Novels by BENITA OBI

Maya’s POVAn email had to destroy my day before it even started.“Due to an unprecedented plumbing burst and catastrophic mold outbreak in the premium honors wing, all immediate relocations have been suspended for the next fourteen days. We apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Sloane.”Fourteen days. Two more weeks trapped in this apartment.Great, now I need to show this to her too.I knocked on the door, I don’t think she had classes today.“Come in.”I opened the door and her look told me I needed to make this quick.Reluctantly I showed her the email and she didn't yell. She didn't drop her teacup or throw a fit. Instead, she just kept quiet.Her jaw clenched so tightly that the sharp line of her collarbone strained beneath her silk shirt. She stared at my screen for a long, agonizing moment, then turned around and walked straight into the bathroom without saying a single word.The silence she left behind was far worse than a shouting match. It meant the invisible wall between u

Maya’s POVThe heavy wood of her bedroom door clicked shut in response.I let out a sharp breath, staring at the empty hallway, half-tempted to throw my water glass at the wall just to crack the silence.I was a pawn in my parents' election strategy, a trophy on Ethan’s arm, and now an inconvenient piece of furniture to my lecturer.I dragged my miserable self back to the leather couch, burying my face into a throw pillow that smelled faintly of Diana’s laundry detergent.God, even the fabric was hostile.By the next afternoon, I desperately needed an exorcism from this apartment.The campus quad was buzzing with life, a stark contrast to the suffocating silence of my living situation. I practically sprinted toward the student union lounge, spotting two familiar faces huddled over a laptop at a corner table.Kaya neck deep in her notebook, while Ryan was aggressively typing, looking like he was one minor inconvenience away from throwing the keyboard across the room.“If this professor

Maya’s POVI was genuinely confused by what had just transpired, but I brushed it off. Maybe she just didn’t want to get involved with the school board’s golden boy.“Was she disturbing you? Because she’s known for always being extra,” Ethan said.I gave him a subtle side-eye because he sounded incredibly condescending. I shouldn’t have cared, it wasn't like I liked Ms. Thorne, and she had literally just humiliated me in front of people but the sheer entitlement in Ethan's voice was irritating.“Why do you have to talk down on everybody, Ethan?” I asked, pulling my shoulders back as we stepped out of the humanities block.“I’m not talking down on her, babe. I’m just asking if she was giving you issues,” he replied smoothly, completely unbothered by my tone.I wasn’t in the mood to drag this out with him, so I just zoned out. The heat was already rising from the concrete, and my head felt fuzzy from the lack of sleep on that miserable leather couch.“Babe, are you good?” Ethan asked, h

Maya’s POV“Who the fuck turned on the light?” I squinted trying to adjust to the now bright living room.“Someone who has a life to live.”Of course it’s her.I’m far from a morning person and I might actually bitch on her if she gets on my nerves this morning.My eyes finally adjust to the lighting and I see that she’s fully dressed. Her shirt is ironed crisp, her hair is put up in a very sleek bun and her make-up highlights her blue eyes.“Why are you dressed this early?”“Why are you speaking so casually to me?” She walks up to my makeshift sleeping space.I roll my eyes, trying to adjust myself back to sleep.“Don’t be late to my class Sloane.” My eyes shot open before I could register what she just said her heels were already clacking away.“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” I throw myself off the couch and reach for my phone.“8:00am” I run a hand through my hair and rush to the bathroom.I had exactly 30mins before her class and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t making it.Brush, bath, hair, chapstic

Maya’s POV*beep*I open the front door to my apartment and I instantly recheck the apartment I was assigned to.“What are you doing here?” Ms Thorne asked with a scowl on her face. I tried to look away because she was in a silk robe that…“Let’s not go there.” I thought to myself.“Are you deaf or something? I believe I asked a question.” Her voice brought me back to reality.“Uhhh I was assigned to this apartment.” As much as I didn’t appreciate the way she spoke to me, I valued my grades too and she was not one to mess with.“Are you hearing yourself?” She dropped the cup that was in her hand on the kitchen island and walked closer to me.“You were assigned to an apartment in the lecturer’s wing of school?”I nodded firmly because I actually was.“Give me a minute but first what’s your name?”“Maya. Maya Sloane.”She picked her phone and went into what I think is the room.I just stood there awkwardly staring at the house I’d apparently be sharing with little miss violent if they d