"to leave the warmest bed I've ever known we could call it even"

ariana p.o.v.

the room was dark, the kind of darkness that felt heavy and impenetrable. i woke with a start, my heart pounding for reasons i couldn't quite place. i glanced at the clock on my nightstand: 3:12 AM. i let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed my eyes. sleep, it seemed, was not interested in returning anytime soon.

i lay there for a few minutes, hoping the drowsiness would return, but my mind was too restless. i reached for my phone, hoping to find some distraction that might lull me back to sleep. i scrolled through social media, but the usual posts and memes did nothing to capture my attention. the blue light of the screen only seemed to make me more alert. after a few minutes, i tossed my phone aside and sat up in bed, staring into the void of my room.

"I need to get out of here," i muttered to myself. maybe some fresh air would help me clear my mind. i pulled on a hoodie and slipped into my sneakers, deciding to head out. there was a 24/7 convenience store a few blocks away, and the prospect of a walk seemed oddly appealing. plus, it wasn't like i had anything better to do. the night was cool and quiet, the streets bathed in the soft glow of streetlights. i wrapped my hoodie tighter around myself, feeling the crisp air on my face. the silence of the night was almost therapeutic, a welcome change from the constant noise and activity of the day. as i walked, i let my mind wander, thinking about my new life at university and the challenges and excitement it brought.

i reached the convenience store, the bright fluorescent lights inside a stark contrast to the dim night outside. the store was nearly empty, with just a lone cashier at the counter who looked up briefly as i entered, then went back to his phone.i wandered the aisles, examining the various snacks and drinks. i was debating between a bag of chips and a chocolate bar when i heard a familiar voice.

"couldn't sleep either, huh?" i turned to see a boy about my age, with dark hair and glasses, standing a few feet away. he was holding a carton of milk and a box of cereal. recognition dawned on her. "oh, hey, I know you. you're in my biology class, right?" he smiled and nodded. "yeah, I'm ethan. ariana, right?"

"that's me," i replied, returning his smile. "so, what brings you here at this ungodly hour?" ethan chuckled. "same as you, I guess. just couldn't sleep. thought I'd grab something to eat and maybe it'll help." we chatted as we roamed the aisles, picking out snacks and drinks. i found myself enjoying the unexpected company. ethan was easy to talk to, and our conversation flowed effortlessly. we ended up paying for our items and deciding to walk back together.

"so, ethan, are you from around here?" i asked as we strolled back to our dorm buildings. "not really. I'm from upstate. you?"

"small town a few hours away. It's been an adjustment, coming to the city for school."

"tell me about it," ethan said with a wry smile. "but it's also kind of exciting, don't you think?"

ariana nodded. "definitely. hey, we should sit together in class tomorrow. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to." ethan agreed, and we parted ways at the entrance to their dorm building, promising to meet up the next day.

i returned to my room feeling a surprising sense of calm. i set my snacks on the kitchen counter, and not feeling hungry, quietly walking back to my room, flopping into bed, this time falling asleep almost immediately. when i woke again, it was to the bright light of morning streaming through my window. i got ready for the day, my mind lingering on the midnight encounter with ethan.

_______________________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

In my biology class, i spotted ethan already seated. he waved me over with a friendly smile, and i made my way to the seat next to him. "hey, how'd you sleep?" ethan asked as i settled in. "like a baby, surprisingly," i replied with a laugh. "I think the walk helped."

the professor started the lecture, and we turned our attention to our notes, occasionally exchanging amused glances whenever the professor went off on a tangent. having ethan next to her made the class much more enjoyable. we shared inside jokes and whispered comments, building a comfortable rapport.

after class, w edecided to grab coffee at a nearby café, then go to the library. the evening sun was warm, and the campus was buzzing with students heading to their next classes or lounging on the grass, or some people who has already finished their classes. me and ethan found a small table outside the café and sat down with our drinks.

"so, what's your story, ethan? why biology?" i asked, genuinely curious about my new friend. ethan took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. "I guess I've always been interested in biology, you know? like working with microscopes, larning about bacteries, viruses, genetics everything in biology is just so interesting. biolgy seemed like a good way to understand the world a little better. what about you?"

"pretty much the same reason. plus, I'm hoping it'll lead to a good job someday. i was always interested in micro-biology and that as a job. but i want to become either a regular nurse or even a doctor or a sports doctor." i said, stirring my coffee thoughtfully.

we continued to chat, learning more about each other. ethan told me about his family back home and his struggles adjusting to city life. ariana shared her own experiences of moving from a small town and the culture shock of university life.

as we talked, i felt a connection with ethan that i hadn't felt with anyone else ever. well expect for tara. ethan was something different. okay, this probably sounded dramatic but i mean it.  It was easy to be around him, and i found myself opening up more than i usually did with new people. after we finished our coffee, we walked back to campus together. we have already finished with our classes, so we decided to go to the library as a quiet spot to relax and maybe do some studying. we finally arrived to the library, spreading out our notes and books on the table. "you know, I'm really glad we ran into each other last night," ethan said, glancing at me. "me too," i replied with a smile.

as we studied, the conversation naturally shifted to more personal topics. we talked about our hopes and fears, our dreams for the future. 

It was a relief to have someone who understands, someone they could be completely honest with. i truly never felt this way to anyone -once agin- expect for tara, "i have to go now, i fear." ethan spoke up as he started packing his things into his backpack. "wait, maybe you can follow me on instagram so we can text eachother?" i asked softly. "of course." he answered with a graceful smile. we added eachother but sadly he really had to go.

i stayed in the library because i still had homework to do and things to learn. i wasn't palying an attention to anything expect for when i felt someone sitting next to me. i shot my head up and i saw tara with her bright smile on her face. "hi girl, i missed you so much." she mumbled as she laid her head on my shoulders. i laid my head on hers and whispered a little "i missed you too". she looked at my notes and she realised taht it was biology. "ew. i don't even want to look at that." she truthfully said as she was making every kind of faces towards my biology book. i laughed it off as if it's a normal behaviour from her. "i wanted to talk to you about something." she quikly went serious as i turned my head towards her. "okay so i don't know if you remember the girl i told you about yesterday? the one i'm sitting next to maths. doesn't matter. she told me that one of her friends told her that she was told by someone that they saw you with a boy and you guys looked really closed. they told me because they know that you are my best friend and i'm not assuming anything i just wanted to let you know that there are rumours going around about you guys being together." she finished her monologue with a deep breath."