Sure, this was a boys' dorm, and guys walking out of the shower shirtless wasn't anything unusual. And technically, the guy in front of her was still in a bathrobe—he just hadn't bothered tying it shut.
Still, even though Blair had been pretending to be a guy for eighteen years, this was the first time she'd seen a man this up close and personal. She quickly turned her head away, snapping her gaze elsewhere.
"So, you're the new roommate?" Bradley Saunders's voice was casual, laced with a smile as he ran a towel through his damp hair.
There was a kind of lazy elegance in the way he walked up to Blair—something effortlessly classy. The faint lemon scent of his body wash lingered in the air.
He greeted her politely, "Nice to meet you. I'm Bradley Saunders." As he spoke, he smiled out of habit. But behind the gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes held no warmth—only the sly sharpness of a fox.
"Nice to meet you too, Bradley," Blair said quickly, still not looking at him. "I'm Blair Wales. I just moved in. Hope we'll get along."
Then she froze for half a beat, pondering. Bradley Saunders? Isn't he in Class 4, Senior Year? He's Amelia's classmate. Damn. Another campus heartthrob?
Langford Academy had four official "campus heartthrobs." Back during the vote, these four had gotten so many fan supporters that the committee couldn't pick a winner—so they just let all four share the crown.
Blair could hardly believe her luck. It was her first time living in a dorm, and she'd landed herself with two of the guys on campus.
"Get along?" Bradley chuckled. "Just don't get on Xander Murphy's bad side and we'll be good."
Blair still wouldn't look at him, but Bradley had already started quietly sizing her up.
His new roommate wasn't short, but not exactly tall either. She was very slim—her arms and legs looked so fragile, they seemed like they could break with the slightest pressure.
Her short hair framed a delicate face. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her lashes long enough to cast faint shadows beneath her eyes under the soft dorm light. Her lips were a soft pink, full and shapely—almost distracting.
Bradley wondered, I've heard lips like that are perfect for kissing. Well, whatever. At least he won't be an eyesore in the dorm.
But Blair was genuinely stunned by the name he'd mentioned. Xander Murphy? Another campus heartthrob? she wondered.
Xander was notoriously impossible to deal with. People at school would rather piss off a teacher than cross him. If he weren't ridiculously good-looking, someone probably would've already jumped him behind the gym.
Blair hadn't expected him to be one of her four roommates. She thought, That makes three. Don't tell me...
She looked up, her eyes locking on Bradley's handsome face.
"Bradley, mind telling me who the fourth roommate is?"
She kept her gaze on him. His features were sharp and almost too perfect. The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose gave him a polished, scholarly vibe, but the shrewd look in his eyes told a different story.
He might still be in high school, but the way he carried himself already had the edge of a grown man. Out of nowhere, something popped into Blair's head—he seemed like a gentleman on the outside, a menace underneath.
"The fourth one's from Class 10, Senior Year. Austin Fraser," said the polished menace, Bradley.
Blair came back to her senses.
"Austin Fraser?" she then pondered. So the fourth campus heartthrob lives here too? That's it.
No wonder the dorm manager looked like he wanted to say something but swallowed it when he got my slip. I'm literally rooming with the entire school's four heartthrobs. What kind of dumb luck is this?
Bradley nodded. "Austin's health isn't great. He's usually at the hospital and doesn't come by often."
Blair gave a small nod. She'd heard about that before.
Austin was drop-dead gorgeous. His features were sharp and striking, his amber eyes nothing short of mesmerizing. Just one smile from him had girls swooning left and right. But his health was terrible—he was on medication all year round and was barely ever at school.
Just then, the door opened—and in walked Elijah.
Seeing Blair chatting with Bradley, Elijah didn't say a word. He was completely lost in his own thoughts.
That cold, aloof air clung to him as he silently sat down at his desk, his arms wrapped around his textbooks, his brows slightly furrowed.
He couldn't let it go—he had to find out who solved that math problem. But the truth was, he had no idea how to get that person to come forward.
"Elijah's the quiet type," Bradley said casually, tilting his well-defined jaw toward the silent boy across the room.
Blair nodded. "I know. We're in the same class."
Bradley climbed up onto his bed, leaned back against the headboard, and picked up a book titled Essential Skills for Attorneys, flipping through it with calm focus.
Blair headed into the bathroom to shower. The air still carried the fresh lemon scent of Bradley's body wash.
She turned off the light and used her phone's camera to check the room for hidden cameras. She was still a girl, after all—better safe than sorry. Thankfully, everything looked normal.
Hot water spilled down as she began to wash. The place reeked of guy energy—
she wasn't used to it, but there wasn't much she could do.
She still had to spend the next three months living with them. She'd have to adjust, whether she liked it or not. But halfway through her shower, when her body was covered in soap, someone suddenly pounded on the door.
"Open up. I gotta take a piss," a guy yelled from outside, his voice loud, cocky, and unapologetic.
"Our new roommate's showering, Xander. Wait for a sec," Bradley called out.
"I don't wanna wait," Xander snapped, banging on the door harder. "Open the door."
Blair frowned. "Hold on, I'm almost done."
She got that people had emergencies—nature calls, whatever. But Xander's tone seriously pissed her off. She'd heard all about how much of a pain he was, but she wasn't about to be bullied. Not by anyone.
"Open the damn door. Now!" Xander kept slamming his fist against it.
Blair was quickly running out of patience. "I'm in the middle of a shower."
"So? We're all guys here. You can shower while I piss. What's the big deal? Quit acting like some delicate little princess," Xander scoffed.
Blair was utterly annoyed, her expression turning ice-cold. "If it's that urgent, go ahead and piss your pants."
The second those words hit, Xander nearly exploded. He slammed the door even harder.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! You got a death wish or something?!"
Blair glanced at the trembling door, starting to wonder if he might actually punch right through it.
She hurriedly rinsed the foam off fast, threw on a thick chest binder, then slipped into a cotton pajama set with long sleeves and full-length pants, covering herself completely.
Outside, Xander had clearly lost all patience. The moment she opened the door, he raised his hand.
"Well, well. Look at this pretty boy. Are you trying to get your ass kicked?"
His gaze swept over Blair's lean frame and smooth skin, and without missing a beat, he slapped her with a nickname—pretty boy.
A flash of ice flickered through Blair's eyes. This guy's begging for a beating, she thought.
But before she could make a move, someone grabbed Xander's wrist in a tight grip. It was Bradley.
"Xander, it's late. Knock it the hell off." Bradley's handsome face showed clear impatience, and the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were icy cold.
Xander might be arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. Of everyone in that dorm, the one person he never crossed was Bradley. He thought, This guy acts all polished, but underneath...
He threw a look at Bradley and toned it down a little, but then turned to Blair with a cold glare and snapped,
"Get your ass out of here. Now."