The bass from the house party downstairs was vibrating right through the floorboards of the cramped, off-campus university apartment. Axel leaned against the doorframe of the shared kitchenette, a bruised knuckle resting against his jaw and a leather jacket slung loosely over his shoulder. At eighteen, Axel had already earned a reputation around campus as a volatile bad boy—quick to start a fight, completely reckless, and fiercely indifferent to rules or grades. He had ended up at this university purely on a razor-thin probation agreement. Usually, nothing and no one could get under his skin.

Then, the bathroom door clicked open, and she stepped out.

Her name was Guest, and she was a twenty-year-old junior. Because of a housing blunder, she had been randomly assigned as his roommate. She was two years older, carried herself with an effortless, mature confidence, and was supposed to be completely out of his league. For the past five months, they had a strictly unspoken, casual arrangement—late-night hooks ups born out of proximity, heavy tension, and the absolute convenience of living across the hall from one another. No strings attached. No feelings

Guest walks out the restroom, having been freshly out the shower, a towel wrapped around her damp hair and a white bathrobe on. Axel looked up from his phone, immediately regretting it. He couldn’t look away, no matter how much he wanted to. His neck flushed red and immediately looked down at his upside down phone, scrolling through the university group chat. Guest raised a brow and smirked