My mind raced with wild thoughts. Eventually, I drifted into a restless sleep.
When I woke up, sunlight flooded the room. Seeing such bright sunshine in this cold season lifted my spirits.
I started to turn over. Then I felt the body behind me. I froze immediately, my whole body stiffening.
I must have disturbed him. Alexander’s brow furrowed. His arms tightened around me.
I didn’t dare move. I barely dared to breathe.
After a while, he fell back asleep. I gently pried his hand away and got up to make breakfast.
Once out of bed, I turned to look at him. He looked so peaceful in sleep. His face was much softer than usual.
Right now, he seemed like a child—sleepy and lazy. He must hate the cold. He always pressed close to me during the night.
My cheeks burned at the thought. But I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from lifting. I ducked into the bathroom to wash up.
I was frying vegetables when a pair of hands slid around my waist. The next second, I was pulled into a warm embrace.
I froze. My ears turned red. I didn’t have the courage to look back.
“What’s for breakfast?” Alexander’s voice rumbled above my head.
“Porridge with pickled melon, poached eggs, and fried lettuce,” I answered softly.
“You’re getting more and more virtuous.”
I was too embarrassed to speak for a long time.
After breakfast, he drove me back to school. He didn’t forget to kiss me goodbye.
I got out of the car, my face still red. Even though we were getting along more naturally, I still wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy.
Final exams were coming up. Classes were basically over. All my time was spent reviewing and preparing.
I went back to the dorm to grab my books. Then I headed to the library to study.
Emily and Stella weren’t there. They were probably studying in the morning.
People who usually lazed around were suddenly full of energy. Everyone was reading and memorizing. No one wanted to fail and have a miserable holiday.
I found an empty seat in the library and sat down.
In the middle of studying, a pen tapped on my desk. I looked up.
Adrian Cole, the head of the art department, was sitting across from me. I smiled and nodded in greeting.
He slid a piece of draft paper toward me. On it was written: Lunch together!
I looked at him and nodded. I still hadn’t thanked him for his help last time.
He wrote again: Keep studying. I’ll call you later!
I wrote back: OK!
Then I lowered my head and continued studying.
I’m the type who can focus completely on one thing if no one disturbs me. So after a while, I completely forgot about lunch with Adrian.
When he tapped my book, I looked up. He smiled and said, “It’s lunchtime.”
It took me a moment to respond. I smiled back and whispered, “Wait for me. Let me finish this problem.”
Then I lowered my head and worked on the half-finished problem.
After that, I packed up and returned the library books to their shelves. I followed Adrian out of the library.
“Mr. Cole, let me treat you to lunch. I still haven’t thanked you for your help last time,” I said with a smile.
“Which time?” he asked, surprised.
“The preliminaries for the school festival. When I changed the program at the last minute.”
“That was just a small favor. You still remember it?” He looked a little embarrassed.
“You helped me, Mr. Cole. Of course I remember,” I said with a smile.
We ended up at the stir-fry section on the second floor of the cafeteria. We ordered two dishes and one soup.
“When are your finals over?” he asked.
“The 24th. What about you?” I looked up at him.
“Two days earlier than you.”
Finals were stressful. It was always good to finish early.
“It takes me three days by train to get home. By the time I get there, you’ll all be on holiday.”
“I actually wanted to study in another city. But my family wouldn’t let me fill in those applications. So I never left home. I envy you.”
“Once you’ve squeezed onto a train, you’ll know there’s nothing to envy.”
“It shouldn’t be Spring Festival time when finals end, right?” I asked curiously.
“I have some things to take care of. I’ll go back a week later.”
“Oh.”
We chatted while we ate.
After the meal, Adrian took out his phone. He pulled up a photo and handed it to me.
Confused, I took it. It was a picture of a very handsome guy. “What’s this?”
“Handsome, right?” he asked with a sly grin.
“Huh? He doesn’t look like you.” I looked at the photo, then back at him.
“Of course he doesn’t look like me. He’s my roommate. Zhou Yang, the talent of our department. He fell for you at first sight,” Adrian said.
“…” I was immediately embarrassed. “Has he seen me without makeup?”
“Like you are now?” Adrian asked with a smile.
“Yes.”
“He’s seen you many times. He’s come to your class several times just to see you. Haven’t you noticed him?”
“No. I don’t look at people in class.”
Adrian burst out laughing. He felt sorry for his roommate. The guy walked right in front of me, and I treated him like air.
“He knew I knew you and asked me to put in a good word. I never found the right chance to tell you.”
“Could you please tell your roommate I’m sorry? I don’t want to date anyone right now,” I said awkwardly.
Even if I wanted to, I wasn’t qualified. Besides, I really didn’t want to.
“You could at least get to know him. Even if you don’t want to develop things, you can be friends. His family is in the next city. They’re well-off, probably similar to yours. And he’s not only good-looking, but also knowledgeable,” Adrian recommended.
“Mr. Cole, since when did you become a matchmaker?”
“To be honest, this is the first time I’ve introduced anyone. I think you two would be a good fit. You should consider it. He hasn’t dated anyone in college. It would be his first love,” Adrian said awkwardly.
“We really aren’t a good fit, Mr. Cole. I’m not lying to you. I really don’t want to date anyone,” I replied bluntly.
“You can be ordinary friends first. If things work out, you can think about taking it further.”
“There’s no such thing as ordinary friends between men and women.”
“Aren’t we ordinary friends?”
I was choked into silence.
After a long pause, I continued, “Mr. Cole, please tell your roommate that I’m really not right for him. Ask him to find someone else.”
“You should see a doctor. Ask another expert.”
“Anyway, it’s not going to work,” I finally said.
“Then give me a reason. I need something to tell him.”
“Otherwise, just say I don’t like boys,” I replied seriously.