I turned my head, and the person standing behind me made my blood boil.
“Why the f**k did you spank my ass?” I snapped, glaring at him.
He smirked, completely unfazed by my anger, which only made me even more furious.
“Try that s**t with me again, and you’ll regret it,” I said coldly.
I hissed in annoyance and stormed off toward the cafeteria, hoping to grab something to eat.
The cafeteria was a cacophony of voices, laughter, and clattering cutlery, teeming with students eager to insert themselves into one social circle or another. The atmosphere was vibrant, almost overwhelming, but I found little appeal in any of it.
Occupying a secluded table near the far corner, I immersed myself in the comfort of solitude. Human interaction had never been a necessity for me; if anything, it was an inconvenience.
That fleeting tranquility was abruptly interrupted.
“Lucas.”
The voice belonged to Drey.
The same guy from the mart.
I looked up to find him approaching with a small entourage in tow, their expressions varying between curiosity and misplaced enthusiasm. Apparently, my preference for isolation had become a challenge they were determined to overcome.
A guy with curly hair and infectious grin and a shorter one with glasses.
Drey smiled at me.
"Mind if we join you "
Without my permission , they occupied the vacant seats around me.
I suppressed a sigh.
Without me asking for introduction,they introduced themselves .
The concept of personal boundaries seemed tragically absent from Silvercrest.
"Meet my friends "drey said.
He pointed to the curly-haired guy.
"That's Ethan ".
The guy waved enthusiastically.
Ethan responded "Nice to meet you ".
I only nodded once.
Drey pointed over to the next guy on glasses.
"That's Noah "
Noah adjusted his glasses.
"You looked exactly how drey described you", Noah said.
" I don't get your point ", I replied.
No No No .....not in a bad way he only said he met a cute guy at the mart.
Drey nearly choked on the food he ordered and Ethan burst out laughing.
We meant you no harm, we just want to be your friends, Noah said.
Before I could devise an escape, a palpable shift swept through the cafeteria.
The noise level had doubled.
Students were whispering, turning their heads, and shamelessly staring toward the entrance.
Without anyone telling me who it is , i knew within me that it's Raihan.
"Why does this guy want everyone to worship him like a god", I said loudly.
He walked through the cafeteria with his usual effortless confidence, hands tucked into his pockets, completely unbothered by the attention surrounding him.
“That’s him.”
“The King of Boys.”
“I heard three guys fought over him last semester.”
“No way. That’s old news.”
A group of students near the vending machines erupted into laughter.
Meanwhile, several others greeted Raihan as he passed, earning nothing more than a lazy nod in return.
The attention was ridiculous.
The guy wasn’t a celebrity,he was a student ,just like everyone one else.
Yet people reacted to him as though he owned the entire university.
“Seriously, look at him.”
“What?”
“He knows everyone’s staring.”
“That’s because everyone is staring.”
Another chorus of laughter followed.
Raihan simply smirked and continued walking.
"Oh my God," I muttered, staring at the scene before me. "Is there a single place on this campus where Raihan doesn't exist?"
The guy was already my roommate, which should have been more than enough suffering for one person.
Apparently not.
Everywhere I went, there he was—surrounded by people, attracting attention, and somehow turning ordinary situations into public events.
At this point, I was convinced Silvercrest wasn't a university.
It was Raihan's kingdom, and the rest of us were just paying tuition to live in it.
Raihan continued walking through the cafeteria with effortless confidence, completely unaffected by the attention surrounding him. He carried himself like someone who had long grown accustomed to being watched.
Which, judging from the reactions around me, was probably true.
“King of Boys.”
The phrase came from a nearby table.
Several students immediately nodded in agreement.
“Definitely.”
“Without question.”
I nearly choked on my drink.
King of Boys?
Seriously?
The title sounded ridiculous.
Yet nobody seemed to find it strange.
If anything, they spoke about it as though it were an established fact.
A senior student leaned back in his chair.
“The guy practically owns the social scene on this campus.”
“That’s because everyone knows Raihan.”
“Or wants to.”
“Same thing.”
More laughter followed.
Across the cafeteria, people greeted him as he passed.
Some received a nod and others received nothing at all.
The strange part?
Nobody appeared offended.
If anything, they seemed grateful for whatever attention he decided to spare.
I watched the entire spectacle with growing disbelief.
Raihan finally took a seat at one of the far tables, surrounded almost immediately by friends, admirers, and curious onlookers.
The crowd formed naturally around him.
Like planets orbiting a sun.
I rolled my eyes and looked away.
Drey followed my gaze and scoffed.
"That's Raihan King for you. His father is one of the wealthiest men in Chelsea."
I raised an eyebrow.
Drey smirked.
"He's spoiled, arrogant, outrageously confident, a proudly gay and completely unapologetic about who he is. Half the university is obsessed with him, and the other half can't stand him."
I glanced at Raihan across the cafeteria.
"Count me in the second half."
Drey laughed.
"Give it time."
I looked at Raihan and scoffed.
“Trust me, I noticed.”
"Try not to cross paths with Raihan and his friends," Ethan said, lowering his voice slightly. "Trust me, he's not someone you want on your bad side."
A faint smile tugged at my lips.
"That's unfortunate."
Ethan frowned.
"Why?"
I shook my head, amused despite myself.
"Because he's my roommate."
For a moment, the table fell silent.
Then Ethan blinked.
"You're kidding."
"I wish I was."
Even now, I was still trying to figure out how fate had managed to pair me with the most insufferable person at Silvercrest.
And honestly?
I was just as confused as anyone else.