Merlina's POV
A loud bang yanked me out of sleep, my heart stuttering in my chest. I blinked hard just in time to see our dorm room door fly open and Phoebe tumble in like a whirlwind.
Her energy was wild, chaotic, alive — the complete opposite of how I felt right now.
She launched herself onto Megan's bed like it was some kind of trampoline and grinned, all bright eyes and flushed cheeks.
"Morning, Merlina!" she chirped, her voice way too loud for the hour.
I sat up slightly, squinting at her as she tugged at Megan's feet with relentless enthusiasm.
Megan groaned under her blanket, clearly not in the mood. "What now?" she mumbled, half-buried in her covers.
Phoebe twirled dramatically like she was about to deliver the climax of a soap opera. "You guys, I think I'm in a rom-com. Like, actual movie material."
I couldn't help the smirk tugging at my lips. "What happened this time?"
Phoebe practically radiated chaotic joy. "Okay, guess what? Best. Night. Ever. Like, I'm still recovering—mentally and emotionally."
Megan let out another groan, dragging the blanket over her head like it could shield her from Phoebe's chaos. "Later, Phoebe," she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and mild dread, like she already knew this story was going to be too much for this hour.
But there was no stopping her now. Phoebe bounced where she sat, too excited to sit still. "Okay, I might have accidentally started dating someone. Keith and I might be a thing!"
That snapped us both awake.
"What?!" Megan and I blurted in perfect unison, the word slicing through the air as we sat up, eyes wide, like Phoebe had just dropped a live grenade in the middle of our morning.
She nodded like she'd just won the lottery. "Yeah! He asked me out last night, and obviously, I said yes!"
"You barely know him," Megan said, her voice still thick with sleep but laced with concern.
Phoebe shrugged like it was no big deal. "Love at first sight. Why wait?"
Megan shot her a look, one eyebrow arched with disbelief. "Please tell me you didn't sleep with him."
Phoebe paused, then flashed that infamous, unapologetic grin. "It wasn't planned. But, honestly? It felt right, like our bodies just needed each other. Right there, right then. I couldn't help but give in." She leaned back, all confidence and no regrets. "What can I say? When it's meant to be, it's meant to be."
Meant to be ? Already ?
Megan groaned again, this time with more irritation than exhaustion. "Just be careful, okay?"
"I'm not judging," I added quietly, trying to meet Phoebe where she was, but honestly, it was like trying to talk sense into a hurricane. "But maybe… slow down a little?"
Phoebe barely looked up, just flicking her wrist like we were being melodramatic. "I know what I'm doing. Keith? He's the package—handsome, charming, and knows how to keep up with me." She paused, letting it sink in. "Basically, he's the full-throttle, no-speed-limit version of boyfriend material."
Megan shot me a look like, Why do we even try? But I couldn't help it—I had this sinking feeling that Phoebe's "full-throttle" might end up with more crashes than victories.
Phoebe grinned, flipping her hair dramatically. "Okay, okay, I'll try to be responsible—but no promises. I mean, come on, I'm just out here living my best rom-com life."
Megan snorted, clearly unable to stay mad at her. "You're something, that's for sure."
I smirked. "Just make sure Keith can handle the sequel when it comes out."
Phoebe threw her hands up. "Oh, he's ready. And so am I!"
We all burst out laughing, the tension melting away like it never existed.
Phoebe's eyes locked onto me, sharp and playful. I could already tell she was gearing up for something.
"So, Merlina," she said, voice teasing, "how'd things end with Craig Lesnar?"
I froze for a second, just long enough that my mind seemed to race a million miles a minute. Hopefully, it wasn't obvious. I shrugged, trying to play it cool, but my voice came out a little softer than I meant. "It was fine, nothing special. Just chill."
Phoebe's eyebrows shot up. "Nothing special? You're telling me Craig Lesnar—the Craig Lesnar—was just 'chill'?"
I fought to keep my face neutral, but my mind was already starting to overheat. "Yeah, seriously. We just talked for a bit. No big deal."
She didn't buy it for a second. "No big deal? You're telling me a guy like him—with his whole, 'I'm too cool for school' vibe—just talked to you? And that's it?"
I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze. I wasn't about to spill the whole he saved me from a reckless motorcycle and held me so close like every bone in his body wanted to protect me, but Phoebe was like a dog with a bone once she started digging.
"It wasn't like that," I said quickly, trying to shut it down. "We were just… talking, you know? Like normal people do."
She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes, clearly not satisfied with that answer. "Uh-huh. Sure. And what did you guys talk about? Cause there's nothing normal about Craig Lesnar."
I opened my mouth, but nothing intelligent came out—just a vague noise that sounded like guilt and hormones.
Megan cut in, lounging back against the headboard with a smirk. "Phoebe, chill. Not everyone sleeps with the first hot guy who looks at them."
Phoebe gasped, hand to her chest like Megan had just insulted her entire way of life. "Excuse you, I don't sleep with every hot guy—just the ones who pass the vibe check."
"And what's the vibe check?" I asked dryly, grateful for the distraction.
Phoebe grinned like she'd been waiting for this moment all week. "Simple. Step one: tall, at least emotionally mysterious. Step two: looks like he's hiding deep trauma but still knows how to flirt. Step three: eyes that say 'I hate everyone… but maybe not you.'" She held up three fingers like it was a sacred ritual.
"And let me guess, Keith passed all three?" Megan asked.
"Keith passed with flying colors," Phoebe said proudly. "And Craig? Come on. I know he's rude, can't hold a conversation to save his life, but we're not gonna pretend he's not walking, talking, abs-in-a-hoodie-level hot. There's a reason he's the most wanted guy in Belview."
Then she turned to me, eyes narrowing like a heat-seeking missile. "Which is exactly why I know you're lying when you say it was 'just chill talk.' Girl. Please."
I swallowed hard, my stomach doing flips. I couldn't tell her how my heart did that dumb flutter thing when Craig stared deep into my eyes, or the way he leaned in—just a little too close—made me feel things I really didn't want to feel.
And there was no way I was admitting I was kind of into Craig Lesnar. He was rude to us. He has a girlfriend. I mean, seriously—that would be embarrassing.
Unlike Phoebe, I'm not one to over share. I looked at her, eyes wide, "Phoebe, please. Can we drop it?"
But she wasn't done. "Oh, no way. We are so not done. You're telling me there's no spark, no tension? Please."
Megan, watching us like it was better than the red table interview. "Phoebe's just dying for a partner in crime. Honestly, she probably wants to drag you into some cursed double date situation."
Phoebe laughed. "Okay, no lie, that would be iconic. But I don't think Craig would be thrilled. The way he looked at me this morning after I left Keith's room? Death. Stare. I honestly thought for a second he might be in love with Keith."
We burst out laughing.
But behind the laughter, something caught in my chest. Craig's death stare. Yeah. I knew that look well. It used to be the only one he ever gave me—until he didn't. Until he showed me something softer.
Something real.
I smiled faintly, trying to keep my face neutral. But inside, something ached. I could still feel the way his gaze lingered like he was holding back a thousand things he was too cool to say. The silence between us had started to feel like its own kind of language. Dangerous. Unspoken. Magnetic.
Fuck, I can't be distracted.
I reminded myself, sitting up straighter.
Not by him.
Not by any of this.
I cleared my throat, the laughter still clinging to the corners of the room, and reached for the one thing that had been sitting heavy on my chest since day one. The thing I'd been dying to say, but didn't know how. "Did you guys hear about the female Professor who died here at Belview?"
Just like that, the room shifted. The air thinned. The laughter faded.
Stillness settled in, cold and sudden.