Page 5 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

“Welcome, welcome,” Ava says as she hands me a clean towel, returning from the little ensuite. “I get that this room ain't no luxury suite, but it's all part of the college experience, right? Squeezin' in with someone and all that jazz.”

“Oh, it’s more than enough,” I reply.

Ava regards me for a moment. “I think we’re going to have fun living together, don’t you?”

“Yep.”

“I only arrived two hours ago, and I haven’t decided on a bed yet,” she says. “So I wanted to be fair and let you pick which one before I started flinging all my stuff around the place like a big old demanding diva.”

I shrug. “I honestly don’t mind. You choose.”

“You sure?” she asks.

I smile back at her. “I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll get the one by the window, then,” she replies. “Call melittle miss nosey, but I love to snoop on everyone outside. Sure beats doing any coursework, or spending my entire day being addicted to my phone. How terrible is social media, am I right? I’m really trying to limit the time I spend on the apps at the moment. I think it’s fair to say it’s not working. Not in the slightest. I am a junkie, chained to my phone.”

I can already spot how different our personalities are. Ava is clearly an extrovert and good with people. She’s funny and impulsive and talkative andfun, whilst I’m the bookish introvert who would prefer to read than party.

But, despite our obvious differences, she seems really nice. I’ve been so worried over who I might end up with and who I might be forced to spend time locked in this room with, but after meeting Ava I am actually happy with who the university gods have paired me up with.

I reckon Ava must’ve been popular in high school with her looks and charming personality. So reassured and confident. She radiates a flirty playfulness that I’m sure made her a shining beacon for her impressionable peers.

I briskly towel off and roll my bag over to my fresh bed. Ava's already sprawled out on her own, her luscious blonde hair fanned across the pillow. With her mixed-color eyes fixed on me inquisitively, I gradually begin to unpack.

“So, tell me about yourself, Olivia Weldon,” she instructs. “I’ll like to get to know my new bestie if we’re going to be sharing the same toilet seat.”

I’ve not had someone interested in me like this other than my parents for a long time.

I shrug. “There’s not much to tell, really.”

Of course I instantly revert back to my shymouseyself. Just as that boy once said.

“Hey, don’t put yourself down like that,” Ava says.

“Well, what do you want me to tell you?”

“Your life story. First of all, are you from Crystal River?” my new roommate asks, her eyes still locked on mine from across the room.

“No,” I reply. “I’m from a small town you’ve never heard of.”

“Try me.”

I say the name of the place I grew up. Judging from the look on her face, Ava clearly doesn’t know it.

“Wow, that really must be small. And I thought Crystal River was a tiny place,” Ava remarks. “That's why I wanted to know. You just can't help but get to know everyone around here in this town. It's just so darn teeny tiny.”

“Tell me about it,” I say, thinking about how everyone at my high school knew each other. Some families have longstanding feuds that seem to go back to the Declaration of Independence times. Crystal River may be small, but at least I am completely new here. There is no reputation for me to maintain. No ties to anyone else to consider.

No one who knows me.

“What do you want to major in?” Ava asks me. “Any ideas yet?”

“English Literature,” I reply almost instantly. That’s one question I can answer without needing a second thought.

Ava’s beautiful eyes widen. “You already know what you want to do?” she asks.

I nod. “I just love reading.”

---