Michael and Neil both jerked their heads toward me at the exact same time.
I smirked. "Yeah. Iâll help. Come on."
She smiled wider. "Really? Thanks!"
I started walking with her â and the moment she turned, I almost forgot how to breathe.
Her ass...
Holy fuck.
Those tight jeans hugged her curves like they were vacuum-sealed. Round, perfect, bouncing just a little with every step. It wasnât just sexy â it was dangerous.
My brain did the math instantly.
As sexy as Lilyâs... but tighter. Like her jeans were one wrong move away from exploding.
I had to physically stop my hand from reaching out and grabbing it. My fingers twitched.My pulse jumped.
Michael whispered behind me, stunned, "Bro... how do you ALWAYS pull?"
Neil groaned, "Someone nerf him already."
I didnât look back.
I just lifted a hand and waved lazily.
"Skill issue, boys."
But even as I said that, I wasnât thinking about them.
I was staring straight ahead at that perfect ass swaying up the stairs.
And Michaelâs dramatic groaning echoed down the hallway while I walked beside the hottest transfer student this college had seen â fighting the urge to grab her like she was another milf from my building.
"Thanks again," she said softly as we climbed the stairs.
Her voice... God.
Sweet, but with this smoky undertone that didnât match her innocent smile.
It hit me right in the spine.
I cleared my throat. "Uhâyeah. No problem. By the way... I never got your name."
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at me from the corner of her eye.
"Aria."
Of course it was something pretty.
She looked like sheâd been
born
with a name that made guys stupid.
"Alex," I said.
"I know." She giggled. "Your friends shouted it like ten times."
"Yeah, theyâre... idiots."
"Cute idiots," she added.
We reached the next landing, and she glanced backâjust for a second.
Her hips shifted naturally as she walked, and because the staircase curved, I got a perfect angled view of her body.
The kind of view that felt illegal.
Her waist narrowing. Her hips flaring. Her ass lifting just a little with every step.
My brain short-circuited again.
Fuck... she was perfect from every angle.
"So..." she said, turning forward again, voice playful, "is everyone in this college like your friends?"
"Loud? Dramatic? Jealous?" I shrugged. "Pretty much."
She laughedâa warm, breathy sound that made the hair on my arms rise.
"I guess I made the right choice asking you," she said.
"You seemed... normal."
Normal.
If only she knew what was happening in my head right now.
We reached the final hallway.
She slowed down a little, walking closerânot touching, but close enough that I could feel her warmth.
Her arm brushed mine by accident.
Or maybe
not
by accident.
A small spark shot down my side.
She noticed. Looked up at me. Smiled like she felt it too.
The air shiftedâjust a bit.
Nothing crazy... but enough to make my pulse jump.
"Almost there," I said.
"Good," she whispered.
Then she leaned slightly toward me, lips near my ear.
"Itâs scary going alone. Iâm glad you came with me."
Her breath brushed my skin.
And I swear my brain nearly melted.
We stopped in front of the principalâs door.
Aria stood closeâclose enough that her perfume mixed with the heat of her body.
We stepped inside the principalâs office.
Empty.
Lights were off, blinds half-closed, the whole place looking like someone just left five minutes ago.
Aria blinked. "Oh... thatâs weird."
I shut the door behind us. "Heâs not here?"
She shook her head. "I was supposed to give him some transfer documents. Proof of residence, attendance records from my last college, all that boring stuff."
I leaned against the desk. "So just paperwork?"
"Yeah," she said with a cute pout. "I came early so I wouldnât get in trouble on my first day."
"Good strategy." I smirked. "Most people screw up day one."
She giggled softly and stepped closer, brushing her hair over one shoulder.
Even in the dim room, she looked unreal â curves outlined by the soft light leaking through the blinds.
"So..." she said, "what about you? Youâve been here long?"
"Long enough to know the cafeteria food is a war crime."
She snorted. "Youâre funny."
I opened my mouth to answerâ
CLACK.
A loud metallic click echoed through the room.
We both froze.
"What was that?" Aria whispered.
I tried the door instantly.
Locked.
Not just stuck âlocked from the outside.
"What theâ?"
Footsteps outside.
A voice followed, muffled through the door.
"Yeah, yeah, Iâm leaving now. Locking my office for the afternoon. Had to go pick up something from the admin building..."
Ariaâs eyes widened in pure horror.
"Thatâs the principal," she whispered.
I knocked hard. "Sir! Sir, weâre insiâ"
But he was already walking away, still talking on his phone.
We heard his voice fade down the hallway:
"...students always messing with my office... better to keep it locked..."
Locked.
We were locked inside.
Ariaâs breath hitched. She spun toward me, panic rising fast.
"W-What do we do? He locked us inâoh my godâAlexâ"
She grabbed my arm with both hands, fingers trembling.
"Hey, hey, itâs okay," I said quickly. "Weâll just call someoneâ"
"Iâm claustrophobic," she blurted out, voice shaking. "I-I canât handle small locked spacesâ I didnât know this room didnât have windowsâ"
She stepped closer. Way closer.
Before I could react, she pressed herself into me â body soft, warm, trembling.
Her breasts landed straight on my chest.
Pressed so tightly I could feel her heartbeat through them.
And god... They were big.
Like, unfairly big.
Her forehead rested against my shoulder as she tried to breathe, voice shaking against my neck.
"Please donât leave me, okay? Justâjust stay close."
I swallowed hard.
Yeah. I was staying close. Very, very close.
"Itâs fine," I murmured. "Iâm right here."
Her hands slid up my shirt to my shoulders as she held on tighter, her body molding into mine like she was trying to melt into me.
Her chest pressed harder. Her breathing hitched. Her thighs brushed my leg.
Jesus.
This girl was
supposed
to be scared â but she was accidentally turning the whole room into a slow-burn furnace.
"Weâll get out," I said, my voice a little rougher than I meant. "I promise."
She nodded against me, still clinging.
Still pressed. Still shaking... and making every nerve in my body go electric.
"Donât let go yet," she whispered.
I wasnât planning to.
I rested one hand on her back, steadying her.
Her body shivered â not from fear this time. Something else.
She looked up at me slowly, eyes wide, lips parted, still flush against my chest.
"Alex..."
Her voice was soft. Warm.Too warm.
And we were still locked inside a silent office.