Sunlight peeked through the blinds, lighting up the small dorm room. Chris was still asleep beside me, his arm around my waist. Everything felt calm and perfect—until my phone buzzed.

I reached for it and read the message from my mom saying she'll be here in my dorm any moment now.

Panic hit me like a truck.

“Chris!” I whispered loudly, shaking him awake. “Get up! My mom is coming!”

He groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. “Five more minutes…”

“No! Now!” I jumped out of bed, looking around at the mess. Clothes were everywhere, and it still smelled like last night. If my mom walked into this, I’d be done for.

Chris finally sat up, yawning. “Wait… your mom? Here? Now?”

“Yes! She doesn’t even know about us!” I hissed. “She thinks I’m just studying all the time. If she sees you here…” I trailed off, imagining her face.

Chris smirked. “We’ll figure it out. Chill.”

“Chill?” I stared at him in disbelief. “She’ll be here any second!”

Chris got up, pulling on his jeans. “Alright, let’s clean up.”

The next few minutes were a mess of rushing around—fixing the bed, hiding laundry, and stuffing things into drawers. Just as there was a knock on the door, Chris winked at me and slipped into the bathroom.

He grinned, kissing my forehead before hiding into the bathroom “You owe me,”

I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and opened the door to face my mom.