-6 months earlier-

I will never stop being amazed at this school. The hall where the community dinner was going to be held overlooked the beautiful skylights of the city, just beyond reach. I stare out the window, elated at the realization that I really AM studying here. Me. I didn't ever dream of being a student here, yet, look where I am.

"Jane. Do you see that guy right there?" He pointed towards a group of guys talking in the corner.

"Which one?" I scanned their faces. All of a sudden, one of them breaks out into a loud cackle. His face, normally gentle, deforms into a weird, derpy look that I can't even begin to describe.

"The weird one," Yixing shakes his head in mild amusement. "That's Luhan."

"Oh." I don't know what I was expecting, but the Luhan in my mind didn't look like that.

"Disappointed?" Yixing teases. "I know I would be."

"What?" I spluttered. "I wasn't expecting anything." Besides, he's not that bad.

"Just kidding. Come, let me introduce you." I followed him across the room as we headed straight for the now-not-faceless Luhan.

"Luhan," he called, gently slapping the guy's arm.

"Hey, Lay!" He cackled at his own rhyme. "Can't get over that, I swear." He laughed some more as Yixing quickly explained that ‘Lay’ was his nickname.

How can they be the polar opposites of each other? There’s the mystery of the century. I mean, Luhan isn’t ugly. In fact, he’s kinda cute. But he has a weird personality. He really does.

“You must be Jane,” he suddenly turned to me, raising his hand out for a handshake.

I shake it, nodding my head. “You must be Luhan.”

-

He has a way with people, this guy. Maybe it’s our commonality: both freshly accepted into this university, I feel like we so quickly connected. I feel oddly comfortable around him.

“What do you call fake pasta?” He looked at our group.

Lay turned to whisper to me, “don’t even bother answering that.”

“What?” Danhee, another new admit asked.

Luhan looked everyone in the table in the eye before enunciating, “Impasta. Get it? Imposter, but for pasta?” He held onto his stomach as he laughed loudly. The rest of the group laughed politely.

Man, he’s weird. He really is. But I like that weirdness, weirdly enough.

-

-3 months later-

There’s a few days before school starts. Bags unpacked, tears all cried, and adventurous spirit full to the brim, I decided to go explore the dorms with my new roommate. Laundry rooms were on the odd floors except ours: the 3^rd, 5^th, and the 7^th, and we wanted to see what it looked like.

“I heard someone say the 7^th floor has a beautiful view of the ocean,” Haeri said.

“Wanna see it?” I looked at her in anticipation.

Together, we climbed up six flights of stairs, huffing and puffing at the unexpected effort. But there it was, the ocean, along with the skyscrapers dotting the coast. It’s breathtaking.

We exited the laundry room, ready to conquer the six floors down. The hallway was filled with cardboard boxes of students still unpacking. Out of curiosity, I peered into some rooms, politely smiling at teary-eyed parents saying goodbye to their children.

I quickly looked away, knowing what it feels like. I don’t want to cry again. My eyes landed on another room, a double for two guys rooming together.

I wasn’t sure, but the silhouette looked familiar.

“Yixing!” I cried, surprised by the coincidence. We live in the same residence halls?

“Jane!” It wasn’t the voice I was expecting. It wasn’t the person I was expecting to answer. The sun hit him just the right way, and there he was, Yixing’s friend, smiling.

He has a beautiful smile. Why didn’t I notice that before?

But there’s a more important question:

What is his name?

--

I hope you're not already bored to death with my writing. I don't know what I'm doing, but hopefully, I get my footing soon enough. Thanks for subscribing! Comment, if it isn't too much to ask. :)

[Lol Luhan has a way of creating a memorable first impression.]