Sweet dreams,
always thought you were the sweetest thing
But don't cry, consider this a lullaby
— Sweet Dreams by Borns

I was dressed in an oversized black shirt that reached my knees, fresh and clean after a relaxing cold shower. Rubbing the ends of my hair with a towel, I noticed a figure standing by the entrance door.

"Holy sprinkles!" I shrieked, my heart accelerating as my hand released the towel.

Gray looked like a deer caught in headlights, and I gaped at him in confusion, my brain scrambling to formulate a coherent sentence. I sneaked a swift look around the room, looking for Victoria, but she wasn't around. What the actual fuck was he doing here?

"I apologise. I didn't mean to startle you." He squared his shoulders, composing himself. "Victoria instructed me to wait here. I knocked a couple of times, but there was no answer, so I assumed you weren't around."

"I...uhm...what?" I fumbled dumbly, entranced by the rich baritone and smoothness of his voice that perfectly complemented his English accent.

It fit the aloof and distant aura he exhibited, and it almost sounded hot. Liar, it was freaking hot. He also sounded somewhat pleased, the skepticism from earlier undetectable. But his eyes remained guarded, reluctant.

We stared at each other for a ceaseless moment. He was scrutinizing me like I was some unsolved puzzle, a mystery to be deciphered, and I think I mirrored the exact impression.

Gray seemed rather...complex.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked.

"Is there something on mine?" he questioned back, the corner of his mouth lifting into a crooked smile.

I blinked, muddled upon seeing his smile. The silence lengthened as I gazed at him, still utterly confused by his sudden presence.

"Don't worry, Shortcake. You're not my type."

His banter snapped me back from my train of thoughts. He did not just go there. "And you're not mine. Besides, who do you think you are to call me Shortcake?" I barked back with a grimace.

"It suits you perfectly, don't you agree?" he said, eyeing me in feign innocence.

"Are you implying that I'm short, Nincompoop?"

"Nincompoop?"

"You're calling me Shortcake. It's only polite that I return the favor, right?" I snarkily answered. The nerve of this asshole was astounding. He was in no position to nickname me. We didn't know each other. "Aren't we all made to judge each other?" I huffed.

His eyes turned shrewd as he started forward. I flinched at his sudden movement and backed away, my heart skipping nervous beats as I stared at him with wide eyes.

"What-what do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing that'll harm you," he spoke matter-of-factly.

I paused in my tracks, narrowing my eyes at him as he continued forward until stopping just enough to tower over me. He was taller — much, much taller for my average height of five-foot-three — proving his point of me being a Shortcake. Cringing at the nickname, I lifted my chin to meet his amused gaze defiantly. His pools of emerald glittered under the warm lights as a playful, mischievous grin played across his lips.

"Shortcake."

"Nincompoop."

I pushed him hard on the chest, and a loud gasp escaped my lips when he tripped on his foot and landed on his butt with a loud thud. Clasping a hand over my mouth, I struggled to control the laughter that bubbled in my throat. Gray's expression was stoic, but I could see the humor dancing in his eyes. Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I extended a hand out to him. He eyed me warily before accepting it, and I helped him up to his feet.

"Thank you." He took several steps backward, creating a considerate amount of distance between us. "I'm glad that my stupidity amused you."

"I prefer the word entertained," I quipped. "And I'm sorry about that."

"I was hoping to fall on my arse this past week. I should be grateful for your help."

"You're welcome," I chuckled, bowing my head slightly out of habit. Realizing this, I quickly straightened my spine and flashed him a sheepish smile. "Go and make yourself comfortable."

"Aye, Shortcake."

"And stop calling me Shortcake."

"Mhmm, the things I have to ponder."

I rolled my eyes as I walked back to my dresser to take out a pair of sweatpants. Gray was here with me. I wasn't going to walk around my room with nothing but an oversized shirt. I slipped into the sweatpants before picking up my towel from the floor. I hooked it on my closet door, but it slipped off, causing an involuntary hiss of annoyance to leave my lips. I crouched down to grab it again. After two more failed attempts, the towel finally stayed, and I released an exasperated exhale.

This place could use a proper towel rack.

I ran a hand through my damp hair and glanced over my shoulder to look at Gray. He was seated on Victoria's bed with his legs stretched forward, holding a book. I watched as he tucked his soft-looking curls behind his ear, and I stopped myself from running over to him to touch it. I didn't want him to get the impression that I was a creep. I scanned his face instead, noticing his gorgeously long eyelashes.

"Enjoying the view, Shortcake?" he chaffed, bringing me back from my trance. "I know for a fact that I'm bewitchingly good-looking, but isn't it a bit rude to stare?"

"You are unbelievable."

"Believe it, Shortcake," he said, lifting his head in my direction with a smug look on his face, "it's not every day you get a good-looking man like me here in your dorm room."

"Says the man who fell on his ass."

"An unfortunate event, yes. But we both know it's true."

Choking out a laugh, I veered my attention away from him. This wasn't the first time I openly stared at someone who was good-looking. It often made me wonder where I was when the gods decided to shower humanity with physical attractiveness. I was obviously hiding somewhere.

Gray and I fell into silence as he indulged himself with his book while I brushed my hair. I was feeling weirded out with the fact that I wasn't the least bothered by his presence, even though we had just met. I usually preferred being alone, but somehow, having him here was relieving in a way.

"Victoria wants to take you out for dinner," Gray said, and I glanced over my shoulder to look at him. "She mentioned something about the celebration of newfound friendship."

"Okay," I muttered, returning the brush inside my closet.

"I don't want to seem like a stalker here," he began, the sudden seriousness in his voice causing a spark of anxiety to rise in my chest, "but by any chance, is your surname Hale?"

I raised an eyebrow dubiously. "How did you know that?"

"A lot of the male seniors take notes on who the freshmen girls are every year. You're in the top 20 of the most attractive in the Business course."

"Are you a senior?" I questioned. He nodded vaguely in response, and my eyes narrowed. I was going to drag his ass out of my room if he said he was a part of it. "And are you a part of that list thing?"

"Of course not," he scowled, his face contorting in contempt. "I refuse to let myself sink to such levels of atrocity."

I fumbled with my fingers, hesitant on what to say next. His sudden outburst caught me off-guard.

He seemed to have grasped my uneasiness, seeing a reassuring smile appear on his face. "Don't worry about that stupid list thing. Nobody would dare touch you since you're Victoria's roommate," he said.

"Are Victoria and Liam seniors too?"

"They are."

"And we're all in the same course?"

"Not exactly. Liam and I are doing a double major in business, while Victoria's majoring in fashion design with marketing."

I studied his face to find any fault in his words, but his eyes held nothing but sincerity. Releasing a long breath, I walked over to my bed and flopped down on the mattress.

"Thanks for letting me know about that list," I grumbled. "I can feel my confidence overflowing."

"Your sarcasm is much appreciated, Shortcake," he lifted an eyebrow in delight. "Though it's quite shocking since it doesn't suit your name."

"Not everyone has a name that suits their personality," I returned, lifting an eyebrow to mimic him. "I mean, you have the same name as Christian Grey. Are you both the same?"

"Don't ever compare me to him," he seethed in utter distaste. "To say I dislike that book is an understatement."

"What do you dislike about it?"

"I don't fancy those sorts of books."

"Then why did you read it?"

"I lost a bet."

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling briefly before looking back at me dead in the eye. The frustration in his face quickly settled to amusement as soon as he saw my expression. I was grinning at him. I couldn't help it. I found it pleasing that he mentioned the book instead of the movie.

"I like my name the way it is," he said a moment later. "It's mysterious, and as you said earlier, it suits my personality—"

"I never said that."

"—And I was born first."

"Whatever you say, Gray."

"You seem to fancy my name a lot, Shortcake. I'd assume you have a crush on me, but we've only just met."

"Don't be so full of yourself," I retorted with a frown.

"It was a joke, Summer."

"Then please stick to your day job," I pleaded in exaggeration. "You'll suck as a comedian. People will find you too rude, and the next thing you know, they'll be outside your house with pitchforks calling to burn you at the stakes."

He chuckled. "Got it, Ms. 16th Century."

The door suddenly swung open, silencing our banter almost instantly. Victoria and Liam entered the room, laughing boisterously. It took a few short seconds for them to compose themselves, and then Victoria turned to me with a huge grin.

"Did Gray tell you about the dinner plans?" she asked, the excitement vivid in her eyes. "Are you okay with it?"

My stomach tightened in apprehension.

I came here to understand my purpose and path in life, to seek the answers to my mother's box of letters and the truth she wanted me to find.

I came here wanting to live a normal life.

I smiled. "Definitely."

●      ●      ●

I scanned the restaurant in wonder. Hues of the summer sky and colors of the sweetest meadow blooms splashed the walls in random strokes, the vibrance illuminated by the bucket lights hanging from the ceiling. It was like entering a dreamland.

"So, where are you from?" asked Victoria.

She was sitting next to me at the four-seater table while Liam and Gray were seated across from us.

"New York," I said.

"The City that Never Sleeps," she sighed dreamily. "Are you an only child?"

"Luckily."

"Amen to that, babe."

"What do your parents do?" Liam asked, tilting his head slightly to one side.

I swallowed hard, trying not to wince. This was a question I knew would come, one way or another, and I wasn't sure how to answer it.

Growing up, I never once acknowledged what my father did for a living, as I didn't know what he did. But now that he was in my life, I was aware of the details of his work. Though I didn't know the depth of each case he was working on, I knew it wasn't easy. He took in innocent clients who didn't have the money to get a better lawyer. My father believed that people like them would always be taken advantage of by the law. He wasn't wrong.

"My dad's a public defender. My mom..." I paused, feeling my heart clench in misery. "She owns a small convenience store in New York."

"What course are you taking?" Victoria questioned with reluctance.

"Business Studies and Law. I thought you already knew that?"

I glanced at Gray with my eyebrows pulled together, then looked back at Victoria, who was staring at me in confusion. Then her mouth dropped open.

"You told her?!" she bellowed, glaring at Gray.

I winced in shock. "Am I not supposed to know about it?"

Victoria turned to me with gentle eyes. "You deserve to know everything about that stupid list thing, Summer. It's just that I was going to tell you. I didn't think I would be robbed" — she threw Gray a pointed glance — "of that opportunity."

"I didn't know it was a competition," said Gray.

Victoria released a long breath. "The senior males are pigs, regardless of what course they're in. I don't even know how that list started," she ranted with a pinched expression.

"To be fair, there is also a list for the male freshmen," Liam supplied.

"It still doesn't change my mind that both lists are disgusting. I'll make sure to break their bones and crush their souls if they dare harass Summer," Victoria raised a fist in sheer determination.

I chuckled. "I'll definitely count on that."

"You shouldn't," Liam snorted. "Victoria is the most unreliable friend in the world."

"She doesn't seem unreliable to me, though."

"You are the sweetest person ever," Victoria giggled, taking both my hands in hers. "Not like that devil in front of us."

"You mean Gray?" Liam quipped, snapping his head in Gray's direction. "The horns aren't visible, but they're there."

"She means you, dimwit. Stop bringing me into conversations I don't want to take part in," Gray retaliated.

"Grumpy," Liam scoffed and pointed above his head. "It can't be me, though. I mean, if you stare long and hard, you'll be able to see the halo."

"Mhmm," Gray mumbled. He had his elbow on the table, propping up his chin as he stared at Liam. "Actually, you can see the horns if you stare long enough."

Liam slammed a hand to his chest and cried out in an exaggerated English accent, "I am deeply wounded, Gray! How dare you?!"

Victoria threw a packet of ketchup at him. "If you keep this up, you'll scare Summer away, and that ugly face of yours already keeps people at bay."

"Excuse me, missy. But the ladies love this face."

"Your mother and grandmother don't count, Liam."

I couldn't help but laugh with them, the warm feeling a foreign emotion in my chest. It had been a long time since I laughed genuinely with someone.

We talked more as the night progressed. I learned that they had been friends since middle school, which explained their easy chemistry together. I also found out that Liam and Gray were majoring in Business and Law and that they had another friend named Isaac, who was also studying Law.

For the first time in years, I could see myself living a peaceful life.