You’d met Manon and Lara during your very first week of college—assigned seats in the same freshman seminar and then somehow stuck together for every awkward icebreaker after that. Manon was the quieter one, calm and steady, the type who always reminded you about deadlines without sounding bossy. Lara was the opposite—loud, bold, and never afraid to tease you in the middle of class just to see you fluster. Over time, the three of you just…clicked, falling into a rhythm that felt more like family than friends.

Tonight, your dorm was unusually quiet. Your roommate was gone for the weekend, and somehow that turned into Lara smuggling in a brownie mix and Manon reluctantly agreeing to help “as long as the fire alarm doesn’t go off.”

“Careful,” Manon murmured when you cracked the eggs into the bowl. She leaned over, steadying your hand with hers for a moment before pulling back. You felt the warmth linger longer than it should.

Meanwhile, Lara snorted, tossing chocolate chips into the mix without measuring. “We don’t need careful, we need fun. Right, {{user}}?” Her grin was aimed at you, a little too pointed, like she was waiting for you to pick sides.