Crave: A collection Of Wicked Desires

The first day of college was nothing like I thought it would be. The campus looked too big, like a maze made just to make people like me get lost. I had my suitcase dragging behind me and a folded map crumpled in my sweaty hand. Everyone else looked like they already knew where to go.

Groups of girls walked past me, laughing, their arms linked together, like they had been friends since forever. A couple of guys shoved each other playfully on the sidewalk, backpacks bouncing against their shoulders. Nobody looked confused. Nobody looked like they wanted to crawl into a hole. Just me.

I checked the map again, turned the corner, and finally saw the tall building with a faded sign that said Dormitories. My heart jumped a little. Phew, This was it.

Inside, the lobby was busy with students dragging their bags, parents saying goodbye, voices bouncing off the walls. I stood in line at the desk until the woman there called me forward. She didn’t even look up when she asked, “Name?”

“Brooke,” I said. My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to.

She scanned her paper, checked something off, then handed me a key. “Room 312, third floor.”

The elevator ride up smelled like old pizza and dust. When the doors opened, I followed the hall numbers until I found 312. My key stuck in the lock, and for a second I thought it wouldn’t turn, but then it clicked open.

The room was… plain. Two beds, two desks, one closet with a door that didn’t shut all the way. The window was wide, sunlight leaking through broken blinds. My half was empty, waiting.

I dropped my suitcase by the bed near the window and sat down. The mattress groaned under me, springs digging into my thighs. Outside, I could see the quad, full of students already sitting on the grass, talking, laughing. It was only the first day, and it felt like I was already behind.

I unpacked slowly. Shoved my clothes into drawers, notebooks stacked on the desk, my charger stretched across to the outlet. The hum of the old ceiling fan filled the silence. I told myself the room would feel less lonely when my roommate arrived, but deep down I wasn’t sure.

Later, I wandered to the cafeteria. The food was exactly as bad as everyone said. Greasy pizza that bent in the middle and fries that tasted like cardboard. I sat by myself at a table, pretending to scroll on my phone while everyone else shouted and laughed around me. Some were already exchanging numbers, already making plans for the weekend. I chewed slowly, forcing the food down, telling myself it was only the first day.

When I made it back to the dorm, the hallways were louder. Doors stood open, music blasting from speakers, people hanging out in doorways. My room was still empty though. My roommate hadn’t shown.

I opened my laptop, stared at my schedule, then closed it again. The sun set outside the window, and the lights in the quad flickered on. I sat there for a long time, watching people gathering outside, their voices carrying through the glass.

It was strange, being surrounded by so many people but feeling like I didn’t belong with any of them.

Eventually, I pulled the blinds shut, crawled into bed, and tugged the thin blanket over me. The mattress was lumpy, the air smelled weird. Tomorrow, classes would start. Tomorrow maybe I’d actually meet someone.

For now, it was just me in an empty room, waiting for my new roommate.

——

When I came back from my first morning class, I honestly thought I had walked into the wrong room. There was a guy standing by the bed near the door, pulling clothes out of a duffel bag. For a second I just froze there in the doorway, gripping my notebook like maybe I was about to smack him with it.

“Uhm… hi?” My voice cracked.

He looked up at me like I was the one intruding. Dark hair falling into his eyes, hoodie half unzipped, hands busy shoving something into the drawer. “Hey.”

I blinked. “Wait. What are you… this is room 312, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, not even hesitating.

“But… this is the girls dorm.”

He snorted and shook his head. “Guess somebody screwed up.”

I just stood there, heat rushing up my neck. “So you’re my… roommate?”

“Looks like it,” he said, tossing a shirt on the bed like he already lived here. “Ryan.”

I stepped inside slowly, still not believing it. “I’m Brooke.”

He gave me a quick look, his mouth curving like he was amused. “Nice to meet you, Brooke.”

“Uh… no, this is not nice,” I blurted out, hugging my notebook to my chest. “They’re not supposed to put guys and girls together. That’s like… against the rules, right?”

“Probably,” he said, shrugging. “But until the office fixes it, guess we’re stuck.”

I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or if he was some creep who had just wandered in here. His stuff was already spread out though, hoodies and jeans piled on the bed, a toothbrush on the desk, sneakers shoved under the frame.

“Didn’t they tell you this was the girls floor?” I asked.

He laughed. “They barely told me where the bathrooms were. Trust me, housing has no clue what they’re doing.”

I let out a long breath and dropped my notebook on my desk. The silence felt weird now. I could hear the fan buzzing above us, the sound of voices drifting from the hall.

“So…” I said, turning toward him. “Do you, like, snore?”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Wow, straight to the important questions, huh?”

“I’m serious,” I said, pointing at his bed. “That’s way too close. I’ll hear every single sound.”

He smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep my noises to myself.”

I rolled my eyes but sat down on my bed anyway, tugging my blanket up just to have something to do with my hands. He was still unpacking, making himself at home like he belonged here. The whole thing felt surreal.

The rest of the evening went by in awkward pieces. He kept humming under his breath while hanging up clothes. I pretended to study, scribbling random notes just so I didn’t have to keep staring at him. When he left for the shower, I took the chance to check my phone and text my best friend about how messed up this was.

They put a guy in my room.

She texted back instantly. No way. Is he hot?

I didn’t answer.

By the time the hallway got quiet and the lights dimmed, I was already half-asleep under my blanket. I told myself I’d march to the office tomorrow and demand they switch him out. I wasn’t going to last the semester like this.

But sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up. At first I thought it was just the sound of voices outside, but then I heard it. Low moaning Not loud enough to be the neighbors.

I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. The glow of a laptop screen lit up Ryan’s side of the room. He was lying back against his pillow, earbuds in, eyes fixed on the screen. His hand moved under the blanket stretched over his lap.

I froze, my mouth going dry.

Was he…?

The moaning on the screen got louder for a second, then dipped again. Ryan shifted, biting his lip, his hand working faster. I couldn’t see everything, but it didn’t take much to know exactly what he was doing.

Heat shot through my face, and I sank back against my pillow, yanking the blanket over my head. My heart was pounding like I had just run across campus. I shut my eyes tight, but the sound was still… there.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Day two of college and my roommate was a guy… who thought it was okay to jerk off three feet away from me.

I thought I could just turn around and pretend to sleep, but the sound wouldn’t stop. It was soft at first, like a low moan, and then I heard the faint slap of skin. My face grew hot under the blanket. He wasn’t even trying to be quiet.

“Uhm… Ryan?” My voice came out smaller than I meant.

The noises stopped instantly. A muffled curse, the sound of his laptop lid snapping shut. “Sh*t. You’re awake?”

I pushed the blanket down and sat up, my heart racing. The room was dim, just the glow from his desk lamp and the faint blue light that had been coming from his screen. His cheeks were red, his hair messy. His hand was still suspiciously under the blanket.

“I… uhm-sorry,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Didn’t think you’d wake up.”

I didn’t know where to look. My eyes flicked down and I caught the obvious bulge under his blanket before I quickly looked away. My face was burning.

“You were…