Elias waved his hand dismissively as he took a step back from her.

“Party was lame anyway,” he replied as he grinned at her.

“Are parties your thing?” Alyssa asked him. She couldn’t help but wonder out loud because she couldn’t think of a reason for why he was even there in the first place. Then again, it was probably odd for her to be there too.

Elias shook his head.

“Not really. I was just invited and figured I’d check it out. Free food and drinks,” he pointed out.

Alyssa laughed and nodded. That made more sense. They had enough chips, pizza, and drinks to feed a whole football team in there.

It was the perfect place to steal a bite to eat. She didn’t recommend the drinks, though.

“Well, I guess I’m lucky you decided to stop in,” she said. She didn’t want to even think about what could’ve happened if he hadn’t been there.

Would someone else have jumped in to help her? “You kinda saved me.”

Elias leaned against the side of her bed.

“It was my pleasure,” he chuckled. His mood was much lighter than before. The dark tone of his eyes had lightened, like the anger had melted away.

She noticed that he did have a darker side to him. It rarely came out, but when it did, it was prominent and intimidating.

Alyssa held her bottle of water close to her chest as she watched him. She was still a little nervous to have him in her room with her. Alone.

So many scenarios that she knew would never happen flashed through her mind. Fantasies.

“I’ll make this up to you somehow,” she told him. She felt bad about him doing so much for nothing in return.

Elias shook his head.

“You really don’t have to. I’m just glad you’re okay,” he assured her.

That even made her smile on the inside. He always said the right things. He was smooth and charming, and no wonder he was always on her mind. He drove her crazy in a way that she had never experienced before.

“I don’t want to keep you. It’s late,” she told him. She didn’t want him to think that he had to stay and babysit her if he wanted to go elsewhere.

She wasn’t tired anymore. In fact, she was kind of hungry. “I think I’ll just hunt down some food and then hang around here. No more parties tonight.”

Elias checked the time before looking back at her.

“I could take you somewhere to eat. If you want. There’s a really good diner that’s open 24/7 down the street,” he offered.

It was like he still wanted to watch over her. It made her heart flutter and her cheeks burn.

She had no idea how she caught this boy’s attention, but she wanted to cherish it for as long as she had it. There was no telling when he would get tired of her and move on.

“Sure. That sounds nice,” she said with a nod. She was already dressed and ready to go, even if she was possibly overdressed for a diner.

She started to follow him toward her door before pausing. “I don’t want them to catch you sneaking out of here. We could still get in trouble.”

“I know a way out,” Elias told her as he opened the door for her. He didn’t look the least bit worried. “Trust me?”

For some reason, she did. Even if she hadn’t known him long, she had a feeling that he wouldn’t do anything to get her in trouble or hurt her.

That was enough for her to let him take the lead.

“Yes. Lead the way,” she replied before following him down the hallway.

Instead of heading to the lobby, he headed toward the side door that led to the staircases that went up the side of the building.

To her surprise, there was an exit door behind the stairs. It was almost tucked away, but she guessed that it was an emergency exit. They didn’t go over that during welcome week.

“How did you know this was here?” she asked him as they walked through the door and outside of the building.

She had been living there for a few weeks, and she had no clue that it was there. She didn’t even think that he lived in a dorm right now since he was about to move into an apartment.

“All dorm buildings have it,” Elias told her as he led her to the parking lot next to the dorm.

“Told you that you could trust me.”

Alyssa smirked and playfully rolled her eyes at him as she walked at his side.

“I guess there are some things that you can teach me too,” she replied.

That came out a little weird, but she smiled through it. She wasn’t exactly wrong. He had taught her about tea too.

“You have no idea,” Elias smirked as his shoulder brushed hers. He stopped in front of a black Dodge Challenger and pulled open the passenger’s side door.

Alyssa thanked him before slipping inside and admiring the sleek interior. The car looked and smelled brand new, like it was a model from this year or the last.

She wondered how he afforded such nice things, like a car and an apartment. She didn’t want to outright ask if he was rich, though. Also she was curious about where he comes from since he looked Asian. Maybe his family is Asian?

Alyssa had too many questions but she was afraid to ask them, least he felt that she was intruding in his life