Page 6 of Only When We Fall

“Is that a good thing?”

He shrugs, but there’s a smile tugging at his lips. “Guess I’ll find out.”

Back at the flat, we all collapse onto the mismatched sofas in the living area. Landon practically shoves Noah out the way so he can sit on the same couch as me. It brings a smile to my face.

“That might be the most exercise I’ve done all year,” Noah groans, tossing a chip in the air and catching it in his mouth.

“Yeah, you danced like someone’s dad at a wedding,” Zara says, earning a laugh from the rest of us. She pulls out her phone. “Okay, so tomorrow’s the campus tour, but I also found this welcome event thing in town, live music, cheap drinks, pizza van.”

“Pizza van?” Noah perks up.

“I’m in,” Landon says. He looks over at me. “You coming?”

“I don’t know,” I say with a sigh. “I was kind of planning a quiet one tomorrow. Maybe read, unpack a bit.”

“You brought books to freshers’ week?” Noah asks like I’ve confessed to bringing a knitting kit.

“I’m studying English Lit,” I say with a smirk. “It’s practically a requirement.”

“Don’t worry,” Zara says, “we’ll corrupt you eventually.” She stands, stretching. “I need sleep.”

Noah pushes to his feet, “Me too. For the record, I’ve had a great first day.”

Now it’s just me and Landon with the empty chip tray between us. The room is dim, except for the soft glow of a floor lamp, and suddenly, it feels way too quiet. He stretches his legs out and his ankle brushes mine. My skin tingles like he’s set it on fire.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice lower now. “You went a bit quiet.”

I nod. “Yeah. I think it’s just first day nerves. Everything’s changing, you know?”

He nods. “New place, new people. Leaving stuff behind.”

I glance at him, but he doesn’t press. “Something like that,” I murmur.

We sit in a silence that’s not uncomfortable, just there. Then he yawns, stands, and offers me a hand up. “We should crash,” he says. “Big day of pizza ahead.”

I smile, letting him pull me to my feet. “Night, Landon.”

He pauses halfway to his door, glancing back. “Hey, for the record, I had a really good first day too.”

Then he disappears inside, leaving me standing there with a weird smile and a very confused heart.

Kai

I don’t even know who’s flat this is.

Someone said it belonged to a third-year student who is currently on a placement, and they’ve unofficially loaned it out to their cousin. Or friend. Or dog. Doesn’t matter. What matters is the lights are low, there’s soft music thudding through some ancient Bluetooth speaker, and the air smells like weed and cheap incense.

I sink into a giant floor cushion and take the whiskey bottle Seb passes me.

“This is decent, right?” he says, eyes darting toward the kitchen where a girl in a red headscarf is laughing with a group of friends. “Not too crazy. Vibe-y.”

“You dragged me out for avibe?” I raise an eyebrow, taking a sip. It burns in the right way.

“She’s here,” he says, ignoring me. “Talia. That’s her.”

I follow his gaze. She’s pretty. Tall, kind eyes, confident in that way girls are when they know people hang off their every word. She’s nothing like Bella. Not a mean girl. Just confident.

“She’s out of your league,” I say casually.

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