Accidentally yours

Chapter 1 NEW BEGINNINGS The first thing I felt wasn't excitement. It was panic. "We're here," my father announced. After twelve hours on the road, countless snacks, and my father's terrible singing, I'd finally arrived at the university. A wave of panic rose inside me. This was it. I was finally a college student. The beginning of a new life. No parents. No sister. No familiar faces. Just me. "Welcome, sir," one of the security guards greeted as Dad lowered his window. "Thank you." "May I see your identification?" "Oh, sorry. I'm bringing my daughter. She's a newly admitted student." "Can we see her admission letter?" Dad handed over the letter. The guard examined it for a moment before returning it. "Everything is fine. Welcome to campus." The gates slowly opened. As we drove inside, I stared out the window in amazement. The campus was beautiful. Elegant buildings stood proudly beneath the afternoon sun. Flowers lined the walkways, adding splashes of color everywhere I looked. Students moved about confidently, chatting and laughing as though they already belonged here. Soon, Dad parked in the visitor's lot and stepped out to help me unload my luggage. "Oh my God," he groaned dramatically. "These suitcases are heavier than I remember. Can you really carry all this?" I laughed. "Of course I can. They're not heavy. You're just getting old." Dad placed a hand on his chest. "Old? Did my own daughter just call me old?" We both burst into laughter. But as I looked at him, my smile slowly faded. Reality hit me. This was goodbye. Not forever, but for a long time. The tears came before I could stop them. I quickly lowered my head. "Hey." Dad's voice softened. "Don't cry." I bit my lip. "We're not disappearing, Ana. We're still your family. If you need anything, call us. Anytime." I nodded silently. "I love you, okay?" "I love you too, Daddy." My voice cracked. "Who's going to remind you to take your medicine now?" I asked, trying to laugh through the tears. Dad chuckled. "Your mother. Like she always does." That only made me cry harder. I wrapped my arms around him. "I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too, kiddo." He hugged me tightly before pulling away. Then a teasing smile appeared on his face. "You'll be fine. You'll make friends." He paused dramatically. "And who knows? Maybe you'll meet the love of your life here and he'll steal you away from me." I laughed despite myself. "That's not happening." "That's what they all say." We shared one final laugh. "Okay," he said. "I should get going. It's a long drive back, and it's getting late." He kissed my forehead. "I love you." "I love you too." Dad got into his car, waved one last time, and drove away. I stood there watching until his car disappeared from sight. The campus suddenly felt much bigger. And much lonelier. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my luggage. You'll be okay, Ana. First things first. Find the dorm management office. I opened the map on my phone and started walking. Unfortunately, I was paying more attention to the map than where I was going. Crash! I slammed straight into someone. My phone slipped from my hand. I nearly lost my balance, but a strong arm wrapped around my waist before I could fall. For a second, everything seemed to freeze. He was tall. Really tall. Dark hair framed a face that looked almost annoyingly perfect. But what caught my attention wasn't his appearance. It was the faint scar cutting through one of his eyebrows. Not enough to ruin his looks. If anything, it made him stand out. For one ridiculous second, I forgot how to breathe. Not because he was handsome—college was probably full of handsome guys—but because he looked at me like I was an inconvenience. "Sorry," I quickly said, shaking myself out of my thoughts. His expression didn't change. "Watch where you're going, lady." The coldness in his voice caught me off guard. Without another word, he helped me back onto my feet and walked away. Just like that. I blinked. Seriously? "Douchebag," I muttered under my breath. I picked up my phone and immediately checked the screen. Still intact. "Thank goodness." I continued following the map, this time paying attention to where I was walking. A few minutes later, I finally found the dorm management office. Another girl was already standing there. "Hi," I greeted. "Hey." "New student too?" "Yep." "Here to collect your room key?" She smiled. "Exactly." We both laughed. The woman behind the counter collected our admission letters before handing us our student IDs and room keys. After that, we headed toward the dormitory together. "What room did you get?" she asked. "304." "Oh, nice. I got 298." "Our rooms aren't that far apart." "Looks like we'll be seeing each other around." We climbed the stairs together, checking room numbers as we went. "Oh! Here's mine," she said excitedly. I smiled. "Guess this is where we part ways." "See you around." "See you." She unlocked her room and disappeared inside. I continued down the hallway until I finally found Room 304. My room. My new home. I stood in front of the door for a moment, trying to calm my nerves. Please let my roommates be nice. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the key from my pocket and inserted it into the lock. The door immediately moved. Unlocked. I frowned. Someone was already inside. Slowly, I pushed the door open. My hand froze on the doorknob. For a moment, I thought I was seeing things. No. No way. My mouth slowly fell open. A suitcase slipped from my hand and crashed onto the floor. Two pairs of eyes snapped toward me. And judging by the horrified expressions on their faces, they clearly hadn't expected anyone to walk in. Neither had I. "Oh my God..."