Mag-log inELLISWhen I finally rushed back into the apartment, balancing the paper bag in one arm and my keys in the other, I expected to find Julian right where I left him... horizontal, covered, hopefully asleep.Instead, I heard movement from the kitchen.I paused at the doorway.Julian was at the counter, slightly tilted to one side, staring at the kettle with the unfocused intensity of someone trying to remember what they were doing but missing the mark.I looked at him. He looked at me. His expression was exactly that of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar — aware they’d been caught but not quite grasping the consequences."...Are you fucking kidding me?!""I got hungry!""You left the bed.""I walked very carefully.""You weren’t supposed to walk at all!""I just needed food.""You needed rest.""I was making tea."I glanced at the kettle. Cold and completely untouched. Not even close to being turned on. "You forgot to boil the water."He stared at the kettle, looking mildly
ELLISGetting Julian into bed turned out to be a lot tougher than getting him to admit he was feeling unwell.As soon as he plopped down on the edge of the mattress, I breathed out, feeling the kind of relief you’d feel after tackling a tough task. But I jumped the gun too soon. I hadn’t really won anything."I’m just gonna grab my laptop," he said, already pushing himself back up like someone who had just taken a short break and was ready to get back to business.I stared at him. "You are not.""I’ve got an assignment due tomorrow.""You’ve also got a fever.""I can manage both.""That’s not how fevers work. Or assignments, for that matter. Sit down."He took one stubborn step toward his desk. It lasted a whole three seconds before his body, clearly eager to make its point, made him sway a little. I caught his elbow with a sigh that probably echoed all the way to the next building."Sit.""I am sitting.""No, you’re standing.""I was mid-transition.""You were mid-escape. There’s a d
ELLISMy heart stopped. Not just for a second, it completely stopped."Easy," I managed to say, because it was the only thing that came to mind. He exhaled slowly, like someone finally letting out a breath they’d held too long."I just stood up too fast.""You’ve been standing for ten minutes, how did you stand up too fast?""...Details.""Not details."He tried to pull away, but I held him firm. "Ellis.""No.""I’m fine.""No.""You don’t have to—""I said no, shut up."He sighed, long, dramatically, like someone resigned to an argument they hadn’t even started. "You’ve gotten really bossy.""I learned it from living with you.""Fair enough."I kept my arm around his waist, adjusting my grip. Only then did I notice how warm he felt. Not just warm, but worryingly hot against my arm in a way that made the math in my head lead to a bad conclusion.Without even thinking, I lifted my other hand to press it against his forehead. The heat was immediate and clear."..." I looked at him."...
ELLISI knew something was off the moment Julian didn’t piss me off before breakfast.Every single morning, like clockwork, he found a fresh way to poke fun at me before we’d even had enough caffeine to function like proper humans. My bed hair and puffy cheeks was a classic target.My struggle to wake up before my third alarm was well-documented. Then there was the time he said I looked like "a grumpy kitty that pays taxes" ... those were his exact words, said with a confidence that made it clear he’d been perfecting that line.It had turned into a sort of routine. My morning teases was as vital as the coffee, maybe not as pleasant, but equally necessary to kick off the day.But today? Nothing at all.I shuffled into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, expecting the usual snappy comment somewhere between the doorway and the counter. Instead, there stood Julian, silently in front of the coffee machine, one hand resting on the counter.He wasn’t humming, he wasn’t smiling
ELLISWe hung around after lunch for another half hour, slipping back into easier conversation. Lucas shared a story about a professor accidentally projecting his grocery list instead of a lecture slide, and I laughed so hard my sides hurt.He went off about his stepdad’s obsession with motivational podcasts, claiming he woke up every morning to someone yelling, "Rise and grind!" through a speaker positioned next to their shared wall."I swear," Lucas groaned, running a hand down his face. "If I hear one more millionaire tell me I need to wake up at four in the morning, I’m committing a crime."I giggled into my drink. "What kind of crime?""I don’t know." He shrugged. "Probably theft.""What are you stealing?""His alarm clock, out of his hands, mid-sentence about gratitude journaling."By the time we finally left the cafeteria, the weight I felt inside hadn’t disappeared. But it felt a bit lighter now, the conversation having loosened something that had been uncomfortably tight in m
ELLIS"Oh!" Lucas snapped his fingers suddenly. "I almost forgot. I’ve got news."I didn’t like the excited tone in his voice. "What kind of news?"His grin grew wider. "The maintenance guys finished most of the repairs."I frowned. "What repairs?"He looked at me like I’d missed something obvious. "...Our dorm."It took a second to process. "The old dorm?""Yep. They’re almost done with everything...new wiring, new furniture, fresh paint, the whole package." He took a casual bite of his burger, as if he hadn’t just said something that landed like a stone in my stomach. "They said we should be able to move back really soon."For a moment, it felt like the noise around us faded away as if one single piece of information could shift everything around it."Oh," I said, managing nothing else.Lucas didn’t notice how I tensed. "I know, right? You finally get our room back!"I forced a laugh. "Yeah.""You’ve been complaining about Pinnacle Hall since day one, so I thought you’d be happy.""







