Love, Lies, and Lecture Halls

“This isn’t a love story. At least, it wasn’t supposed to be.” – Katienne Vale SCENE 1: The Arrival The sound of luggage wheels echoed across the polished marble floor of St. Helaria University's dormitory building. Tall archways loomed above, and students buzzed around, greeting old friends or dragging their belongings like tired soldiers reporting to camp. Katienne Vale, nineteen, sharp jawline, brownish hair slightly messy as he rolled out of bed with purpose, sighed as he checked the dorm pairing sheet stapled to the wall. KATIENNE VALE — Room D302, Paired Dorm Program Roommate: LIORA CELESTINE “Paired dorm? With a… Liora?” he muttered. He blinked. “A girl?” “Bingo.” A voice behind him made him jump. Katienne turned and found a lanky guy in glasses peering over his shoulder. He wore a sarcastic grin and an oversized hoodie that read: Midterms are scarier than ghosts. “Newbie, huh? Didn't you read the student guide?” the guy said. “No.” “Figures. This is St. Helaria, man. They randomly pair boys and girls for ‘growth’ and ‘co-ed harmony’ or whatever crap the dean believes in.” “And I got a girl?” “Not just a girl.” He leaned closer. “Liora Celestine. The ice queen of Helaria. She’s a straight-A student, a debate champion, and allergic to fun.” Katienne raised an eyebrow. “Sounds exciting.” “Nope. It’s social suicide. Good luck, Romeo.” The guy clapped his shoulder and vanished into the crowd. Katienne made his way through the bustling hallway toward Room D302, dodging an enthusiastic dance major who spun into the corridor and nearly knocked over a full-sized cardboard cutout of a K-pop idol. Someone shouted, "Incoming pizza!" as a delivery bag flew across the stairwell. It was controlled chaos—exactly what he expected from a dorm full of teens tasting freedom for the first time. As he passed Room D300, he overheard a very heated debate about whether pineapple belonged on pizza. A girl with three piercings in one ear was passionately defending it, while her roommate threatened to file a formal complaint to the culinary board. By the time he reached his room, Katienne was grinning. SCENE 2: First Contact Katienne stood in front of Room D302, took a breath, and knocked. No answer. He tried the handle. It was unlocked. Inside, it was modern, clean… and tense. One side of the room had already been neatly arranged: books alphabetized, a bed made like a soldier’s, a diffuser puffing out lavender mist. The other side was empty. As he wheeled his bag in, the bathroom door clicked open. She stepped out. Liora Celestine. She was tall for an average size for a girl, slim, with long wavy white hair tied in a loose bun. Glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and her eyes—light brown like storm clouds—narrowed the moment they met her. “You’re… the new roommate?” she asked, her voice cool. “Katienne Vale. Visual Arts major. Pleasure to be tolerated.” “I filed a request for a female pairing.” “Guess the system thinks I’m pretty enough.” She didn’t laugh. “Just stay on your side. No loud music. No mess. And absolutely, no…” she paused, eyes scanning him up and down. “No funny business.” Katienne dropped his bag. “Define ‘funny business’.” “Flirting. Talking unnecessarily. Breathing near me while I study.” “Wow.” He blinked. “And here I was hoping we’d braid each other’s hair.” She walked to her desk and opened her laptop. “I take my education seriously, Mr. Vale. Don’t get in my way.” “It’s Katienne. Not Mr. Vale. Unless you're into that.” She glared. SCENE 2.1: Dorm Rules After a full minute of frosty silence, Katienne pulled out a notebook, scribbled something quickly, then held it up: “ DORM RULES BY LIORA.” Below it, he’d listed: No fun. No breathing too loudly. No making the Ice Queen melt. She rolled her eyes so hard he could practically hear them. He flipped to a new page and began sketching her with exaggerated cartoon icicles in her hair. He made sure she noticed. She didn't say a word, but he saw her glance at the drawing twice. SCENE 3: Tension Rises Later that night, Katienne returned from orientation to find Liora sitting cross-legged on her bed, a notebook open, chewing on a pencil like a frustrated genius. The air was thick with lavender and unspoken rules. “Are you left-handed?” she suddenly asked. “Huh?” “I need to adjust the study desk position. Left-handers take more elbow space.” “You planning to measure my elbows too?” “If you keep talking, I might.” Katienne smirked. He sauntered over to his side and began unpacking. One item at a time, shirts, sketchbooks, charcoal pencils, and finally… a small frame. Liora glanced over. “Is that… your girlfriend?” “No. My cat. But she was clingy like one.” For a second, her lips twitched. Almost a smile. Then she snapped back to her Stoic pose. “I have one rule, Katienne.” “Only one?” “No romance. Not with me. Not in this room. Not even thoughts.” Katienne leaned back, folding his arms. “That’s a shame. I was already planning our wedding registry.” She threw a pillow at him. He caught it midair and grinned. “You’re really going to be a problem.” “You’ll learn to love it.” SCENE 3.1: Night Negotiations That night, before lights out, Liora dramatically dragged a piece of masking tape across the middle of the room. Katienne raised an eyebrow. “What is that?” “Neutral Zone,” she declared. “No eye contact beyond this point after 10 p.m.” He stood, crossed the line slowly, and handed her a cup of instant noodles. “You look like someone who forgot to eat dinner.” She took it. “So much for no romance.” He turned back, smirking. “It’s called ‘human decency.” SCENE 4: Lights Out That night, after the lights went out, Katienne lay awake, staring at the ceiling. From across the room, he could hear the soft clicks of Liora’s keyboard. She was still working. He closed his eyes. “Hey, Ice Queen,” he said into the dark. “Don’t call me that.” “Just wondering... do you ever let anyone in?” Silence. “No.” “Figures.” A pause. Then her voice, quieter, like a whisper she didn’t mean to say aloud: “But maybe… someone will surprise me someday.” Katienne smiled at her. “Challenge accepted.”