CHAPTER 24: NEW ROOMMATE

The possessive way he said my made Cassian’s entire body jolt, his face exploding in heat.

"Wh–wha–WHAT?!" he blurted out, his voice cracking halfway through. A few students turned their heads, some smirking, others whispering, and Cassian wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

Leonel only chuckled, stretching lazily as if nothing scandalous had just left his mouth. Aiden rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Unbelievable."

The rest of the lecture passed in tense silence at least for Cassian. His mind kept replaying that single word, my, over and over until it burned into his thoughts. By the time the bell rang, he practically jumped out of his seat.

"Finally," Leonel groaned, stretching his arms over his head. "I swear if I had to listen to one more equation, I’d start chewing on the desk."

Aiden snorted. "You say that every day."

Leonel grinned, already slinging his bag over his shoulder. "And I mean it every day." He glanced at his phone, thumbs moving fast over the screen. His expression softened something Cassian almost missed. "I’ll see you guys later," he said quickly, waving a hand before turning to leave.

"Where’s he off to?" Cassian asked, watching Leonel stride down the hall.

"Probably home," Aiden said, gathering his books. "He looked like he was texting someone, though."

Cassian hummed in thought, trying not to overthink it but of course, he failed miserably.

The walk back to the dorms was easy and familiar. The afternoon air was crisp, and the sunset stretched long shadows across the path. Aiden walked beside him, humming softly under his breath while Cassian’s mind kept drifting between Leonel’s smirk, Aiden’s smile, and that damn word echoing again and again.

Aiden nudged his shoulder lightly. "You’re zoning out again."

Cassian blinked. "Huh? Oh. Sorry. I was just... thinking about how good it feels to know tomorrow’s Saturday."

Aiden chuckled. "That’s your big thought?"

"Hey," Cassian said, mock-offended, "I like my rest days, thank you very much."

"Fine, fine." Aiden grinned, and the tension in Cassian’s chest eased. "I’ll admit, I’m kinda glad too. I was about to throw my notes out the window if I had to wake up early one more day."

Cassian laughed. "You’d just regret it when you actually needed those notes."

"Yeah, but at least I’d sleep peacefully," Aiden replied, stretching his arms behind his head as they walked into the dorm building.

They reached their room, the familiar click of the door unlocking echoing through the space. They both just went in maiden room it was the nearest and they were tired. Cassian tossed his bag onto the chair and fell face-first onto aiden bed with a muffled groan.

"Dead," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Same," Aiden said, collapsing onto the same bed. He rolled onto his side, facing Cassian. "Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually like having you around, Cass."

Cassian peeked out from his pillow, surprised. "Wow, that almost sounded like a compliment."

Aiden laughed softly. "Don’t get used to it."

Cassian smiled into the fabric of his pillow, a little warmth blooming in his chest. It felt... nice. Simple. For a few moments, he forgot about Leonel, about the tension, about everything that made his heart trip over itself.

When the lights went out, Cassian lay awake for a while, staring at the ceiling. His mind wandered back to Leonel’s teasing grin, his voice low and rough when he’d said my Cassian.

Cassian squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shove the memory away. "It’s nothing," he whispered to himself. "He didn’t mean it."

But even as he drifted off, his heart betrayed him with a quiet, stubborn flutter.

Morning came far too early.

Cassian stirred at the sound of voices soft but distinct. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up slowly. Aiden’s voice carried from the small common area, low and steady, like he was trying to keep it down.

Curious, Cassian swung his legs over the bed and padded toward the door. "Aiden?" he called sleepily.

Aiden looked up from where he was standing, phone in hand, talking to someone at the door. "Oh, hey, you’re up," he said, hanging up the call. "So, uh... I forgot to tell you last night."

Cassian blinked. "Tell me what?"

Aiden scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly awkward. "We’re getting a new roommate."

Cassian froze. "What?"

"Yeah." Aiden grimaced. "Apparently the dorm’s rearranging the rooms again. Someone’s moving in with us today."

Cassian frowned. "But... I thought it was just gonna be the two of us this semester."

"Me too," Aiden sighed. "Trust me, I’m not thrilled either."

Cassian chuckled nervously. "Great. Just when I finally got used to your snoring."

Aiden threw a cushion at him, and Cassian dodged with a laugh. "I don’t snore."

"You totally do," Cassian teased, dodging another throw.

By evening, the mood had mellowed into something almost cozy. The two of them sat in the small dining area, half-watching a movie, half-dozing off between jokes and idle chatter.

Cassian stretched on the couch, yawning. "Maybe the new guy will never show up."

"Don’t jinx it," Aiden said, eyes on the screen. "Watch him barge in right now just because you said that."

As if on cue, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. The lock clicked.

Both of them looked toward the door.

Cassian sat up, suddenly alert.

The handle turned slowly, then the door swung open with a soft creak.

The sound of the lock clicking broke through the quiet hum of the dorm.

both turned toward the door, half-expecting the dorm manager or some delivery person. But when the handle turned and the door swung open,

Cassian froze mid-breath.

Leonel stood there.

Framed by the doorway, the afternoon light spilling in behind him, he looked almost unreal casual black tee, low-slung jeans, bag tossed over one shoulder. His hair was slightly tousled from the wind, and his lips curled in that lazy, familiar smirk Cassian had come to both dread and crave.

"Yo," Leonel said, like this was completely normal. "Miss me?"

For a solid three seconds, no one moved. Aiden blinked once, then twice. "...What the hell are you doing here?"

Leonel tilted his head. "Moving in." He lifted a folded dorm assignment letter between two fingers. "Got the notice this morning. Room swap. Guess I’m your new roommate."

Cassian’s heart dropped straight into his stomach. "Y–you’re joking, right?"

Leonel grinned wider. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

Aiden stood up sharply from the sofa. "No. Nope. That’s not happening."

"Take it up with admin," Leonel said, stepping inside like he owned the place. His eyes swept over the small living area, then landed right on Cassian lingering there with infuriating ease. "Nice place. Cozy."

Cassian scrambled to his feet, completely disoriented. "Wait - you’re really staying here? With us?"

"Yup." Leonel dropped his bag by the wall and stretched. "Don’t worry, I’m a clean roommate." His tone dripped with amusement. "Unless you count the mess I make in other ways."

Aiden groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "You’ve got to be kidding me. They could’ve assigned literally anyone else."

"Guess fate has a sense of humor," Leonel said. His eyes flicked to Cassian again watching the way Cassian’s fingers fidgeted with the hem of his hoodie, his gaze darting anywhere but him. "You okay there, sunshine? You look like you saw a ghost."

Cassian’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. His brain short-circuited somewhere between Leonel is living here and I dreamed about him last night.

"I - uh - just didn’t expect - "

"Me?" Leonel stepped closer, the corner of his mouth lifting. "You should know by now, Cassian. I tend to show up where you least expect me."

Aiden’s jaw clenched. "Can you not flirt in my living room?"

Leonel gave him an innocent look. "Who said I was flirting?"

"You. Literally you," Aiden shot back, glaring.

Cassian tried to diffuse the tension, forcing an awkward laugh. "O-okay, this is... uh... new. But it’s fine, right? We’ll figure it out."

Leonel turned to him, eyes softening for a split second. "That’s the spirit." He walked past them toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "Which one’s mine?"

Aiden pointed stiffly. "End of the hall. Just stay out of my room."

Leonel threw him a two-fingered salute and disappeared down the hallway, his footsteps echoing softly.

Cassian stood there, still processing. His pulse hadn’t settled, and he could swear he still felt Leonel’s gaze even after he’d left the room.

Aiden exhaled hard beside him. "This is gonna be a nightmare."

Cassian finally turned his head, giving him a small, shaky smile. "You think?"

"Positive." Aiden collapsed back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling like he was bargaining with fate. "First the kiss, now this. What next, Cassian? You two sharing a bed?"

Cassian blushed furiously. "W-what? No! Of course not!"

Aiden groaned, covering his eyes. "God help me."

From the hallway came the faint creak of a door opening Leonel’s voice floating out, casual and amused.

"Hey, Cass! Looks like our rooms share a wall. Guess I’ll be hearing you at night."

Cassian’s breath caught in his throat.

Aiden sat up, glaring toward the hallway. "why are u calling him cass that’s what I call him and I’m locking cassian door omg."

Leonel chuckled from inside his room. "Sure you are."

Cassian stood frozen in the middle of the living room, face burning, heart pounding half mortified, half something else he didn’t dare name.

And for the first time that day, he realized this wasn’t the start of peace.

It was the beginning of chaos.