Chapter Text
An involuntary sigh of relief escaped Miles’ mouth as he shut the door to his single-room dorm behind him. Today had been a grueling test of endurance for the nineteen year old college student. Back-to-back exams in linear algebra and differential equations followed by a full two-hour physics lab.
His head felt like it had been smashed against the pavement, and ran over by a truck for good measure. All he wanted to do at this point was eat, shower, sleep, and strangle his math professors. Maybe not all in that order.
Gathering himself, Miles checked his phone to see that it was already 8:30. A click of annoyance echoed in the room when he saw the time.
The dining hall would be closed already, and any meal worth a damn from outside campus would cost him a small fortune to DoorDash. He didn’t feel like blowing that kind of money right now.
“Guess it’s just a granola bar for you Morales. Way to be an adult,” he chided himself. His eyes locked on to the box he kept on his tiny desk.
Inhaling one as fast as he could, Miles gathered up his pajamas, towel, and toiletries before heading off to the communal shower. He desperately hoped it would be empty when he got there. He needed peace and quiet to end the day.
Rounding the corner of the long hallway his room resided in, Miles peered down the adjacent corridor to see the door to the shower room ajar slightly. Luck was in his favor this time.
Moving toward the door, Miles shut it behind him before stripping down. Making sure to pull the handle all the way left, a groan of satisfaction left his lips as he hopped in. The searing water felt blissful against his dark mahogany skin. His muscles slowly began to relax under the blistering heat, and he allowed himself a moment to decompress.
He hadn’t felt this exhausted since his senior season of basketball. His current state would be more comparable to a zombie than the athletic teenager that he was. How the hell was he going to survive three more years of this?
Resigning to his fate, Miles grabbed his soap and began scrubbing himself vigorously to clean away the grime accrued on him. His body desperately needed it after running all over campus to get to his exam spots.
Satisfied with his cleanse, Miles conditioned his hair thoroughly before hopping out. Once properly toweled off, he brushed his teeth and gathered his belongings before setting out.
Back in his room, Miles lazily threw his dirty clothes into the hamper in the corner. He’d worry about washing them another day. His body was on the metaphorical E at this point.
Unfurling the covers of his bed, he nestled comfortably into his pillow, and let his brain slowly start to fade away. His only class tomorrow didn’t start until 3:00. He’d be sleeping well past noon if he had his way.
His mind was wrestled from the ether sometime later by a banging coming from his door. Who could that possibly be?
“Somebody better be dying,” he mumbled to himself as he checked his phone. It displayed 1:08 AM. Words were going to be had with whoever had the nerve to wake him up at a time like this.
Getting out of his bed with a huff, Miles paced to the door and flung it open. “Aye man, what the fuck do you…” Miles half yelled as he stopped short.
What met him in the doorway wasn’t a man at all. It was a girl. One Miles knew from passing. The cute blonde that lived on the floor below him. He’d never gotten the chance to get to talk to her. He was always busy with school, and she was way out of his league anyway. The best he could hope for was to admire from afar.
“Can I help you?” he asked her suspiciously. What was she doing here?
Her lip trembled before she spoke. “I’m sorry to bother you, I just didn’t know where else to go. C-Can I please come in? I need help,” she muttered in a desperate plea.
Miles immediately softened up. The fear in her eyes dispelled the remnants of sleep left in his body. Something had this girl shaken up. He wasn’t sure how she ended up here, but the least he could do was try to calm her down. His mom would kill him if he didn’t.
“Uhhhhhhh, sure. My bad… for yelling at you. I’ve just had one of those days,” Miles said to her as he sidestepped the doorframe and waved her in.
The girl bit her lip and nodded as she entered his room. She eased herself onto Miles’ bed and waited for him to join her.
With the door shut and bolted, Miles pivoted toward his mini-fridge in the corner. He figured the poor girl could use a drink. Grabbing a bottle of water, Miles handed it to her before settling a comfortable distance apart on the bed. He watched her take several big gulps before releasing a shaky breath.
Miles figured he should start friendly. He needed to calm her down.
“What’s your name?” Miles asked her gently.
“Gwen,” she replied softly.
“Ok, Gwen. Nice to meet you. I’m Miles,” he said to her while extending a hand.
A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she accepted the gesture.
“I know. Even though we haven’t talked before, we’ve got a mutual friend, Pavitr. You come up in conversation more than you’d think. Pav is always going on some tangent about you doing this or that,” Gwen said to him meekly.
Miles would have to have a talk with Pav about spreading the details of his life.
“I always see you around here. I would’ve introduced myself sooner, but you always look so busy. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Great, a cute girl in your dorm wanted to introduce herself and you decided to be unapproachable. Nice job Morales,” he chided himself.
Miles shook his head to clear that thought. That wasn’t important for the moment. He needed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
“Ok, before we do anything, just take a few breaths for me. I promise you’re safe here. Whatever’s got you so worked up can’t get you in here. When you feel ready, just tell me what's going on,” he said to her with as much comfort as he could muster. He hoped it was helping.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before speaking. “I’m really sorry for all this…”
Miles held up his hand. She didn’t need to apologize for whatever had her so terrified. “Don't apologize. It’s fine, trust me. My mom would kill me if I didn’t help a girl in need. Just break it down for me.”
Gwen nodded at his concession. She felt relieved that he hadn’t turned her away.
“Ok, I think I’m good now,” Gwen said after a few more deep breaths.
“I have ballet three times a week. It’s a nighttime class and I usually stay late to help clean everything up before I come back here. I don’t ever get in before midnight on ballet nights.”
Miles nodded to push her along.
“When I got back here and onto my floor, I noticed a guy lurking in the shadows around my door. I waited and waited and waited but he’s not leaving. I think he’s… waiting for me to come home,” she told him with evident fear in her voice.
“Oh boy, what the hell have I got myself into?” Miles thought to himself.
At least he knew what had her so upset now. He’d be creeped out too if some weirdo was camped outside his room.
“Ok…. have you tried calling campus police on him? They’d probably be a better option than me,” he told her. He doubted he’d be a more effective deterrent than a cop.
Gwen nodded her head at his inquiries.
“I tried calling three times. The line was busy every time. Nobody ever picked up,” she told him in frustration. What kind of police force couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone?
“Ok, if the cops are out, what made me the next best option?” he asked her curiously. Surely there had to be better solutions than him. She didn’t even know him.
“Pav told me once that you were a stellar guy. Somebody you could depend on if things went wrong. I don’t have any friends that live in this building. It was either you or… run away,” Gwen told him honestly.
Her response left Miles feeling a little incredulous. Pav had certainly built him up a bit. Hopefully he didn’t blow his chance to live up to the hype.
“Ok, lemme think for a moment,” Miles said to her while wracking his brain. What would be the best course of action here? What would make her feel the safest? Was he gonna have to go downstairs and confront this guy?
“You could… stay here until we can get a hold of police, but there’s no telling how long that could take. I could… walk you back to your room. Try to scare that guy off if he hasn’t left already. Or… I could walk you to the public safety office. If you file a report there, they can post an officer outside the dorm at night until you feel safe again. I know those choices aren’t great but I’m not sure what else I can do.”
Gwen took a minute to roll his options around in her head. He’d be willing to accommodate whatever she needed.
“I think… I’d feel safest if you walked me back to my room. I don't want to wait around campus PD to show up. I just want to be in my own room again. I’ll file the report with public safety when I get up tomorrow.” Gwen replied to him.
Miles could only nod his head at her choice. What else was he gonna do, tell her no? With any luck, the guy would be gone already and it would be a smooth trip. Unfortunately, knowing his luck, he’d end up with a knife between the ribs for his troubles.
“Yea, ok. I can do that. Lemme just get my shoes,” he told her as he grabbed his slides off the floor.
Swinging the door open, Miles waited for Gwen to exit before pulling out his keys and locking the door behind him.
“Are you sure you’re ready to head back down there?” he asked her inquisitively.
“Mmmhmm,” she mumbled back with a nod of her head.
“Alright then, let’s go,” he replied as he strode toward the inner staircase door at the end of the hall.
Miles crept down the stairwell as silently as possible as he made his way from the third floor to the second. He stopped short of the door leading out. He needed to know where to go.
“Just stay here until I come back. I’ll check it out, make sure the coast is clear. I don’t want that guy seeing you just in case he’s still there. What room number are you?” Miles asked her as he turned around.
“Room 65. And be careful, please. That guy could be dangerous,” Gwen told him as she grabbed his wrist.
Miles gave her a smile before waving her off.
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it,” he told her with false confidence as he opened the door to the second floor. The loud creak of the hinges as he opened it made Miles grimace. If the guy was still lurking on the floor he definitely heard that.
Walking past the lower-numbered rooms, Miles got to the bend of the hallway that led towards Gwen’s room. Peering around the corner, Miles’ inner alarm bells went off at what awaited him.
In the middle of the hallway, a tall man silhouetted in shadow leaned against the wall opposite Gwen’s room. It was dark enough that Miles might not have noticed him if he hadn’t already been forewarned. His arms were crossed, almost as if he was waiting on someone.
“Waiting on Gwen,” Miles thought to himself.
He couldn’t make out the man’s face through the dark. Miles would have to use his phone to get a better look.
Psyching himself up, Miles turned his flashlight on and rounded the corner.
Shining it down the corridor, Miles called out to the man. “Aye man… what are you doing lurking in the hallway? If you don’t live here you need to leave. Now. Before I call the police.”
The man swiveled his head towards Miles upon being called out too. Even with the flashlight on, the finer details of his face were too hard to make out in the darkness. Miles thought he looked Hispanic, but it was too hard for him to tell from so far away.
Recognizing Miles wasn’t his quarry, the man turned and bolted toward the exit door that led to the outer staircase. Miles gave chase, but the man proved too quick as he burst through the door and vaulted the railing. He could only watch as the man landed with a roll and ran off into the night. Miles had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time that guy would be creeping around here.
Walking back down the long hallway, Miles turned the corner and made his way back into the stairwell.
Popping up from her seat on the stairs, Gwen rushed over to him as he stood in the doorway.
“Are you okay? Did anything happen? Is he gone?” She asked in frantic succession.
“I’m straight. He was still hanging around your room, but he ran off when I called out after him. He must have got scared when I threatened to call the police. Are you sure you want to go back there tonight?” Miles asked her as he motioned behind him.
She nodded and he led her from the stairwell to the foot of her door down and around the hall. Giving her space, Miles waited for her to make entry. He grew confused when she didn't enter immediately.
Spinning on her heel, Gwen turned and encircled Miles into a bone-crushing hug.
“Thank you so much for helping me. I know you don’t know me, but I appreciate you scaring that guy off. Not many people would have done that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here,” she told Miles as she squeezed the life out of him.
Miles wasn’t sure how to react. He hadn’t exactly done much but gave her a bottle of water and yelled out after a guy who ran away. He didn’t figure he deserved praise just for that.
He gave her a few awkward taps on the back to soothe her before she separated from him
“How can I thank you for this?” Gwen asked him.
“Oh….. you don’t need to thank me. It wasn’t that big-”
“Let me buy you a coffee. Pav says that you practically run on the stuff. It’s the least I can do,” she interjected.
She had him there. He did love coffee. What harm could it do?
“Ok, I can do coffee. Just let me know when,” he told her with a thumbs up.
Her toothy smile lit up the darkness of the hallway.
“Great! I’ll come by tomorrow. Goodnight Miles,” she whispered with a wave as she opened her door and disappeared into her room.
“What a bizarre day,” Miles thought to himself as he pivoted and started the return to his room. He’d gone from being temporarily braindead from exams to dealing with stalking perverts.
As he turned the key to unlock his door, a lightbulb went off like a bomb in his head.
“Did she just ask me on a date?”