Bella’s POV
Tania and I had found a shady spot in one of Stanford’s beautiful garden quads, perched on a wooden bench beneath a sprawling oak tree. The late afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the grass. We each held a melting cup of ice cream mine was chocolate fudge swirl, while hers was strawberry cheesecake and the air smelled like fresh-cut lawns and summer.
“Have you talked to your mom yet?” Tania asked, leaning over to steal yet another scoop from my cup. “You know, about wanting to stay on campus and all? If I’m being honest, after everything we saw today, it would be so much fun to be roomies. But for pure comfort? Your house wins hands down.”
I frowned playfully, swatting her spoon away too late. “Okay, now I’m confused. Do you want me to li
