Freshman Girls' Dorm

Part 10: Really Curious

The classroom was bathed in a warm, golden glow from the sunlight streaming in through the large windows. The students were gathered together in cozy clusters, deciding how they would present their assigned topic for the day. Shannon's mind wandered from Mr. Lawrence's lecture on the complexity of human relationships, her eyes landing on Ryan. He typed away on his phone, and a vibration against her thigh signaled a text from him.

"My roommate's out tonight," the message read, with an unspoken invitation.

Shannon felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach as she replied, "Oh. Maybe I should stop by?" His thumbs up emoji was almost instant.

She stole another glance at Ryan, wondering what might follow up their side by side play from the other day. She was curious to get to know him better, but a chance to explore a little more would also be welcome.

Later that night, with the buzz of campus nightlife echoing in the distance, Shannon again stood outside Ryan's dorm room door. The scent of Thai spices wafted from the bag in her hand, something to do to help to bridge the gap between friendly-classmates-who-jacked-off-together-once and whatever this was turning into.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly.

"Hey," Ryan greeted as he opened the door. His dorm room a bit more tidied up than last time, with some low lighting, felt welcoming.

"Hi," Shannon replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She brushed her bangs back as she stepped inside, holding up the takeout. "I brought food."

"Damn. Thanks," Ryan said, his shy smile betraying his relief. He cleared a few books off his bed to make space for them to sit.

Shannon placed the bag carefully between them on the mattress, feeling the soft give under her weight. They served themselves onto paper plates she had borrowed from the communal kitchen, steam rising between them as they settled into a comfortable silence.

"My group's presentation was a little random today." Ryan ventured, breaking the stillness as he fumbled with chopsticks.

"Definitely... lots to think about." Shannon agreed, her cheeks warming with the memory of their exchanged texts during the lecture.

They made small talk, discussing class assignments and sharing stories from their day. Slowly opening up to each other a bit more. As they ate, the initial nerves began to dissipate, replaced by a growing sense of connection. Their knees brushed occasionally, sending ripples of awareness through the close air of the room. Although they were both unsure of what might come next in their evening, things began to feel natural.

Shannon's shoulder nudged Ryan's gently, a coy look in her eye. "So, any incriminating tabs open on your laptop tonight?" she teased, a knowing nod to the last time they'd hung out, when opening his laptop had unleashed an entirely unplanned afternoon.

Ryan's laugh was a soft huff of air, his cheeks warming as he shook his head. "No, nothing like that tonight," he assured her, running his hand through his hair. "But, uh, you know," he added, more hesitantly, "if you wanted to talk more about... that stuff, I mean, it's not off-limits or anything."

"Really?" Shannon tilted her head, blonde pigtails shifting. "Because, I keep wondering what you're watching. You know, when you're alone." She fidgeted with the corner of her paper plate, a mix of embarrassment and boldness in her voice.

"Ah, well," Ryan's gaze flitting away before meeting hers again. "I've been watching a lot of couples' candid home videos lately? Pretty vanilla stuff, I guess."

"Vanilla can be good," Shannon said softly, her slender fingers tracing patterns on the bedspread. "I know I haven't watched a lot myself, but I like things that feel... real? Not people faking it."