also completely different. His brown hair was messier, like he'd been running his hands through it. His hazel eyes were wide with shock. And his face—God, his face went through about fifty emotions in two seconds.
Surprise. Confusion. Recognition.
Then anger. So much anger.
It hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I forced my lips into a smirk even though every cell in my body wanted to jump up and... and what? Hug him? Tell him how much I'd missed him? Explain that I'd spent the last year thinking about nothing except seeing him again?
Yeah, that would go over great.
"Well, well," I said, leaning back against my pillows like my heart wasn't trying to explode. "Look who finally showed up."
Ethan's hands clenched into fists. "What are you doing here?"
Three words. He'd said three words to me, and they were full of hate.
I deserved it. I knew I deserved it. But it still hurt worse than anything.
"I go to school here," I said casually. "Same as you."
"You said you were taking a gap year!" His voice rose, and wow, he was really angry. His face was turning red. "You told everyone—"
"I changed my mind." I shrugged like it was no big deal. Like I hadn't spent months setting this up. Like I hadn't paid Mrs. Peterson three thousand dollars to make sure we got assigned together.
Ethan stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "You changed your mind. You just happened to change your mind and end up at Crestwood. And you just happened to end up as my roommate."
He was smart. He'd always been smart, even when he didn't think he was.
"Lucky coincidence," I lied.
"What did you do?"
My stomach twisted. He knew. Somehow, he already knew.
"What do you mean?" I kept my face innocent, but inside I was panicking. How did he figure it out so fast?
"Did you—" Ethan moved even closer, and I had to fight not to back away. Not because I was scared, but because having him this close made my brain stop working. "Did you request to be my roommate? Did you plan this?"
Yes. Yes, I planned everything. I've been planning this since the day you left for college tours without saying goodbye.
But I couldn't say that. If I said that, he'd ask why. And if he asked why, I'd have to tell him the truth.
And the truth would ruin everything.
I stood up, using my height advantage to hide how nervous I was. I walked toward him slowly, watching his face. He wanted to back up—I could see it—but he was too stubborn.
That was so Ethan. Never backing down, even when he should.
I stopped right in front of him. Close enough to see the gold flecks in his hazel eyes. Close enough to smell his shampoo—the same brand he'd used since middle school.
I'd noticed. Of course I'd noticed. I noticed everything about Ethan Cross.
"Why would I do that?" I asked softly, even though my heart was screaming the answer. "Why would I possibly want to room with someone who hates me?"
Ethan's breath hitched. For just a second, his angry expression cracked, and I saw something else underneath. Confusion, maybe. Or hurt.
"I don't—" he started.
"You do," I interrupted, because I couldn't let him lie. Not about this. "You've hated me since kindergarten. Every time I talk to you, you look at me like I ruined your life."
"Because you did!" The words exploded out of him, raw and painful. "Everything I try to do, you do it better! Every single time! And now you're here, in my room, taking my fresh start away from me!"
Each word was a knife in my chest.
He really believed that. He really thought I was trying to ruin his life.
If only he knew the truth—that every trophy I won, every race I ran, every competition I entered was just an excuse to be near him. To have his attention on me, even if that attention was anger.
I'd take Ethan's hate over his indifference any day.
But I couldn't tell him that. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
My jaw clenched. I felt angry and hurt and desperate all at once. "Your fresh start. Right."
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. I needed to leave before I said something stupid. Before I ruined the plan.
"I'm going out. Unpack wherever you want. I don't care."
I walked past him, and God, it was hard. Every step away from him felt wrong.
"Adrian—"
His voice stopped me. My hand froze on the doorknob.
Please don't ask. Don't make me lie anymore.
"Why did you really come here?" Ethan's voice was quieter now. Confused. "The truth."
The truth.
The truth was that I'd loved him since we were five years old. The truth was that every time he looked at me with anger, I died a little inside. The truth was that I came to Crestwood because a year without seeing his face had almost killed me.
But I couldn't say any of that.
"Maybe I was tired of running away from things," I said instead.
It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a complete lie either.
I left before he could ask more questions.
The hallway was empty. I leaned against the wall and finally let myself breathe.
My phone buzzed. Derek again.
Derek: "How'd it go?"
Me: "He hates me."
Derek: "He hated you before. Did you tell him?"
Me: "No."
Derek: "Coward."
I shoved my phone away and started walking. I didn't know where I was going. Just away.
"Adrian! Adrian Vale!"
I looked up. Marcus Chen was running toward me, his red hair bright under the hallway lights. Marcus—captain of the debate team, president of three clubs, and the biggest gossip on campus.
Great. Just what I needed.
"Is it true?" Marcus asked, slightly out of breath. "You're rooming with Ethan Cross? The Ethan Cross from your hometown?"
News traveled fast here.
"Yeah," I said shortly.
Marcus's eyes went wide. "Dude. Everyone knows about your rivalry. This is either going to be epic or a complete disaster."
"Thanks for the input," I said dryly.
"No, seriously." Marcus lowered his voice. "I heard some weird stuff. Someone said you paid to get him as your roommate. That's crazy, right? Why would anyone do that?"
My blood went cold. "Where did you hear that?"
"Some guy was talking about it at the welcome fair. I didn't catch his name, but he seemed to know a lot about you."
Someone knew. Someone was talking.
This wasn't part of the plan.
"What did this guy look like?" I demanded.
Marcus shrugged. "Tall, dark hair, expensive watch. Kind of older, maybe a graduate student? He was talking to some freshman, showing them something on his phone."
Showing them something on his phone.
My heart stopped.
The video. Someone had the security footage from the housing office.
But that was impossible. I'd paid the security guard to delete it. Unless—
Unless someone paid him more to keep it.
"Marcus, I have to go." I pushed past him and ran.
I pulled out my phone and called Derek.
"Someone has the video," I said the second he answered.
"What? How?"
"I don't know, but they're showing people. Marcus just told me—"
"Adrian, slow down. Maybe it's just a rumor—"
"It's not a rumor!" I stopped running, breathing hard. "Someone knows what I did. Someone's going to tell Ethan."
If Ethan found out I'd bribed the housing office, he'd think I did it to torture him. To make his life miserable on purpose.
He'd never know the real reason.
"Adrian, calm down. We'll figure this out—"
A notification popped up on my phone. An email from an unknown address.
The subject line made my blood run cold: "I Know Your Secret"
I opened it with shaking hands.
Inside was a single sentence and an attachment:
"Does Ethan know how far you'll go for him? Maybe he should. You have 24 hours to decide—tell him yourself, or I will. -V"
The attachment was the security video. Clear as day. Me handing Mrs. Peterson money. Me pointing at the computer screen showing Ethan's name.
Evidence that I'd manipulated everything.
"Adrian? Adrian, you still there?"
Derek's voice sounded far away.
"Someone's blackmailing me," I whispered.
"What?"
"They have the video. They're threatening to show Ethan unless I tell him myself. I have 24 hours."
The hallway started spinning.
If Ethan found out like this—from a stranger, with video proof of me bribing someone—he'd think I was a stalker. A creep. He'd hate me even more.
But if I told him myself, what would I say? "Hey, roommate, I paid three thousand dollars to live with you because I'm desperately in love with you and have been since we were five"?
He'd run. He'd request a room transfer so fast my head would spin.
Either way, I lost him.
"Who's doing this?" Derek demanded. "Who the hell would—"
My phone buzzed. Another message, this time a text:
"Tick tock, Adrian. 23 hours and 58 minutes. Choose wisely. Oh, and don't bother looking for me—I'm closer than you think. -V"
Closer than I think?
I spun around, scanning the hallway. Students walked past, laughing and talking. Was one of them watching me? Was this person here right now?
And who the hell was "V"?
My phone buzzed a third time. A photo message.
I opened it and almost dropped my phone.
It was a picture of Room 304—my room—taken from inside. Recent, based on Ethan's suitcase visible in the corner.
Someone had been in our room.
Someone was watching us.
And they knew everything.