Chapter 1
637 Words
Lost and Found
The campus buzzed with life that morning. Suitcases rolled across uneven pavement, the smell of roasted coffee floated from the student café, and laughter echoed between tall brick dormitories. For most freshmen, it was a day of excitement. For Ethan, it was chaos.
He clutched his admission letter like a lifeline, eyes darting between buildings that all looked the same. The map in his hand might as well have been written in code. After circling for the third time, he finally stopped, dropped his bag beside him, and muttered,
> “I’m doomed. First day and I’m already lost.”
A voice behind him chuckled. “You planning to camp out here or actually find your dorm?”
Ethan turned quickly. Standing there was someone who looked like he belonged on a magazine cover — tall, confident, with a lazy grin tugging at his lips. His shirt was half-tucked, his backpack slung over one shoulder like he didn’t have a care in the world.
This was Adrian, second-year student, campus favorite.
Ethan blinked, thrown off by the stranger’s teasing tone. “Uh—I’m trying to find Dorm 6B,” he said cautiously.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “That’s on the other side of campus. You’re miles off.”
Ethan groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “Great. I’ve been walking in circles.”
Adrian tilted his head, watching him with faint amusement. “Freshman, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Thought so. You all have the same lost-puppy look.” He smirked, stepping closer. “Lucky for you, I’m heading that way.”
Before Ethan could refuse, Adrian grabbed the handle of his suitcase and started walking. Ethan stumbled after him, wide-eyed.
> Why is he helping me? He doesn’t even know me…
The walk was strangely quiet at first, only the crunch of gravel underfoot. Then Adrian glanced sideways, lips curving.
“So, what’s your name, puppy?”
Ethan stiffened. “Ethan. And I’m not a puppy.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Adrian said, eyes twinkling with something unspoken.
Ethan didn’t know it, but that was Adrian’s first slip — the way he looked at him a second too long, the warmth in his tone. But Ethan, clueless, only frowned and muttered under his breath.
They reached Dorm 6B sooner than expected. Adrian dropped the suitcase at the steps and leaned casually against the railing.
“There you go. Try not to get lost again, Ethan.” His voice softened on Ethan’s name in a way Ethan didn’t notice.
Ethan gave a small, awkward smile. “Thanks… uh—”
“Adrian.”
“Right. Thanks, Adrian.”
Adrian lingered a moment longer, eyes sweeping over him as if memorizing the sight, then pushed off the railing. “See you around.”
As Adrian walked away, Ethan exhaled, relief flooding him. He had no idea that their paths were already tangled, no idea that the boy who teased him so easily had already felt something stir — something Ethan wouldn’t recognize for a long time.
But somewhere in the crowd, a pair of eyes lingered on Adrian too, watching with quiet malice.
And that was how Ethan’s first day began — with a stranger’s smile, a spark he didn’t yet understand, and shadows waiting at the edge of campus life.
When Adrian walked away, Ethan finally pulled his phone from his pocket to call his mom. He paused when he noticed something strange — a black car idling at the far end of the dorm parking lot. Its windows were tinted, engine humming softly.
He shook his head. Not my problem. Probably a professor.
But when he turned back, the car was gone.
Ethan brushed it off. After all, it was just his first day. What could possibly go wrong?
- Writer
