CHAPTER 95: LOW-KEY FOODIE

{Elira}

~**^**~

By the time I stepped into our dorm room, I was expecting to be greeted by the usual end-of-day calm—the rustle of sheets, soft music from someone’s earbuds, the faint sound of Cambria humming while journaling... maybe even Nari’s soft snore.

But to my surprise, everyone was still awake. And not just awake—alert.

Juniper sat cross-legged on her bed, filing her nails while pretending not to look curious.

Cambria was folding laundry at the foot of her bed, humming something upbeat under her breath. Tamryn was at her desk, reading something on her tablet with that unreadable expression she always wore when she was too deep in her thoughts.

And Nari... Nari was the biggest surprise of them all.

She was seated upright, eyes glued to her screen, fingers flying across her tablet keyboard with laser focus. I blinked, half-wondering if I’d stepped into a parallel universe.

She didn’t even look up when I walked in.

"Wow..." I whispered to myself.

"You sure took your time today on your mystery trip," Juniper called out, not even bothering to hide the teasing in her voice.

Before I could respond, Cambria looked up from her pile of laundry and smiled. "What Juniper really means by that crooked statement is that she missed you."

I chuckled, warmth fluttering in my chest. "Aww, how sweet. I missed you guys, too."

Making my way to my bunk, I unhooked my backpack and carefully placed it on my desk. The weight of the container inside it had been nagging me the whole walk back.

I was just about to unzip the bag when I caught Nari in my peripheral again—still typing furiously.

Then Cambria came down from her bunk and walked over to my side with a soft smile on her lips.

I leaned toward her and whispered, "What’s Nai so focused on?"

"She’s working on her first blog post," Cambria whispered back, her lips curving into a proud smile. "She wants it ready before the end of the week."

I nodded, impressed. "Wow... so this is what a serious Nari looks like."

Apart from seeing Nari’s serious study face, I haven’t ever seen her serious about anything else, so this came as a big surprise to me.

It also made me realize that Nari’s playfulness and silliness doesn’t exempt her from taking her personal tasks and treating it as important.

Cambria giggled softly.

I finally opened my backpack and carefully pulled out the takeout container. The warm scent of creamy pasta and fried chicken wafted into the air, and I quickly set the container down on the desk before it leaked or something.

"You brought food inside the dorm?" Cambria asked, staring at me with round eyes.

And just like that, all eyes in the room turned toward me.

Juniper practically teleported to my side. "Wait—what?"

Nari’s fingers paused mid-sentence. She sniffed the air like a wolf catching a trail and then slowly turned her gaze toward me.

Her tablet hit the mattress with a soft plop, and she bolted upright, making a beeline for me.

Even Tamryn, who normally wouldn’t bat an eyelid for anything less than a dorm emergency, locked the door behind her and walked over with a frown creasing her forehead. "You’re breaking a dorm rule, Elira."

"I know," I said quickly, guilt rising up my throat. "I didn’t mean to. I swear. I was... kind of forced to take it with me."

The moment those words left my lips, I felt the shift. Cambria’s lips twitched. Juniper arched a perfectly suspicious brow. And Nari—oh goddess—Nari actually smirked.

"Okay, okay, don’t ask me any more questions," I added quickly, holding up my hands as soon as I realized I had divulged an important information, hinting that there was more to the takeout—that I was with someone.

Tamryn sighed. "You could get all of us in trouble if the dorm mistress finds out. You know the rules."

Although Rennon assured me that I wouldn’t get caught, my roommates, especially Tamryn, seemed like they would be needing more than just verbal assurance.

"I do," I said, nodding sincerely. "If anything happens, I will take full responsibility."

Cambria gently patted Tamryn’s arm. "Come on, Tam. Let’s not be so uptight. We haven’t been caught yet."

"Exactly," Nari said, throwing an arm over Tamryn’s shoulders. "Live a little, Captain."

Juniper grinned. "We’re not going to get caught. We’ve got snacks in our drawers all the time even though they are not part of the prohibited items."

Tamryn narrowed her eyes but eventually rolled them and returned to her desk with a muttered, "Fine. But this better not become a habit."

"Thank you," I whispered.

Nari clapped her hands. "Now, open the container. Let’s see what you’re hiding."

I peeled off the lid, and immediately the savory aroma filled the room in full force—creamy pasta, salad, corn dog, fried chicken with mayo sauce, and something rich and garlicky that made my stomach rumble even though I’d barely eaten since lunch.

"Ohhhh, this smells sinful," Nari said, practically drooling.

"I didn’t think you guys would want any," I admitted, feeling a tinge of guilt. "If I had known, I would have asked for more."

"You should have asked for more since you have us," Juniper said, wagging a finger at me.

Still, I divided the meal into equal portions using spare paper plates from the cabinet. Even Tamryn got a serving, despite her earlier protest.

The food disappeared faster than I expected, followed by satisfied sighs.

"I will discard the container," Juniper offered, standing and stretching.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

As she left with the container, Tamryn checked her phone, then turned to me.

"You’ve got ten minutes before our math session."

"Goddess," I breathed, already rushing to my wardrobe. "I will freshen up quickly and come right out."

I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and darted toward the bathroom, the echoes of Nari’s compliments on the food still bouncing behind me.

Nari was a lowkey foodie, but this was something she would never admit out loud.