Chapter 6

Ava

"You... you transferred?"

My voice sounded small. The shiny new student ID card in Brad's hand felt like a sentence, and the invisible handcuffs were suddenly locking around my wrists.

"Yeah!" Brad laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. He buried his face in my neck, completely missing the way my entire body had gone rigid. "Aren't you happy, babe? No more long-distance. We can be together every single day."

Guilt clawed at my throat. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him to go back, to leave, to give me space to breathe. But how could I say that? He had just uprooted his entire life for me.

"Brad..." I managed to pull back slightly, keeping my hands on his chest so I didn't have to look at his eager, puppy-dog eyes. "But... what about your dream? You got into an Ivy League school. Your parents must be absolutely furious. You've been talking about that school since sophomore year of high school!"

Brad's smile softened into something deeply earnest, his thumbs brushing over my cheekbones. "My parents know that you're all I dream about, Ava. You're my future. They know I would be miserable without you there."

My heart squeezed.

For all his controlling tendencies, for all the ways he tried to shape me into his perfect version of a future wife, he loved me. He really, truly loved me. He had thrown away a prestigious education just to be near me. A tear escaped my eye, and I leaned forward, hugging him tightly.

"You're crazy," I whispered against his shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut.

I was genuinely touched. But beneath the warmth of his embrace, a cold, hard knot of panic remained. I didn't want him here. I needed this college to be my fresh start, a place where I could finally figure out who Ava was without Brad's constant supervision.

And now, with Liam Carter roaming the same campus, the ticking time bomb of my secret was suddenly twice as volatile.

I opened my mouth, ready to gently suggest that maybe transferring was too hasty, that maybe he should think about his parents—

Click.

The sharp sound of the door deadbolt unlocking made us both freeze.

We pulled apart as the heavy wooden door swung open.

Standing in the doorway was a girl who looked like she had just stepped off a magazine cover. She had glossy, waist-length blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and legs that went on for miles. She was clad in designer denim and a cropped knit top. She was holding a chic designer suitcase, a flawless smile plastered on her face.

She stopped, her eyes flicking from me to Brad, who was still standing close enough to be holding my hand.

"Oh! Hope I'm not interrupting," she chuckled, her voice light and melodic. She set her suitcase down and extended a perfectly manicured hand. "I'm Sarah."

"No, not at all," I said, quickly dropping Brad's hand and offering a polite smile as I shook hers. "I'm Ava. And this is my boyfriend, Brad."

Sarah's eyes lingered on me for a fraction of a second too long. "Nice to meet you both. Love the pink carnations, by the way. Very sweet."

She tossed her designer handbag onto the empty bed across from mine and sighed. "God, the housing department at this school is a joke. I registered late for sophomore housing, so they overflowed me into the freshman building. I was pissed at first, but honestly, I'm just glad my roommate isn't a weirdo."

"You're a sophomore?" I asked, a little relieved. Having an older roommate meant she might actually know her way around.

"Yep. Survived year one." Sarah smirked.

Brad cleared his throat, suddenly looking a little awkward in the presence of my incredibly intimidating roommate. "Yeah, actually, I should probably head out. I have to go check in at the transfer student office and get my room key." He turned to me, planting a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. "I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

"Okay. Good luck," I whispered.

He gave Sarah a polite nod and slipped out, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door shut, Sarah turned to me, her blue eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and curiosity. "So, Brad seems really nice," she said, her tone light and conversational. "Have you guys been together long?"

"Since we were twelve, actually," I admitted, a little sheepish.

Sarah's eyebrows went up. "Wow. High school sweethearts. That's seriously rare these days. It's sweet that he transferred here to be close to you."

"Yeah," I murmured, staring at the floor. "Sweet."

"Ooh... I sense some hesitation." Sarah paused, her blue eyes gleaming with sudden interest. "Please tell me the drama. Were you planning on breaking up with him? Or are you just fed up?"

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard by how quickly she had zeroed in on my micro-expression. I didn't know this girl. My instinct was to put my defensive "good girl" walls right back up, but there was something so effortlessly candid about the way she asked that I found my shoulders dropping.

"No, nothing like that," I said, twisting my fingers together. "I love him. It's just... we've been together since we were kids. I thought coming to college would give me a little bit of space. A little bit of freedom to figure out who I am on my own, you know? But now..."

"Now he's here," Sarah finished for me. She let out a soft sigh, her expression turning surprisingly pensive. She sat down on the edge of her unmade mattress, her gaze drifting toward the window. "I get it. But honestly? I understand his perspective more."

I looked at her, surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah," she murmured, her voice losing some of its playful edge. "Brad clearly loves you, Ava. Even if he doesn't fully understand what you need right now. It's rare to find a guy who will completely uproot his life just to keep from losing you. Trust me. Try to talk to him. Honestly."

The advice was gentle, but the delivery felt heavy. Sarah was staring at her hands now, her shoulders slightly tense. It felt like she wasn't really talking about Brad and me anymore. It felt like she was bleeding her own hurt into my room.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask softly.

Sarah blinked, immediately snapping her head up. The vulnerable shadow on her face vanished so quickly I wondered if I had imagined it, replaced by a bright, practiced smile. "Yeah. Totally fine."

She stood up, brushing off her jeans with a shrug. "And I'll be even better at the orientation mixer tonight."

I frowned slightly. "I thought you said you were a sophomore?"

"I am," Sarah said, a spark of determined fire igniting in her eyes as she opened her suitcase. "But the hockey team always makes an appearance. And there is someone on that team I badly, badly need to see."

"Who?" The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Sarah reached into her suitcase and pulled out an oversized, dark blue athletic hoodie. She held it against her chest for a second, her expression a mix of longing and stubborn pride, before turning the back of the hoodie toward me.

Emblazoned across the back in bold white letters was the number 27.

Directly above it, the name read: CARTER.

"My ex-boyfriend," Sarah said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Liam. I'm going to get him back tonight."

My heart didn't just stop. It felt like it physically shattered inside my chest.

The room seemed to tilt on its axis. Sarah. The gorgeous sophomore. The girl sharing my space, sleeping five feet away from me... was Liam's ex.

"He's... Liam Carter is your ex?" I choked out, the air in my lungs completely turning to ice.

"Yeah," Sarah said, completely oblivious to the fact that I had gone entirely pale. She gave me a small, bittersweet smile, clutching the hoodie tightly. "We had a massive fight before the semester started, and we've been on a break. But he's the love of my life, Ava. And I'm not giving up on him."