Low and Steady

1.0: Moving In

Ev decided pretty quickly that college dorms were built to make people feel small.

The ceilings were too high for rooms that narrow, the walls too thin, the floors always buzzing faintly like the building itself never slept. Somewhere above him, someone was dragging furniture. Somewhere below, laughter echoed up the stairwell. Doors opened and closed in uneven rhythms, every sound a reminder that this place wasn't private, wasn't quiet, and definitely wasn't his yet.

He stood just inside his dorm room with one hand still on the handle, staring.

Two beds. Two desks. Two wardrobes shoved against opposite walls like they were trying not to acknowledge each other. One side of the room already looked lived in. Sheets tucked tight. A lamp turned on. A small corkboard above the desk with pinned notes and a couple of photos Ev couldn't quite make out from where he stood.

The other side was bare.

His side.

"Well," Ev muttered, nudging the door shut behind him with his foot. "Guess that answers that."

He dragged his duffel bag over to the empty bed and dropped it with a dull thud. The mattress dipped under his weight when he sat, springs creaking in protest. Ev bounced once, testing it, then leaned back on his hands and let his eyes wander again.

His roommate was already here. Already settled.

Somehow that made everything feel more real.

Move in day had been a blur. His mom crying. His dad pretending not to. Carrying boxes up three flights of stairs because the elevator was broken, of course it was. Upperclassmen shouting directions like they were being paid per syllable. Ev had smiled and nodded and answered questions automatically, but now that he was alone, it all caught up to him at once.

New place. New people. New everything.

His phone buzzed.

A text from his sister.

You alive or did the dorms eat you

Ev snorted and typed back.

Alive. Barely.

He tossed the phone onto the bed and stood up, rolling his shoulders. Might as well unpack. If he sat still too long, his brain would start doing that thing where it spiraled.

He unzipped the duffel and started pulling clothes out, shoving them into drawers without much thought. Hoodies in one. Shirts in another. Socks wherever they fit. He was halfway through when he heard footsteps outside the door. Slow ones. Like whoever it was wasn't in a rush.

The footsteps stopped.

Ev didn't look up at first. He assumed it was his roommate coming back, and the thought made his stomach tighten just a little. He didn't hate people, but first impressions were exhausting.

The door opened.

There was a pause.

Then a voice Ev hadn't heard in years said his name.

"Ev?"

He froze.

The sound hit him harder than he expected. Soft. Careful. Like it was being tested to see if it was still allowed to exist between them.

Ev looked up.

Luke stood in the doorway, one hand still gripping the handle like he might bolt if Ev said the wrong thing. He looked older. Not just taller, though he definitely was that too, but sharper somehow. His face had lost some of its roundness, jaw more defined. His hair had darkened over the years, falling into his eyes in a way that looked accidental but probably wasn't.